Seeing an authentication error while connecting your Android device to a Wi-Fi network? Unfortunately, this is a pretty common issue. It can even happen while connecting to a network that you've used in the past.
Luckily, there are several ways to get around this problem and successfully connect your phone to a Wi-Fi network. Check out these fixes below.
1. Toggle Airplane Mode
An easy way to get around Wi-Fi authentication errors is to toggle airplane mode on your Android phone. When you do that, your phone disconnects from all the networks you're connected to.
You can then disable airplane mode to reconnect to your chosen Wi-Fi network. There's no guarantee that this method will fix the error, but it only takes a moment, so it's worth a try. Here's how to do it:
Your phone should hopefully now connect to any saved Wi-Fi networks nearby. To access airplane mode more quickly in the future, drag down from the top of the screen twice to access the Quick Settings panel and tap the Airplane mode item.
2. Check the Wi-Fi Password
An authentication error is often the result of entering an incorrect Wi-Fi password. If you aren't sure what your password is, or if someone has changed it, you'll need to find the correct password for your wireless network.
If you don't manage the network, ask someone who knows the password. If this is your home network, you can head into your router's settings menu and find the password for yourself:
If you can't use the above method, it's possible to find your Wi-Fi password using Windows 10.
3. Restart Your Wi-Fi Router
Wi-Fi routers can sometimes experience hiccups. When that happens, your router could drop the connection for your devices, prevent new devices from connecting to the network, and have other problems.
Your authentication error could be the result of a malfunctioning router. Fortunately, fixing that is pretty easy. Simply turn off your router by unplugging it, keep it off for at least a minute, and then turn it back on.
Your phone should then connect to the network without any errors.
4. Forget and Rejoin the Wi-Fi Network
Sometimes, removing the Wi-Fi network and then rejoining it fixes authentication errors. As long as you remember the password for your network, this is simple to do:
5. Use a Static IP Instead of Dynamic
Most routers use DHCP, which automatically assigns an IP address to each device on the network. Sometimes, the DHCP feature doesn't work as it's supposed to, which will cause issues with your network.
Wi-Fi authentication and IP conflict issues are often the results of malfunctioning DHCP. To fix it, you can assign a static IP address to your Android phone. This way, your phone will have its own predefined IP address and won't rely on the router to get an IP.
Don't worry if this sounds a bit technical; it's pretty easy to do.
6. Reset Wi-Fi Settings on Your Phone
Improper Wi-Fi settings can lead to authentication errors. If you've tried all of the above and still can't connect, resetting them to the default should hopefully clear up the issue for you.
Android provides you with an option to reset all your network settings at once. When you do this, you'll lose all saved network data, such as VPN configurations, saved Wi-Fi networks, and Bluetooth devices. You'll have to reconfigure them later, so make sure you're OK with proceeding:
Once the settings are reset, connect your phone to the Wi-Fi network as you normally would.
7. Update Your Android Software
If you haven't updated your Android device in a long time, that could be why you see authentication errors on your phone. Newer operating system versions often patch bugs from older versions, which is why it's important to keep your Android phone up to date.
Here's how to find, download, and install software updates on your device:
8. Factory Reset Your Device
No matter the issue, if nothing else works, your last resort is to reset your phone to factory settings. This procedure erases all your data and settings stored on the device, so you'll be starting from scratch when it's done.
If you're still seeing Wi-Fi authentication errors at this point, this nuclear option is your last resort. Be sure to back up your phone before you reset it to avoid losing precious data.
If this doesn't work, you likely have a hardware problem with your device. Consider taking your phone to a repair technician.
Improve Your Wi-Fi Experience on Android
Wi-Fi issues are pretty common, but there's usually nothing to worry about with them. If your phone won't connect to a Wi-Fi network for some reason, you have plenty of ways to fix the issue.
And once you do get connected, in case your phone suffers from poor wireless performance, find out how to fix slow smartphone network speeds.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rq3KnqysnZ%2Bbe6S7zGirmp9fm7a5edaiZJ%2BhXZbCtbTEp6uim5GptrC6jJ6pq6eiqHqiusOrpqKcXw%3D%3D