Many times, even if you are connected to your Wi-Fi, you cannot open any web page on your Android phone. And, when that happens, you’ll see that your Wi-Fi icon has an exclamation mark or an X sign on it. Sometimes you will even receive a notification indicating limited connectivity. In this article, we will explain how to fix this problem on Android phones.
Limited access means your phone is connected to Wi-Fi, but the Wi-Fi network is not connected to the Internet. This means that Wi-Fi does not have a working Internet connection. You can take advantage of all the benefits of a Wi-Fi network in this situation, but you will not be able to use the Internet to open websites or applications.
Let’s see different solutions to fix Wi-Fi displaying a notification of limited connectivity on Android.
1. Restart the devices
You must start by restarting your phone and router. To restart your router, turn off its switch and unplug it for 20 to 30 seconds. Then reconnect it.
2. Check the date and time on the phone
Once you have restarted the required devices, check the date and time on your phone. Sometimes there is a difference between the actual time and that of your device, correct it.
To do this, go to Settings> System (or General Management). Tap Date and time. Choose Automatic date and time or Use the time provided by the network.
3. Forget the Wi-Fi SSID connected to your phone
Then you have to forget about your Wi-Fi network from the phone. As in, disconnect or delete the saved network details. After that, you will need to re-enter the password for your Wi-Fi.
To forget the Wi-Fi password and details, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Settings on your phone. Tap Connections or Network and Internet.
2nd step: Tap Wi-Fi. Then tap the name of the Wi-Fi SSID that is having a problem.
Step 3: Tap Forget on the next screen.
Step 4: Try to reconnect to the same Wi-Fi SSID with the correct password.
4. Switch between IP settings
You should also try to switch between dynamic and static IP settings to correct limited connectivity. In the first case, you don’t have to do anything as an IP, and everything else will be set automatically. In the latter, you will need to enter certain details manually, as described in the next solution.
To change the IP mode, do the following:
Step 1: Open your Wi-Fi settings as shown above. In other words, go to Settings> Connections / Network> Wi-Fi.
2nd step: Tap your Wi-Fi SSID name. Now tap the advanced options. On Android Stock, you will need to tap the edit icon, then tap the advanced options.
Step 3: You will see the IP settings options. Change the mode from static to DHCP or vice versa. If you are switching from DHCP to static, use the following method for settings.
5. Use the correct IP settings
Sometimes there is an IP conflict between various devices connected to the Wi-Fi network. Switching to static IP and manually entering the IP address have solved the problem of limited connectivity on Android for many users.
To do this, repeat the steps mentioned in the above solution, i.e. select the static IP address. After that, you will notice that new options open for you such as IP address, DNS, etc. You must change the IP address and choose one from the range of standard IP addresses supported by your router and region.
- 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
- 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
- 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255
The first three digits are always the same, i.e. 192.168.1, as in my case. After that, you can enter any number between 1 and 255 to replace X. So your final address will be something like 192.168.1.246. The gateway should be similar to your IP address, usually ending in 1. You can also try using DNS DNS 1 as 8.8.8.8 and DNS 2 as 8.8.4.4. Keep the rest unchanged. Finally, press the Save button. Restart your phone.
Point: Keep trying 2-3 random IP addresses to see if any of them connect properly.
6. Change Wi-Fi privacy (Android 10 or higher)
On phones running Android 10, the problem can be resolved by also changing the privacy of the Wi-Fi network. To do this, open your Wi-Fi settings on the phone. Access your Wi-Fi network. Tap Privacy or tap the MAC address type. On some phones, you can find it under the Advanced option.
You will find two options – Random MAC and Device MAC. Switch to the second option from the one that is currently set. For example, if it is Device MAC right now, go to Randomized MAC and vice versa. Restart the phone.
7. Change network usage
Another setting that may be responsible for limited connectivity on Android is network usage. To remedy this, you must change your network to Unmetered.
To do this, open the settings for your Wi-Fi network. Press Network use or Measured network. Look under Advanced if it is not directly visible. Select Unmeasured. Restart the phone.
8. Modify modem settings
If you have access to your router or modem, also try changing some settings. First, you need to change the wireless mode. It will be present under the wireless settings of your modem. Try using modes such as 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, etc. to see which one is best for you.
Second, change the password type from WPA2 to WPA / WPA2 in your router settings. Once you have changed a setting, restart your modem. Then try to connect your phone to it. Hopefully the limited connection notification will disappear.
9. Reset network settings
Finally, you need to reset the network settings on your Android phone. This will not delete any of your personal data. However, all of your network settings such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. will be reset to their original values. Find out in detail what happens when you reset the network settings.
To reset the network, do the following:
Step 1: Open Settings on your phone and go to System or General Management.
2nd step: Tap Reset. Then tap Reset network settings or Reset Wi-Fi, mobile and Bluetooth.
Look in a different direction
If the problem persists, the problem may not be on your side. We mean that the problem could also come from your service provider. So call them to confirm.
Then:
Did you know that you can use your Android phone as a Wi-Fi repeater? Find out how to do it from the following link.
Last updated: April 1, 2020