In this video we're going to show you how to fix the problem when your Android
won't connect to Wi-Fi and help you determine whether or not the problem is
coming from your phone or your wireless router. The first fix happens on your
phone. Turn Wi-Fi off and back on again. I'll open settings by swiping down from
the top of the screen and then tapping the settings gear in the upper right
hand corner of the screen. Then tap connections, then turn off the switch
next to Wi-Fi, wait a few seconds, turn Wi-Fi back on again. This can sometimes
fix a minor connectivity issue. After your phone has had a chance to reconnect,
if you're still having the problem, try unplugging your router from the wall and
plugging it back in again. This next step can also fix a minor connectivity issue.
It's restarting your Android. This will vary from model to model, but on newer
Android phones, the side button and the volume down button, press and hold those
simultaneously, then tap power off, wait 15 to 30 seconds, let your Android
completely shut down, then press the side button again to restart your phone. And
while your phone's restarting, hit that thumbs up button right below the video.
It helps us to help more people. The next thing to do is try connecting to a
different Wi-Fi network. If your Android can't connect to any Wi-Fi networks,
there's a problem with your phone. If you only won't connect your home Wi-Fi
network, there's probably an issue with your router. Usually people only have one
Wi-Fi network at home. I know I do. So if I wanted to try a different one, I
would go to Starbucks or McDonald's or the library or a different Starbucks,
anywhere else with Wi-Fi network to test this out. And while you're anywhere
else with Wi-Fi, if your phone does connect to that Wi-Fi network, try
resetting your router. I thought we already did that when we unplugged it
and plugged it back in. We did not. There's a tiny reset button on the back
of pretty much every wireless router. You stick a paperclip in there, press
the button for 8 to 10 seconds, wait for all the lights to go nuts on your
router. That's how you know it's been reset. If that explanation wasn't
technical enough for you, you could just do a Google search for your router
name and model number and how to reset it and you'll get the instructions.
Just keep in mind that when you reset your router, it might reset everything
to factory default. So if you set up a custom Wi-Fi password, you might need
to set that up again. Just keep that in mind. It's a little inconvenient, but
not as inconvenient as not being able to connect to Wi-Fi. And usually the
default Wi-Fi network name and password are listed right on the bottom of your
router, along with the model number. The next thing to try when your Android
won't connect to Wi-Fi is turning off your VPN. We've heard from a lot of
people that their VPN was the reason their Android couldn't connect to the
internet. And even if you don't think you have a VPN installed on your phone,
you actually might. Sometimes apps can install them. Check this setting out.
In the connection settings on your Android, tap more connection settings at
the bottom of the screen, then tap on VPN. I don't have one, but if you do,
just turn off the switch, see if that fixes the problem. Next, we're going to
delete the Wi-Fi network from your phone and set it up as new. Whenever you
connect to a Wi-Fi network for the first time, your Android saves information
about how to connect to that network. If something about that process changes,
your Android won't connect again. Let's tap back upper left-hand corner of the
screen to your connection settings, then tap on Wi-Fi. Tap the settings gear to
the right of your Wi-Fi network, then tap Forget Network. It's that trash can.
We'll tap that, and it's gone. Then look for the name of your network in your
list again. Meowie, enter your password, then tap Connect.
If that didn't work, the next step is to check for a mobile device management
profile. These accounts and profiles are used by legitimate businesses all over
the world, but they can prevent you from connecting to certain Wi-Fi networks.
That's because they are designed to configure your Android in a very specific
way, and that can include configuring the way it connects to the internet.
There are two places we need to check. First is apps. Let's tap back upper left-hand
corner of the screen, back to the main page of settings. Scroll down to your apps.
We'll tap on that, and look through this list of apps. Look for a device policy
app or an MDM app. If you got your phone from work or school, your phone may have
one of these profiles installed, and if you're having problems connecting to the
internet, you might want to go to your IT department and ask them for help.
The other place to check is accounts. There could be an MDM account set up on
your Android. Let's tap back upper left-hand corner of the screen. Scroll up
and tap on Accounts and Backup, then tap Manage Accounts. Look for one of these
accounts on your Android. If there's an account in here that you didn't set up
and you had no idea about, that's a sign your Android actually has a virus.
Check out our video in a card above and the description section down below.
The next fix is Reset Network Settings. Let's tap back upper left-hand corner of
the screen. We're going back to the main page of settings. Scroll down and tap on
General Management, then scroll down and tap Reset, then tap Reset Network Settings,
and then tap Reset Settings. This resets all the Wi-Fi, mobile data, and Bluetooth
settings on your phone, so make sure you know your Wi-Fi password before you do
this because you'll have to enter it again. This could fix a deeper software
problem preventing your Android from connecting to Wi-Fi. And while your
Android is resetting, we want to give shout outs to five new channel members.
Bonnie Nicholson, Jim Collins, Rodney Henke, Steve Redding, and Marcus Martinez
want to get a shout out? Want to get PDFs for some of our biggest settings
videos? Do you want to get custom badges and emojis? Click that Join button down
below this video. It helps us out so much. Next step, contact your router
manufacturer. In my case, TP-Link. When you get in touch with them, they'll
probably tell you to factory reset it, which we've already done, so you can
skip that whole step. I mean, could be a hardware problem with your router that
might assign you a replacement. Hopefully that fixes the problem for you.
But that's unlikely, and it's also unlikely that your Android has a hardware
problem with its Wi-Fi antenna because usually that's not the first thing to go
on a phone. If you smashed it, that could explain why Wi-Fi isn't working.
Or if you dropped your phone to the bottom of a lake, got some water damage,
that could also break the antennas inside your phone. You have a couple of
options. Contact the manufacturer of your phone for a repair or find a local
mom and pop repair shop. Once your Android is connected to Wi-Fi again,
there are some settings that you really should change on your Android.
We made a video about that. Sure did. Watch that one next. We'll see you there.