How to fix Google Pixel 2 that won’t stay connected to the internet after an update, messages won’t send

Google’s flagship Pixel devices (Pixel and Pixel 2) usually enjoy the privilege of being the first to receive the latest Android. While that sounds terrific especially since every Android iteration often brings exciting new changes, it’s also a source of issues for many because new system means new bugs. In this #Pixel2 troubleshooting guide, we’ll give you some general solutions that you can try if you encounter problems after installing Android update.

Problem #1: Google Pixel 2 wifi won’t connect to any network due to motherboard problem

My phone’s wifi is not connecting to any network. I even asked at  the Google service centre and they are charging 23,000 INR to repair that. I am contacting you so that You can give me any work around.  P.S. They said that there is issue with the Motherboard. — Manohar Prasad

Solution: Hi Manohar. If Google Service Center technician has already checked the device and has concluded that the problem lies on the motherboard, that means there’s nothing more that you can do on your end. The most that you can do is to factory reset your Pixel device. Factory reset is meant to check if the problem is being caused by a software bug so if you’ve already tried it before sending the device to Google, you’re out of luck. There may be a problem with your device’s wifi radio. No technician will usually replace a single component or chip so they’ll say there’s a motherboard problem. Because a motherboard replacement does not guarantee a fix and impractical when it comes to price, we won’t advise that you do it. Replacing the motherboard of your Pixel device is easily cost you a few hundred dollars so it’s obviously expensive. Unfortunately, there’s really no workaround for this issue. There’s no software trick that you can do to fix a bad wifi radio or any other component in the motherboard. If you don’t want to spend on unguaranteed repair, we suggest that you either replace the phone with a new one, or just go on without wifi functionality.

Problem #2: Google Pixel 2 wifi won’t connect to home wifi or network without security

Hi there. My wife and I both have the Pixel 2. We have issue connecting to our home network, or an open one with no security. However, often when we try to connect to a public WiFi that has a sign-in or authentication page, the page does not pop up. I’ve tried everything from forgetting the network, erasing all networks, reboot, entering the IP address directly into my browser and even contacting tech support for the company that hosts the public WiFi. To no avail. There are some apps out there that help troubleshoot sign-in page problems, but they do not work. My iOS devices connect to the wifi without issue, and there is no physical damage time either of our phones. Do you have any recommendations to help solve this mystery?? Thanks for your help. — Matt Matt Hillier

Solution: Hi Matt. We haven’t noticed that you mention factory reset as part of your troubleshooting. If you haven’t done that yet, make sure that you do. Unless your Pixel 2 device has a hardware trouble, most wifi problems are fixed by doing a factory reset so be sure not to skip it. We don’t know the full history of your device to know exactly what’s going on so you have to ensure that you’ve exhausted all software solutions first.

To factory reset your Google Pixel 2:

  1. Create a backup of your personal data.
  2. Power off your device completely.
  3. Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the bootloader mode (represented by an Android with Start on it) appears. Release both buttons at once when you see this image.
  4. Use the Volume buttons to highlight or select Recovery mode from the given option.
  5. Press the Power button to confirm selection.
  6. The device will then flash the Google start screen briefly and then restarts in Recovery mode.
  7. If prompted with an image of a broken Android bot with No Command label on the screen, press and hold the Power button, and press the Volume Up button once then release the Power button.
  8. Select Wipe data/factory reset option from the Android Recovery screen. Use the Volume buttons to select the option.
  9. Select Yes.
  10. Wait until the factory data reset process is finished. It can take several minutes depending on the amount of data there is to reset.
  11. Select Reboot system now then wait for your device to boot up completely.

Problem #3: Google Pixel 2 won’t stay connected to the internet after an update, messages won’t send

After the latest software update, my phone won’t stay connected to the internet which makes it impossible to post on various apps. Half of my messages don’t send either. I have a Pixel 2 which I bought when it came out and I’ve been very good to it – no charging overnight and such. How could I possibly fix this issue? I don’t seem to have any lag on the phone whatsoever. — Line

Solution: Hi Line. Updates can sometimes bring in mixed results to some devices (not all the time though). If you’re positive that your Pixel 2 device started having internet connection problem after installing an update, here’s how you can fix it.

Solution #1: Regularly restart your device

Sometimes, a simple troubleshooting can be an effective solution to even complicated issues. Make sure that you restart your Pixel 2 once every day to minimize the chance of bugs from developing.

Restart also clears the system in general so it’s a highly recommended maintenance step that you can do to fix system issues. It may also work in fixing your current internet issue.

Solution #2: Sign in and out of your Google account

Some users were able to successfully fix update issues by doing another simple solution, that is, by logging out of your Google account. When you sign out of your account, everything that’s associated to that account will also be removed from the system so if a setting bug is causing a problem, signing may eradicate it. To sign out of your Google account:

  1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
  2. Tap Users & accounts.
  3. Tap the account you want to remove.
  4. Tap Remove account.
  5. If this is the only Google Account on the phone, you’ll need to enter your phone’s pattern, PIN, or password for security.

Once you’ve signed out of your Google account, restart your device before signing back in.

Solution #3: Install app updates

Installing the latest Android update but keeping apps in their current state may be problematic in the sense that incompatibility issues can develop. In order to minimize the chances of incompatibility to occur, make sure that you install app updates right after you’ve installed Android updates. This is an important step that many users often ignore. By default, your Pixel 2 device should install app updates via Play Store. However, if you changed this default behavior before, make sure that you manually open Play Store app and update your apps.

To update apps individually or in bulk using the Google Play Store app on your mobile device:

  1. Open the Google Play Store app.
  2. Tap Menu.
  3. Tap My apps & games.
  4. Apps with an update available are labeled “Update.”
  5. Tap Update All to update all apps. For individual apps, find the specific app you want to update and tap Update.

If your Pixel 2 is rooted and you have third party apps from outside the Play Store, make sure that they receive update so they work properly with the current Android version on your phone. Apps installed from third party developers that doesn’t use the Play Store require their own way to update. It’s your responsibility to know how to do that.

Solution #4: Clear messaging app cache

To see if the reason for text messaging issue is isolated to the app only, try to clear its cache and data. Here’s how:

  1. From a Home screen, tap the Arrow icon to display all apps.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Apps & notifications
  4. Tap App info.
  5. Tap arrow icon then See all ‘xx’ apps.
  6. Look for your messaging app and tap it
  7. Tap Storage.
  8. Tap Clear cache.
  9. Restart your Pixel 2 and check for the problem.

Solution #5: Clear messaging app data

Should clearing the messaging app’s cache won’t help, the next logical thing to do is to clear messaging app’s data. Keep in mind that clearing an app’s data will also delete your messages so be sure to back them up first.

  1. From a Home screen, tap the Arrow icon to display all apps.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Apps & notifications
  4. Tap App info.
  5. Tap arrow icon then See all ‘xx’ apps.
  6. Look for your messaging app and tap it
  7. Tap Storage.
  8. Tap Clear data.
  9. Restart your Pixel 2 and check for the problem.

Solution #6: Check for rogue apps

A bad or poorly coded app may interfere with Android so the next good thing that you can do here is to check for that possibility. To do that, you need to reboot the device to safe mode. In this mode, all third party apps will be blocked so if the issues won’t be there, you can bet you have a problematic app.

Here are the steps on how to boot your phone to safe mode:

  1. With the device powered on, press and hold the Power button (located on the right-edge) until the Power off prompt appears then release.
  2. Touch and hold Power off until the “Reboot to safe mode” prompt appears then release.
  3. Tap OK to confirm. The restart process may take up to 45 seconds to complete. Upon restart, “Safe mode” appears in the lower-left of the unlock/home screen.
  4. With Safe Mode enabled, check for the problems.

To go back to normal mode, simply restart your device.

To know which app is causing a problem, follow these steps:

  1. Boot to safe mode.
  2. Check for the problem.
  3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
  4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
  5. If your Pixel 2 still refuses to power back on, repeat steps 1-4.

Solution #7: Factory reset

If all of the mentioned issues (internet and texting) problems still occur at this point, you should wipe the phone entirely and start it from scratch. Make sure to back your personal data up first to avoid losing files. Afterwards, factory reset your Pixel by doing these steps:

  1. Press and hold down the Power button until the device powers off completely.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Down button for about 3 seconds.
  3. After 3 seconds, press the Power key while still holding down the Volume Down button for another 3 seconds then release both buttons.
  4. Use the Volume Down or Up button to highlight Recovery from the given options.
  5. Press the Power key to confirm selection.
  6. When the Android logo appears on the screen, hold down the Power key for about 2 seconds.
  7. While holding the Power key, quickly press the Volume Up button.
  8. Highlight the option to Wipe data/factory reset by pressing the Volume button then press the Power key to confirm selection.
  9. Use the Volume button to select Yes — delete all user data option then press Power to confirm.

 


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