Android Won't Connect to Wi-Fi? How to Fix It
Android won't join your Wi-Fi? Forget the network and rejoin, toggle airplane mode, and check MAC randomization — a fix list from quick to last resort.
When Android will not join a Wi-Fi network at all — it hangs on “connecting” or says authentication failed — the fastest fix is to forget the network and add it again with the password. If that does not work, the cause is usually the password, the router, or MAC randomization. (If it connects but has no internet, that is a different problem.)
Start with the quick toggles
Turn Wi-Fi off and on, then flip Airplane mode on for ten seconds and off again to reset the radios. Restart the phone and the router — power the router off for thirty seconds, since a router that has been running for weeks drops new devices more often than people expect. These three steps clear most one-off failures.
Forget the network and rejoin
Tap the network, choose Forget, then select it again and re-enter the password carefully — a wrong or recently changed password shows as “authentication error” or an endless “connecting.” If your router uses one name for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, try moving closer or joining the 2.4 GHz band, which reaches further.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Authentication error” | Wrong or changed password | Forget network, re-enter |
| Connects then drops | Weak signal or band issue | Move closer, try 2.4 GHz |
| Fails on this phone only | MAC randomization | Switch to device MAC |
| No device will connect | The router | Restart the router |
Turn off MAC randomization, then reset
Android uses a random Wi-Fi address per network for privacy, and older routers reject it. Tap the gear next to the network, open Privacy, and switch from “Use randomized MAC” to “Use device MAC” for that network only. As a last resort, reset all saved connections: on Pixel, Settings, System, Reset options, Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth; on Samsung, Settings, General management, Reset, Reset network settings. That clears saved networks, not your personal data. If the phone joins but pages will not load, see connected to Wi-Fi but no internet; if Wi-Fi is fine but cellular is not, mobile data not working covers it, and pairing trouble is in Bluetooth won’t connect.
Forget-and-rejoin fixes the everyday case; the device-MAC switch fixes the stubborn one on older routers. Reset network settings only when nothing on the phone will connect anywhere.