Does Wi-Fi turn on automatically on Android? Let’s see how to prevent your smartphone’s Wi-Fi from connecting to any network by itself.
On some Android smartphones it is not uncommon to see Wi-Fi will turn on automatically, even though we had turned off the function a few minutes earlier. With the latest updates Android has become more “autonomous” from this point of view, integrating the automatic Wi-Fi function when the cellular network signal is poor, in case of advanced phone location research or when we use tricks to force access to the Wi-Fi network even when it is deactivated.
In the following guide we will show you all the tricks to prevent Wi-Fi from turning on by itself on Androidso as to leave us the final control over the function (we can choose to leave it always active or to deactivate it when necessary).
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1) Turn off Smart Wi-Fi (Samsung)
Sui phone Samsung we find the intelligent Wi-Fi functionable to reactivate the Wi-Fi even when it is off when the cellular network signal is not strong or fast enough to guarantee a good Internet connection.
To turn off this function we open the app Settingslet’s go to the menu Connectionswe press on Wi-Fipress on the three dots at the top right, press on Advance and, in the section Intelligent Wi-Fiwe turn off the switch next to the entry Turn on Wi-Fi automatically.
2) Turn off Adaptive Connectivity (Pixel)
If we are among the owners of a telephone Google Pixel Wi-Fi may turn on just because of the feature Adaptive connectivitywhich allows you to activate Wi-Fi alongside your data network connection to optimize Internet access speed.
To deactivate this function, open the app Settings on the phone, let’s get on the path Network & Internet -> Advanced -> Adaptive Connectivity and turn off the switch next to the entry Adaptive connectivity.
3) Turn off Wi-Fi scan for location
On all updated Android phones Wi-Fi could also be used for improve detection of the exact location of the phone; this function is useful if we are outdoors a lot, but if we notice that the Wi-Fi is often turned on, it is better calibrate GPS and turn off the function.
To proceed, open the app Settingswe open the menu Geolocation, Position or similar items, press on Geolocation serviceslet’s go to the menu Search for Wi-Fi networks and deactivate the switch on the screen.
For more information, you can read our guide on ways to track android phone.
4) Prevent apps from checking Wi-Fi
Some apps can control your Wi-Fi settings turning on the connection when necessary. If we don’t tolerate this behavior by apps, we can limit control over the function using special Android permissions (available from Android 11 and up).
To prevent apps from turning on Wi-Fi, open the app Settingslet’s go to the menu Appwe open the menu permissionswe select the menu Other permissionslet us now go to the tab permissions and we open the permit Change Wi-Fi connectivity.
In the list that will open, identify the apps that have a green check or that are authorized to change the Wi-Fi connection, press on them and select Nega o Let me know as needed.
5) Reset Wi-Fi settings
If none of the solutions seen so far have solved the problem of Wi-Fi turning on by itself resetting your phone’s network settings may be the only applicable option; after resetting the connection we will lose all the Wi-Fi settings and we will be able to apply the suggestions seen above to turn off the automatic Wi-Fi functions provided by Android.
To reset the network settings on Samsung we open the app Settingslet’s go to the menu General managementwe press on the menu Restorewe select the menu Network settings reset and finally we press on the button Reset settings to reset connections on your phone.
On other phones the procedure is similar but we will have to find the entry Network settings reset: It can be a good idea to use the search bar built into the Settings app to find the right entry to reset connections.
If there is no network reset you are left with no choice but to reset the whole phone as seen in our guides on how to format android and reset phone come on how to reset xiaomi phones.
Conclusions
If we notice that the Wi-Fi that activates itself on Android we shouldn’t immediately cry out to the paranormal: some innovative functions of Android and of the manufacturers that support the operating system they can force turn on Wi-Fi to improve network speed, save battery, or improve the accuracy of your phone’s location.
These features can be disabled by the userwhich will then be able to regain full control over turning the phone’s Wi-Fi connection on and off.
To learn more, we can read our articles on how to turn WiFi and data on and off automatically on Android come on how to reset network settings on android.