Any smartphone can fall into various types of wireless connectivity issues from slow browsing, intermittent connectivity and no connection at all. Even the high-powered devices are plagued with this issue. That being said, don’t be surprised if Wi-Fi internet connection on your Google Pixel 2 gets interrupted at times. While this inflicts some trouble especially to heavy-internet users, there’s no need to worry much as the problem can likely be resolved in no time unless a hardware damage is the trigger. Read on to find out the possible causes of Wi-Fi issues and how to deal with them on your Google Pixel 2 smartphone.
Why does your Google Pixel 2 unable to connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi?
Many factors can interrupt Internet services in mobile devices. Among the possible causes would include but not limited to account issues, network outages, incorrect settings, app malfunctions, and faulty updates. As much as possible, try to determine which among the probable causes is affecting the Wi-Fi functions on your Google Pixel 2. To do so, try to think of when the first symptom has manifested or onset of the problem. For example, did your Pixel 2 lost connection after installing a new app, changing some settings, or downloading an update? Doing so will help you save time and effort in performing unnecessary troubleshooting. To help you identify the underlying cause, here are some guidelines for you to note.
Read the alert message or warning.
Often times, your device tells you of what went wrong through an alert message or warning prompts. So if you happen to see an alert prompt while trying to access the Internet through Wi-Fi on your Pixel 2 device, be sure to read the message as it often contains some hints on how to fix the problem. Sometimes the problem is only isolated to a website like when you cannot access a certain page while the rest are working fine. It’s possible that the page you’re trying to access is currently down thus unavailable. If you cannot access the Internet at all and it occurs so suddenly, then you may consider the possibility of a network outage. Contacting your network service provider can help you verify if an outage is causing your Wi-Fi to suddenly become unavailable.
Determine the onset of the problem.
Meanwhile, if the Wi-Fi problem started after downloading new contents or installing new apps on your Google Pixel 2, then that is likely the trigger. Perhaps that new contents or apps are corrupted and somehow affects the connectivity functions on your phone. In the case where incorrect settings are to blame, all you have to do is try to revert the recent changes you’ve made back to the way it was before the problem arises.
Other cases of Wi-Fi problems transpiring in Android smartphones have been tied to account issues. This can be among the underlying causes as to why your Google Pixel 2 cannot connect to Wi-Fi internet too. To rule this out from the possible causes, contact your carrier or service provider then verify and ensure that everything in your account is okay and that your are getting the right service plan to begin with.
Rule out possible hardware damage.
The worst among the possible causes is a faulty hardware. This is often the case if the phone got wet or dropped previously. Physical or liquid damage might have affected the Pixel 2 component responsible to carry out Wi-Fi functions. Unfortunately, hardware-related issues would already require service as remedy.
How to fix Wi-Fi problems on Google Pixel 2 that are software-related?
If you are certain that your phone has no physical or liquid damage, then most likely what you are dealing with is a software problem. If you wish to troubleshoot the problem on your end, you may refer to the following workarounds. Be sure to test your device to see whether or not is already able to connect to Wi-Fi as intended after performing each method. If necessary, proceed to the next applicable solutions.
Reboot your modem or wireless router.
Also known as power cycle or restart, turning the modem or wireless router on or off is all you need to get your wireless internet back up and running again. If all your devices in a network cannot connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi, then you should try this method first. Here’s how to do it properly:
- Turn off your modem or wireless router by pressing the Power button until all the lights are off.
- Remove or unplug it from the power source for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- After the elapsed time, plug it back into power.
- Press the Power button to turn it back on.
- Wait for all the lights to become stable.
- Reboot your phone then try to connect to the Internet.
You may also consider contacting your modem or wireless router manufacturer if you notice some unusual behaviours on the network equipment like often losing signal, heating up so fast, and the like. If you can’t reach the device manufacturer, then contact your Internet service provider instead.
Reboot your Google Pixel 2 (soft reset).
A soft reset can help eliminate apps glitches and minor issues on the software that might have affected your phone’s wireless capability. No data will be affected in the process, thus it’s safe. For starters, here’s how to reboot or soft reset your Google Pixel 2:
- Press and hold the Power button on the right side of the phone.
- Tap the option to Power off.
If your phone gets frozen or unresponsive, then you can do a force restart instead.
- To force your Google Pixel 2, press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds until it power cycles or when the Android logo appears.
Similar to a soft reset, a force restart will not affect any data stored on the phone. This is highly recommended especially if your Pixel 2 becomes unresponsive while attempting to load a website or page.
Turn Wi-Fi off and then back on.
Many smartphone users are using this trick to deal with sudden connectivity loss on their respective devices. Just like other features, the Wi-Fi function can also become unstable at times thus causing minor flaws to transpire including no internet access. If you haven’t already, try to toggle the Wi-Fi switch on your phone and see if that will fix it. For starters, here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, tap the Arrow Up icon. Doing so will show a list of all apps on the phone.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Network & Internet.
- Tap Wi-Fi.
- Toggle the Wi-Fi switch to turn it off.
- Reboot your device.
- Go back to Settings-> Network & Internet-> Wi-Fi.
- Then toggle the Wi-Fi switch to turn Wi-Fi back on.
Now try to connect to the Internet by navigating to a website or webpage. If it successfully loads up the page or website without errors, then you’re good. Otherwise, try other applicable solutions.
Verify network settings on your Google Pixel 2.
Make sure other relevant settings are properly configured. Among the settings to look into on your phone aside from Wi-Fi are Airplane Mode or Power Saving Mode.
Other connectivity features including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi will automatically be disabled or unavailable when Airplane mode is turned on. So make sure it is turned OFF.
To turn Airplane Mode or Flight mode on or off, slide your two fingers downwards starting from the top of the screen, then press the Airplane Mode icon to turn the feature on or off.
Another thing that you should consider checking is the battery saver mode. To save power whenever your device’s battery gets low, you can set your Google Pixel 2 to activate battery saver automatically or at any time, when necessary. While doing so can help extend battery life on your device, it also limits its functionalities. You won’t be able to use Google Maps navigation, location services, email, messaging, or other apps that sync with battery saver on. To rule this out from the possible causes, try to turn it off then see what happens. Here’s how to get there:
- Swipe down from the top of your phone screen.
- Tap the Battery Saver icon.
Note: You will know when battery saver is on if the top and bottom of your screen turn orange. If it is, then tap the Battery Saver icon to the feature OFF for a moment.
Try to connect to the Internet with Battery saver off and see if you can. If it works or you are able to access the Internet through Wi-Fi with battery saver off, charge your device first then use the Internet again when the battery gets full.
Forget wireless network on your Google Pixel 2.
Another effective solution to wireless connectivity issues in mobile devices is to forget the wireless network and then reconnect. The only downside of this process is that you’ll lose your wireless network information including Wi-Fi networks and passwords. On the positive side, you will likely have the problem resolved afterwards. If you wish to give it a try, take note of your Wi-Fi passwords then follow these steps:
- Tap the Arrow Up icon from the Home screen to show all apps.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Network & Internet.
- Tap Wi-Fi.
- Touch and hold the Wi-Fi network you want to forget or remove.
- Tap the option to Forget network.
- Reboot your device then add the Wi-Fi network to connect to with these steps:
- Tap the Arrow Up icon from the Home screen to show all apps.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Network & Internet.
- Tap Wi-Fi.
- Make sure the Wi-Fi switch is turned on.
- From the Wi-Fi networks section, tap the preferred network or add it manually.
- If prompted, enter the correct password for the network then tap Connect.
Wait until your device is connected then try to navigate to a website using your mobile app browser to see if you can now access the Internet.
Reset network settings on your Google Pixel 2
If you still cannot connect to Wi-Fi after performing the previous steps, then you may now consider a network settings reset. Doing so will erase all your current network settings and restore the default options afterwards. If you want to give it a shot, backup your network information then follow these steps:
- Tap the Arrow Up icon from the Home screen to view all apps.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap System.
- Tap Reset or the Reset icon.
- Tap Network settings reset.
- Tap Reset Settings.
- If prompted, enter the correct passcode to continue.
- Tap Reset Settings again to confirm action.
Your device will reboot when the reset completes. If not, then restart your device instead.
Resetting network settings can help fix problems with no Internet connection, as well as unable to send or receive emails or messages on the device. Bluetooth, Cellular and Wi-Fi network settings including saved networks and passwords are cleared or restored to default values afterwards.
Another suggestion for you to consider
- Check for network outages. If the problem occurs all of a sudden or you suddenly lost Wi-Fi access on your phone without doing anything or haven’t made any changes on the network settings, then it can be due to a network outage. Usually, internet service providers announces incoming outages in line with scheduled maintenance or network service upgrade but there also other instances where the network services are affected by unexpected incidents including natural calamities. In this case, you need to contact your network service provider to either verify for scheduled outage or report an on-going network problem in your place.
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