Wi-Fi errors are among the most complex issues to deal with in mobile devices since there a lot of factors to consider as the underlying causes. It can be due to a problematic network device (router or modem), account-related issues, network outages, service maintenance, software and hardware problems on the phone.
But for as long as the root cause is within the software structure, there’s a way to fix the problem on your end. All you have to do is try some workarounds. The solutions I’ve mapped out below are used to deal with a similar issue on the HTC U12/U12 Plus device that suddenly failed to connect to Wi-Fi. Keep reading for more detailed solutions.
But before anything else, if you have another issue with your phone, drop by our troubleshooting page as we have already addressed hundreds of issues reported by the owners. Odds are that there are already existing solutions on our website or at least, there are similar problems we already fixed. So, try to find ones that are similar or related to your problem. If you need further assistance, however, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.
How to troubleshoot HTC U12 that can’t connect to WiFi?
Before you troubleshoot, make sure you’re within range from your Wi-Fi access point or wireless router/modem. You won’t be able to connect to your Wi-Fi network if you’re already out of range or way too far from the source of your Internet connection. That said, check and ensure that your phone is getting a strong Wi-Fi signal. At least 2 Wi-Fi signal bar is good for as long as it’s stable. If you’re trying to connect to a secured Wi-Fi network, make sure you entered the correct Wi-Fi credentials or network password. Otherwise, try any of these workarounds.
First solution: Reboot your Wi-Fi router or modem.
Wi-Fi routers and modems aren’t exempted from software issues and firmware crashes. In fact, minor Internet connectivity issues are attributed to random firmware crashes on the Wi-Fi router or modem in use. If all your devices are experiencing the same problem and that they’re all using or connected to the same Wi-Fi network, then it’s likely attributed to a glitching router or modem. In that case, the simplest recommended solution would be a power cycle or reboot on the Wi-Fi router or modem in use. Doing so will help eliminate minor software errors that might have prevented the router/modem from establishing connection with your phone. That said, if you can access your Wi-Fi router or modem, try to power cycle it with these steps:
- Locate and press the Power button until the router/modem turns off completely.
- While the router/modem is off, unplug the AC adapter from the power source for at least 30 seconds.
- After the elapsed time, plug it back into the power source.
- Then press the Power button until it turns on again.
Once it’s completely turned on, allow your phone to reconnect to Wi-Fi. If you haven’t set or configured your phone to automatically connect to your network, then you will need to reconnect it manually.
Second solution: Soft reset your phone.
A simple restart on the phone can do a lot of good things from freeing up memory space, dumping cache, fixing rogue apps, and clearing software-related errors. If this is the first instance that your HTC U12/U12 Plus failed to connect to Wi-Fi, then it’s probably just a random software error that can easily be remedied by a soft reset. Here’s how a soft reset is done on your HTC U12/U12 Plus:
- Press and hold the Power button until the menu appears.
- Tap Restart option. This prompts the phone to shutdown and then restart by itself.
Allow your device to finish restarting and then re-attempt to connect to Wi-Fi.
Third solution: Toggle Airplane Mode on and off.
This is a simple old trick that continues to do wonders when dealing with random Wi-Fi connection errors in many Android devices. It’s works by toggling the Airplane mode switch on for a few seconds and then turn it off again. For some reasons, it effectively clears minor errors and glitches affecting wireless features of the phone. Turning Airplane mode on enables wireless radios on the phone including call function, data services, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. And turning it off disables these features simultaneously. So it’s like a quick restart on all of the said features. If you wish to give it a shot, then follow these steps to turn Airplane Mode on and off your HTC U12/U12 Plus:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Network & Internet.
- Navigate to Airplane Mode.
- Then tap the On/Off switch next to Airplane mode to enable the feature. Wi-Fi features are then disabled.
- After a few seconds, tap the Airplane Mode switch again to disable the feature. Doing so re-enables Wi-Fi features of your phone.
Alternatively, you can access and toggle the Airplane Mode icon from the Quick Settings panel of your phone. To launch the panel, simply swipe down your two fingers from the status bar of your phone and then tap the Airplane mode icon to turn the feature on and off shortly.
You will know when Airplane mode is enabled if you see the Airplane mode icon in the status bar. Don’t forget to turn it off again to use wireless features of your phone again.
Fourth solution: Reset network/APN settings on your phone.
Performing a network settings reset on the phone can also help deal with Wi-Fi errors due to invalid or misconfigured network settings and options. This is likely needed if your phone started to lose Wi-Fi access or fail to connect to Wi-Fi after installing a software update. Some updates may tend to override the current network settings on the device, which possibly results to conflicts or network errors like this. To clear this out, you can reset the phone’s network settings to the original or default values and then re-configure network options and enable only the necessary features.
Here’s how to reset network settings on your HTC U12/U12 Plus smartphone:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap System.
- Scroll to tap Reset.
- Select Network settings reset option.
- Then tap RESET SETTINGS twice to confirm.
Allow your device to finish resetting network settings and then reboots when done. After it reboots, the network settings are restored to defaults. To reconnect to and use your Wi-Fi network, you need to set up and enable Wi-Fi feature on your device.
Network-related issues from network settings errors should already be cleared afterwards.
Fifth solution: Reset and restore your phone to its factory defaults.
While a factory data reset/master reset results to data loss, it’s also an ultimate solution to more complex software-related issues on the phone. If the prior methods failed to solve the problem and your HTC U12/U12 Plus still failed to connect to Wi-Fi, then you’re likely dealing with a complex network issue. That said, you may deem a master reset as your last resort. Doing so will remove all data on your phone storage and then revert the phone back to its initial state. Be sure to back up important files beforehand so that you can recover them after the reset. Then proceed with these steps whenever you’re all set:
- Swipe up from the Home screen then tap Settings.
- Go to System.
- Tap Reset.
- Select Factory data reset from the given options.
- If you don’t wish to delete media files or other data from your SD card, deselect the Erase SD card option.
- Then tap Reset Phone to continue.
- Finally, tap Erase Everything to confirm.
This will prompt your device to erase all data and restore the default settings. After the reset, it should reboot by itself. Just wait until it is finished booting up and then continue to set up your phone as new. Software-related problems including those affecting the phone’s Wi-Fi functions should already be cleared by then.
Other options
You may escalate the problem to your Internet service provider or carrier for further assistance and more advanced solutions. You can also ask them to check their system for any ongoing network outage. If calling isn’t the best option for you, then you can also visit the nearest HTC-authorized service center in your place for further hardware assessment and/or repair. Your HTC U12/U12 Plus might have obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage on any of its network components and the symptom has just occurred. In this case, the solution you’re looking for is service.
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