Wi-Fi in modern Android smartphones works without issues most of the times. Sometimes, it becomes a real headache. One of the most common errors with Wi-Fi on Android is “Failed to Obtain IP Address.” In such a case, a Wi-Fi IP configuration failure prevents your device from connecting to the Wi-Fi network.
This article has several methods to help you fix the error. Most of the time, Android users can successfully restore the Internet connection after applying one or two options listed below.
What Does the Failed to Obtain IP Address on Android Means?
Every Internet-connected device has an IP address. It is essential for connecting to the Internet. Your router should know the address of your smartphone to establish a connection. No IP address means no Internet for you.
Why Did Wi-Fi Fail to Obtain IP Address on Android?
The “Obtaining IP Address” error appears on the screen when your device fails to obtain an IP address for some reason. As usual, when performing network troubleshooting several factors and reasons may cause your Android smartphone to show “Failed to Obtain IP address” error. It can be a software failure on the device or an issue with your wireless router. Sometimes a phone cannot obtain IP address from a router after changing network-specific settings on either or both sides.
What the User Needs to Do to Fix the “Obtaining IP Address” Error?
In order to make the “Obtaining IP Address” error disappear and regain the access to the Internet, the user needs to try several universal things.
Important. Your smartphone might fail to obtain IP address when too many devices connected simultaneously to a single router. Try disconnecting one or few devices from a network, then connect again.
Reboot Your Phone
The easiest way to fix the “Failed to Obtain IP address” error is rebooting the phone. That will force your smartphone to restart its wireless modules and attempt to reconnect to a network. Practice shows that most network-related problems go away after a simple reboot.
To reboot the device:
- Press and hold the power button until the power menu appears on the screen.
- Select “Restart” or “Power off/Shutdown”. In the first case, the phone will shut down and then automatically turn on. In the second case, you need to wait a few seconds and turn on the device again.
- Once the smartphone turns back on, wait a minute or two for its Wi-Fi module to reconnect to the network and obtain an IP address.
Switch to Airplane Mode
In airplane mode, smartphones and tablets shut down all wireless communications, protocols, and modules. Those include cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near-field communication, etc.
- Pull down the notification panel.
- Tap “Airplane mode.”
- Wait a few seconds for your smartphone to complete the procedure and disable all wireless communications.
- Tap “Airplane mode” again to reenable cellular, Wi-Fi, and other modules.
Reboot Your Router
From time to time, IP configuration failure happens when a Wi-Fi router cannot assign IP addresses to devices connected to the network. Try to turn off the router for at least 30 seconds. Then try to turn it on again. Note that your router might take a significant time to restore the Wi-Fi network. Some devices take up to 5 or even 10 minutes.
That is the most popular tip you will hear from everyone, but the funny thing is that it works with 90% of Wi-Fi issues. That is simply how Wi-Fi routers work.
Revert the Changes Made to the Router Settings
Some changes to the router settings may lead to an error in the assignment of IP addresses. A typical example is disabling DHCP.
In the settings of the router, you can often select the encryption mode. If you recently changed the encryption mode, go back to the ones you used earlier. You can also try updating your router’s firmware.
Fix Failed to Obtain IP Address Error by Forgetting your Wi-Fi Network
Forgetting a Wi-Fi network means your device will delete the password for a network and all its settings, such as IP address, DNS, etc.
- Pull down the notification center, then tap and hold the Wi-Fi icon. That is the fastest way to get to the network settings in Android.
- Tap the button with a gear icon next to the Wi-Fi network you try to connect.
- Tap “Forget” and confirm the action.
- Now tap the forgotten network in the list of available Wi-Fi networks.
- Enter password and tap the connection button.
- Wait for your smartphone to authenticate in the network.
Reset Your Phone to Factory Settings
After resetting the device to factory settings, all data and applications will be lost. Therefore, make a backup of your valuable files, photos and contacts. Use this method if nothing else works.
- Open the Settings app.
- Select System, then Advanced.
- Select the “Reset options”.
- Tap the “Erase all data (factory reset)”.
Try Other Network and/or Device
If your Android phone has a hard time connecting to a Wi-Fi network due to the “Failed to obtain IP address” error, try connecting it to another network. If the error appears with every network, you might need to contact a service center and diagnose the device for hardware issues.
Also, try another tablet, phone or TV. If those devices show the same error, you need to call your ISP and ask for help to detect and troubleshoot the issue.
