How to fix Galaxy S9 that has stopped connecting to wifi [troubleshooting guide]

For those folks having issues with their #GalaxyS9 wifi connections, we write this troubleshooting article just for you. We deem it necessary to include a typical case to give a background so we hope you’ll find this post helpful.

Today’s problem: How to fix Galaxy S9 that has stopped connecting to wifi

Ok, so I have a Samsung Galaxy S9. Bought it brand new when it came out this year. I have Comcast internet, because it’s the only internet that I can have where I live. 2 weeks ago my phone stopped connecting to my wifi. It connects to AT&T, but won’t connect to any comcast. I’ve had Samsung go into my phone and they can’t find anything. I really don’t want to have to factory reset my phone, but I feel I might have to. I can’t even connect to the “free” Xfinity Wifi that Comcast provides. — Apsagura

Solution: Hi Apsagura. You have to do a number of troubleshooting steps to know where the issue lies. In this situation, the problem can come from different angles. It might be due to a bad wifi network, or a malfunctioning phone. Below are the things that you need to do to narrow down the factors.

Verify if your S9 connects to other wifi

We assume your S9 is having trouble connecting to your home wifi network. To check if it’s a wifi problem or if it’s something on your phone, you need to try other wifi networks first. If you have a neighbor that can allow you to do that, that’s good. If connecting to your neighbor’s wifi is out of the question, visit public places with wifi like a library, a cafe, or a hotel. If your S9 can connect to any wifi, that means that you need to focus your troubleshooting on your home wifi network. On the other hand, if your S9 fails to connect to any wifi network at all, that can mean that there may be an issue with your phone. This may be caused by bad software or hardware malfunction.

If S9 works with other wifi

There’s a chance that the problem may be due to bad router configuration. To troubleshoot, follow our suggestions below.

Restart router

Like any other electronic device, restarting your router may fix the issue. Just unplug the router from the power source for at least 30 seconds before turning it back on.

Update router firmware

Some routers may need regular updates to their firmware in order to work more efficiently, or in order to fix known bugs. Make sure that your own router runs the latest available firmware. If you don’t know how to do that, refer to its documentation or contact the right party (ISP or router manufacturer).

Reset network configurations on your router

If you have full control of your router, you can also try to factory reset it. This is usually effective in fixing bugs. If you have a router that’s provided by your ISP or Internet SErvice Provider, contact them first before doing a reset. ISP-provided routers may not work after a factory reset so you’ll have to ensure that they’ll walk you through the entire process.

Forget network on your S9, reconnect

The simple act of forgetting a wifi network on a phone often works wonders. Be sure that you do this after the router has been reconfigured.

If S9 won’t connect to other wifi

If your phone won’t connect to any wifi networks at all, there’s a big chance that it’s wifi capability has stopped working due to hardware malfunction. To see if that’s the case, follow the troubleshooting steps below.

Verify if other wireless devices can connect to the internet using your wifi

This is important. You need to be able to verify this fact first so as not to waste your time troubleshooting your phone. If you are positive that your home wifi is not at fault and other wireless devices work it just fine, follow the rest of our suggestions below.

Force reboot

Sometimes, this simple procedure can fix bugs that developed after the system has run for a long time. By manually forcing your S9 to reboot, you’re basically simulating a battery pull, which, in older mobiles with removable battery packs, was an effective way to refresh the system. If you haven’t tried this one yet, here are the steps that you can do:

Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 10 seconds or until the device power cycles. Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. You can use the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Wait for up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.

Wipe cache partition

Some bugs are caused by corrupted system cache. To ensure that your S9 system cache is fresh, you have to clear the cache partition from time to time. Here’s how to do that:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Clear network settings

Resetting your S9’s network settings is one of the most important troubleshooting step that you need to do in this case. By doing this, you are effectively wiping all network configurations including all the wifi networks saved as well as their passwords. To clear network settings:

Open Settings app.
Tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Reset Network settings.
Tap RESET SETTINGS button to confirm.
Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

Factory reset

Finally, you must do a factory reset if everything else won’t work. This is the last troubleshooting step that you can do to determine if the issue can be fixed on your level or not. Since we already know that your wifi is working normally, the problem must only be on your phone. To see if the issue is due to an unknown software bug, here are the steps to factory reset it. Factory reset works by returning all software settings back to their defaults and wiping all user data. Before you wipe your phone, be sure to back important user data. If you don’t use cloud services to back your files up, we suggest that you try Samsung Smart Switch. This will allow you to create an image of your phone. If you haven’t heard of Smart Switch before, make sure to visit this page: How to create backup from Samsung device to your computer via Smart Switch.

Once you’ve created a backup, follow these steps to factory reset your S9:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Send the phone

Factory reset may or may not help. In case your S9’s wifi is still malfunctioning after wiping the phone, you can assume it has a hardware issue. To resolve the problem, you have to let Samsung help you. Be sure to let them know of the troubleshooting steps you’ve done in order not to waste time explaining the case.