Google Pixel 3 XL wifi won’t turn on

Some Google Pixel 3 XL users reported all sorts of wifi issues to us in the past. In this short troubleshooting article, we cover one particular case wherein wifi functionality is totally unusable as it won’t even turn on.

Problem: Google Pixel 3 XL wifi won’t turn on

Dear team, I have bought Google Pixel 3 XL mobile phone in the month of May,2018 in US. It was working fine for me with all the functionality. After 3 months, the wifi functionality stopped working. The prime issue is, wifi doesn’t turn on. Even if we slide ON it automatically slides to off. I have tried doing factory reset for about 3 times, but coicould help. Still the problem exist. Please kindly do the needful and help me in fixing this issue without this functionality, it’s difficult to work with. Thanks.

Solution: We don’t know the full history of your Google Pixel 3 XL so it’s very hard to figure out where the issue is coming from. We suggest that you do some troubleshooting in order to narrow down the possible factors.

Install system update

Many Pixel 3 and 3 XL users reported encounter wifi performance issues all the time. Some of these issues go away after updating the operating system so this should also be the first thing that you want to try.

By default, Pixel 3 devices are set to automatically install system updates. However, you can also manually check it yourself to see if there’s a more recent Android version for your device at this time. Here’s how:

  1. Connect your Pixel 3 XL to wifi.
  2. Open Settings app.
  3. Near the bottom, tap System.
  4. Tap Advanced.
  5. Tap System update. If you don’t see ‘Advanced’, tap About phone.
  6. You’ll see your update status. Follow any steps on the screen.

The good thing with Pixel phones is the fact that they are the first ones to receive the latest available Android versions all the time. Updates come from Google directly so as long as they are connected to the internet when new Android is released, Pixels can benefit from new Android first.

Some network bugs including wifi issues can only be fixed by updates. If your particular wifi issue is being caused by an unknown coding glitch, installing a system update may help.

Use wifi on Safe Mode

If wifi appears to work initially after turning it on but reverts to OFF position a split second afterwards, that’s probably due to an app blocking wifi functionality. This may also be the reason why the problem returns after doing a factory reset. If you simply reinstall the same set of apps, factory reset will definitely not help.

To check for third party app issue, restart your Google Pixel 3 XL to safe mode with these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Power button.
  2. On your screen, touch and hold Power off.
  3. Tap OK.
  4. After you see “Safe mode” at the bottom of your screen, wait to see if the problem goes away.

Remember, safe mode blocks third party or downloaded apps. If the problem goes away in safe mode, you can bet one of the apps is to blame. To identify which of your downloaded apps is causing the problem:

  1. Exit safe mode by restarting your device.
  2. Check for the problem.
  3. If the problem returns, boot to safe mode again.
  4. Uninstall an app. Start with the most recently downloaded one.
  5. After each removal, restart your device and see whether removing it solved the problem.
  6. Repeat steps 1-4 until you’ve identified the culprit.
  7. After you remove the app that’s causing the problem, you can reinstall the other apps that you removed.

Reset network settings

For every network problem such as this one, you need to at least see what happens when you clear a device’s network settings. Here’s how:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap System.
  3. Tap Advanced.
  4. Tap Reset options.
  5. Choose from the following:
    • Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth
    • Reset app preferences
    • Erase all data (factory reset)
  6. Tap Reset settings.
  7. Enter the PIN, password or pattern if prompted.
  8. Tap Reset settings to confirm.

Contact Google support

Should nothing change after doing the suggested troubleshooting steps above, the cause of the problem must be deeper, probably hardware-related. In order to know where the issue stems from, let a professional check the phone.


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