iPhone: Server Cannot Be Found-Fix it with 9 Ways

My iPhone says “server cannot be found”

“On my iPhone, I always use Safari to look for and browse information and it used to work well. But somehow, I failed to open a web page and got the message-Safari Can’t Find the Server. Safari can’t open the page ... because it could not find the server www.apple.com.

I try to open another website and still got the same error. What’s wrong with my iPhone Safari? How can I fix the server cannot be found error on my iPhone issue? Thanks in advance.”

You may also be interested in: The iPhone Software Update Server Could Not be Contacted  

Why iPhone server cannot be found?

The "server cannot be found" error can occur not only when you are using a browser like Safari or Chrome, but also when you use an app like Facebook. Usually, the error is caused by an unresponsible or unreliable DNS server. Generally, Facebook or Safari can’t find the server related to the network on iPhone.

How to fix "server cannot be found" on iPhone

Having a basic understanding of the causes of iPhone server cannot be found error, it’s time to check out the following 9 fixes.

Fix 1. Check the internet connection on iPhone

Firstly, check out whether you have enabled WiFi or cellular network from Settings on your iPhone. Then, make sure that the Airplane mode isn’t enabled. Finally, you can test the internet speed by opening another network app to see whether it works well. A good network condition can solve many problems.

Fix 2. Check the URL that you have input on Safari

If you have typed in a website URL manually, there are high chances that Safari can’t find the server error occurs due to the wrong URL. Under such circumstances, check the URL and make sure that it is 100% right. Then, try to reload the page that you want to visit.

Fix 3. Disable content blocker

Some websites can detect automatically if your iPhone has ad-blocker and you may be unable to open their pages with Safari can’t find the Server message. Then, you can disable the ad-blocker on your iPhone and see whether you can open the page successfully.

Detailed steps on turning off iPhone content blocker for Safari browser:

Step 1. On your iPhone, tap “Setting” and scroll down to locate Safari browser.

Step 2. Tap it and tap on “Content Blocker” and disable all options.

Fix 4. Use separate WiFi names for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz

Supposed that you are using the same WiFi Name for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, Safari can’t find server error can occur. You can change the WiFi Name for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks.

Fix 5. Clear Safari cache files and browser data

If there is nothing wrong with the Internet connection, URL, and WiFi Name but server still cannot be founded on iPhone, it’s a nice choice to clear Safari cache files and website data.

Step 1. On your iPhone, tap “Settings” and “Safari”.

Step 2. Tap “Clear History and Website Data”. Then, open the browser and see if you can visit the age.

Fix 6. Adjust DNS settings

If you are not using a reliable DNS server, it’s common to get Safar can’t find the server or can’t connect to the server error on your iPhone. You can follow the steps given below to check and adjust DNS settings.

Step 1. Tap “Settings” on your iPhone and tap “Wi-Fi”.

Step 2. Tap the icon that is next to the domain name and “Configure DNS”.

Step 3. Change “Automatic” to “Manual” and tap “Add Server”.

Step 4. Enter 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4, the reliable Google DNS server.

Fix 7. Reset Network settings

Or you can reset your Network settings to see whether server cannot be found issue can be fixed on iPhone. Navigation to “Settings” > “General” > “Reset Network Settings”. Tap “Reset Network Settings” and again tap it to confirm the operation.

Note: If you reset your Network settings, all Wi-Fi passwords that you have and the DNS settings will be removed. Thus, you’d better keep the password of the Wi-Fi before resetting it.

Fix 8. Force restart iPhone

Sometimes, you can fix many minor issues including Safar can’t find server by restarting iPhone forcibly.

For iPhone 8 and earlier iPhones, you can press and hold the Top/Side button until the slider appears。

For iPhone 13/12/11/X/XS/XR, press and hold the Side button and volume button until the slider appears.

Fix 9. Update your iOS

If your iPhone hasn’t been updated to the new iOS, it’s possible that some apps like Safari won’t be working due to some security problem. Go to Settings  > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates and then you can update your iOS on iPhone.

Warning: Sometimes, iOS update can cause issues, including photos missing, Wi-Fi not working, etc. Thus, it’s highly recommended to back up your iPhone before update. To complete the task, you can use FoneTool. It has fast speed, intuitive GUI, and flexible backup options and it supports transferring data from old iPhone to new iPhone. Now, have a look at how to use it to make a backup of your iPhone.

Step 1. Free download, install and fire up the iOS backup software. Go to "Phone Backup" >  "Full Backup" and click "Get Started".

Note: To backup messages, contacts, photos, and music selectively, you can click “Get Started” under "Selective Backup".

Step 2. Click “Start Backup” to start the operation. To backup private data like Health Data, you can enable Backup encryption to create an encrypted backup.

Step 4. Wait for the backup process to get finished. If you need to restore data, just go to "Backup History" to find out the backup file, click the three data icon and choose "Restore".

Conclusion

All the 9 above methods for fixing iPhone server cannot be found error is simple and quick. You don’t need to try them one by one and you can take the one that you consider is the most helpful and try it.