We’re connected to the Internet nearly 24/7 – on our phones and TVs, through our smart speakers. But maybe you want to switch off every now and then, just tune out and not be hooked into the online hive mind at all times.
So it can be annoying when your Android phone suddenly starts going back online without your permission. You may find that the Wi-Fi on your Android phone turns on automatically when you’re near strong or known networks, and here we’re going to show you how to stop your phone from doing this.
By default, your Android phone may be turning on automatically when you’re near one of your saved networks, but you may not always want this!
Disable Adaptive Connectivity
On Google Pixel phones, there’s a setting called “Adaptive Connectivity.” The idea of this is that it automatically switches between different network standards – 3G, 4G, 5G – depending on the bandwidth required by whatever activity you’re doing (so streaming will go on 5G while lighter activities like messaging apps will use 4G).
What many people don’t know is that Adaptive Connectivity “listens” for Wi-Fi connections too, and maybe switching your Wi-Fi on if it deems that to be the best connection type for your activity.
To turn off this feature, go to “Settings -> Network & Internet -> Adaptive connectivity”, and turn it off there.
Also read: What Does It Mean When Data is “Roaming?”
Stop Wi-Fi Turning on Automatically
To turn this feature off, go to “Settings -> Network & Internet -> Wi-Fi -> Wi-Fi preferences.”
On this screen, tap the “Turn on Wi-Fi automatically” slider so that it’s set to the Off position. (While you’re at it, make sure “Connect to open networks” is off too.)
And that’s pretty much it! You’ll now be connecting to the Wi-Fi around you on your own terms, which will save you battery, give you more control over the influx of information coming in from your 1000 apps, and give you a bit of a breather.
While you’re playing around on your Android phone, how about learning how to find downloaded files on any Android device? To dig even deeper, you should install TWRP recovery, which will give you more control over your data, let you sideload apps, and handle other under-the-hood functionality.
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