When an Android phone won't connect to Wi-Fi, the problem is almost always one of a handful of things: a glitchy network stack, a saved password that's gone stale, or a router hiccup. Here's how to work through them in order.
Start With the Basics
- Toggle Wi-Fi off and back on. Pull down your notification shade and tap the Wi-Fi icon twice — off, then on. Wait ten seconds between.
- Restart the phone. Hold the power button, tap Restart, and try reconnecting after it boots.
- Restart your router. Unplug it from power, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in. Give it a full minute to come back up before testing.
Forget and Rejoin the Network
A saved Wi-Fi entry can hold a wrong password or a bad IP lease. Forgetting it forces a clean start.
- Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi (on Samsung: Settings → Connections → Wi-Fi).
- Tap the network name, then tap Forget.
- Find the network again, tap it, and enter the password fresh.
Check the Obvious Blockers
- Wrong password. Passwords are case-sensitive. Ask someone who knows it to type it in front of you.
- Airplane mode is on. Check your quick settings panel — it turns off all radios including Wi-Fi.
- MAC address randomization. Some routers block devices with randomized MACs. Try setting it to Use device MAC under Wi-Fi → (network name) → Privacy.
Reset Network Settings
If none of the above works, resetting network settings clears all saved Wi-Fi passwords, Bluetooth pairings, and cellular settings — but leaves your apps and files alone.
- Go to Settings → General Management → Reset → Reset network settings (Samsung). On stock Android (Pixel): Settings → System → Reset options → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.
- Confirm the reset.
- Rejoin your Wi-Fi networks by entering passwords again.
Check for a Software Update
Network bugs are sometimes fixed in software updates. Go to Settings → Software update and install anything pending, then test Wi-Fi again.
Still stuck? Ask us and describe exactly what happens when you try to connect — the error message matters.