How to fix your Samsung Galaxy Note8 that can’t connect to Wi-Fi [Troubleshooting Guide]

A premium smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Note8 should be able to connect to a Wi-Fi network without any problems as internet connectivity is one of the reasons why smartphones are called as such. However, there are times when phones encounter some hiccups and this feature could be one of the functions that may greatly affected.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 that can no longer connect to a Wi-Fi network. We will consider every possibility and rule them out one by one until we can determine what the problem really is and what needs to be done to fix it. So, if you’re one of the owners of this great phone, continue reading below as we may be able to help you.

If you’re looking for a solution to a different problem, then take time to visit our Galaxy Note8 troubleshooting page for we have already provided solutions to some common issues with this device. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the solutions and workarounds we suggested. If you can’t find something similar and you badly need help, consider contacting us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire. Make sure to provide us with the information we need so that we can help you better. Don’t worry, it’s free.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy Note8 that can’t connect to Wi-Fi

The course of our troubleshooting will be to go after the possibilities that are safe and easy to rule out and then we try to rule out ones that are a bit more complicated. But at the end of the day, our main priority here is to know or, at least, have an idea what the problem really is because if it’s something that’s beyond our league, then you should see a technician about it or bring the phone back to the store and have it replaced. After all, it’s still new and as long as the cause of the problem isn’t water or physical damage, you can always negotiate for a replacement. That being said, here’s what you need to do about this problem…

Step 1: Reboot your Note8 in safe mode and see if it can connect normally

Apparently, what we’re trying to accomplish here is to know if the apps have something to do with the problem. Not being able to connect to a hotspot is almost unheard of especially to smartphones with really great specs but it happens. We’ve actually seen several cases wherein third-party apps caused similar problems on other devices so this is the first possibility we have to rule out. Fortunately, you can easily isolate the problem by booting in safe mode as all third-party apps are temporarily disabled in this environment. Try to follow these steps first to run your device in safe mode:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

Once your phone has successfully booted up in this mode, try to connect your phone to the Wi-Fi hotspot you were trying to connect to see if it can. If successful, then it’s clear that there’s at least one app that’s causing the problem. You have to find it and then do something about it.

Try to update apps that need to be updated

If you don’t have a clue as to which of your apps is causing the problem, then try doing this one first as it might be just a simple compatibility issue…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Play Store.
3. Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu > Settings then tap Auto-update apps to select the check box.
4. Choose one of the following options:
   • Tap Update [xx] to update all applications with updates available.
   • Tap an individual application and then tap Update to update a single application.

After updating your apps, reboot your phone in normal mode to see if it can connect to Wi-Fi this time. If the problem persists, then move on to the next troubleshooting steps.

Try resetting apps you suspect are the culprits

In case you already are suspecting an app or two, then try clearing their caches and data to reset them and every single time you do that, try to connect to the Wi-Fi hotspot you’re trying to connect to. Here’s how you reset apps on your Note8…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
6. Tap Clear cache.

Uninstall apps you think are causing the problem

Just in case the clearing of caches and data failed, then it’s time you try uninstalling them one by one and verify if the problem still persists each time you uninstall an app.

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
4. Tap the desired application.
5. Tap Uninstall.
6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

Step 2: Verify you still have the correct login credentials to the network

Assuming that the problem isn’t fixed after doing all the procedures above, then you should double check to know if you still have to correct password to the Wi-Fi hotspot you’re trying to connect to. If it’s your own Wi-Fi, then you already know if you changed the password or the SSID. If it’s a public hotspot, you should contact the representative of the establishment and ask for the login credentials.

If there are other open hotspots you can connect, try connecting to them just to verify if your phone still capable of doing so.

Going back to the assumption that it’s your own Wi-Fi network you’re trying to connect, I suggest you take time rebooting your network equipment (modem, router, etc.) because there are times when these equipment crash especially if the problem started without apparent reason. After this step and the problem still persists, move on to the next.

Step 3: Try to reset network settings

We’ll now go after the network settings on your new phone. After steps 1 and 2 and the problem still persists, then it’s already possible the problem is with some of the settings or the firmware itself. So, try to reset the network settings of your device, which will do the following:

• Stored Wi-Fi networks will be deleted.
• Paired Bluetooth devices will be deleted.
• Background data sync settings will be turned on.
• Data restrictive settings in applications that were manually turned on/off by the customer will be reset to the default setting.
• Network selection mode will be set to automatic.

And here are the steps…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > General Management > Reset > Reset network settings.
3. Tap Reset settings.
4. If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
5. Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.

After this, try to connect to the network again to see if the problem gets fixed, if still no, then do the next step.

Step 4: Try deleting the system caches

There are times when issues like this happen due to corrupt system caches. These are temporary files created and used by the system so your phone will run smoothly but when they become corrupt, performance-related issues may occur. The best thing to do about it is to delete them so that they will be replaced with new ones and since you have no access to individual caches, you have to delete them all at once by booting your phone up in Recovery mode and wiping the cache partition…

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the problem still persists after this procedure, then the next step might just fix the problem.

Step 5: Backup all your files and reset your phone

Yes, your phone is still new but since it already has a problem like this and all other steps didn’t work, then you should reset it. But make sure to backup all your files and data first so that you can restore them later on. This is also in preparation in case you need a technician to examine the device; it deletes all your personal information. And oh, before you actually reset your phone, make sure to disable the Factory Reset Protection so you won’t be locked out.

How to disable Galaxy Note8 Factory Reset Protection

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
3. Tap Accounts.
4. Tap Google.
5. Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
6. Tap 3 dot icon.
7. Tap Remove account.
8. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to reset your Samsung Galaxy Note8

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

You can also reset your Note8 from the Settings menu…

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
3. Tap Backup and restore.
4. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
5. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
6. Tap the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
7. Tap Reset.
8. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
9. Tap Continue.
10. Tap Delete all.

If the problem isn’t fixed after this, bring your phone back to the store to have it replaced.

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