Wi-Fi has become a necessity in modern life. Even though data plans have generally gotten a bit more generous over the years, you still don’t want to exhaust your allowance, whether at home or on the go. That’s why a Wi-Fi network is such a perk. But what if your phone simply refuses to connect? What’s going on? Here are some solutions to try when your phone won’t connect to Wi-Fi.
Why does my phone keep disconnecting from Wi-Fi?
There are several reasons why your device may refuse to connect to a Wi-Fi network. It could be that the network itself is having issues, a setting on your phone is interfering, or it could be a more serious hardware issue. We’ve rounded up some of the most common reasons for Wi-Fi issues below, so you can quickly check if the problem is solvable.
Is the Wi-Fi signal too weak?
A weak signal from a router can make it difficult for a phone to connect to Wi-Fi. Take a look at the Wi-Fi icon in the top right of your device (Android or iPhone) and it should show you the current signal strength. If the inverted triangle icon has all of its bars filled, the signal is strong and is probably not the problem. If not, you can try moving closer to the router.
Walls weaken signals, so try repositioning yourself so you have a line of sight to the router and hopefully this will improve the signal strength. It’s also worth remembering that objects placed in front of a router can interfere with the signal, so check that no one has placed anything large next to it that could cause a problem.
Do you need to connect to the network?
You might think that tapping on the name is enough to access a public Wi-Fi service, but you may need to sign in to an account to access the internet. This is quite common in cafes and bars.
To check this, go to your device’s Wi-Fi settings and see if it has a warning indicator indicating that there is a problem. This message is usually accompanied by a message like “No Internet. Sign-in required.” If so, tap the message and sign in to the account you use there. If you don’t have one, open your browser and try searching for a new site. This should display the network connection message, along with a page where you can create a free account to use on the service.
Is the network down?
One of the simplest reasons why you might be having trouble connecting to a Wi-Fi service is because the network itself is down. Try checking on a friend’s phone to see if they can use the service, or look around to see if anyone else can connect. If you’re at a coffee shop or similar, you can always ask the staff if there’s a problem. They may be able to reboot the router and get things working again. If you’re at home, try doing the same thing to see if that fixes your connection issues.
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Is the network too busy?
There may simply be too many people on the network, or some of them may be doing activities (video calls, streaming 4K content, etc.) that are using up all the bandwidth. If you’re at home, it’s worth checking to see if this is the case and perhaps asking your family or roommates if they can reduce their network usage. If you’re using public Wi-Fi, you may need to move.
Is Wi-Fi turned off on your phone?
Another common problem is forgetting that your phone’s Wi-Fi features are turned off. To check if this has happened, follow these steps:
iPhone: Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen and make sure the Wi-Fi icon is blue. If it’s white, it means it’s turned off. Just tap on it to fix the problem.
Another thing to check is that you are not in airplane mode. You will see this if the little airplane icon has an orange background. If so, tap it to turn off airplane mode.
Android: Swipe down from the top of the screen, then make sure the Wi-Fi button is turned on. (It’s usually labeled Internet and will have a white background if it’s on.) Make sure Airplane mode isn’t accidentally turned on, as that would turn off Wi-Fi.
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Try restarting your device
If none of the above solutions work, it is always a good idea to try restarting your device to see if that fixes the problem. Simply turn off your phone and restart it. If all goes well, the Wi-Fi problem should go away.
Update your device
Updates can sometimes cause unexpected issues, especially with connectivity. You should check for updates before taking your phone to a repair shop.
iPhone: Access Settings > General > Software Update and see if there is an update available. If so, install it and see if that fixes the problem with Wi-Fi.
Martyn Casserly and Dominik Tomaszewski
Android: Since Android has several variants, these instructions may be slightly different depending on your device. For the most part, this will involve opening Settings > System > Software Updates and install all available updates.
There you have it, there are several ways to fix connectivity issues on your smartphone. If you find that there is a hardware fault on your device, you can always check out our ranking of the best budget smartphones, best mid-range smartphones, and best smartphones to choose a replacement.
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