10 ways to fix "Obtaining IP address..." error on Android

Not being able to connect to the Wi-Fi can be frustrating, but it's often an easy fix. If not, we have also included some more advance steps

Please note that every Android device can have slight different layout, so the option you're looking for might be located slightly different compared to this guide. Most Android devices have search in settings and this is a good way to find it, if the path doesn't match your device

What even is "Obtaining IP address..."?

When you use Dynamic IP (DHCP) and IP is automatically provided to you by the Wi-Fi router (or modem) and this is what's most common in home networks. In some cases Static IP is used, that means the IP address is manually entered on the device. Static IP is more commonly used in companies, when you have devices such as printer and CCTV cameras, that should always be reachable on a specific address

So if you are stuck on "Obtaining IP address...", you never get correctly registered in the network and aren't obtaining an IP address

How to solve "Obtaining IP address..."?

There's multiple approaches, let's go through them and see what works for you

#1 Turn Wi-Fi off and on

1) Swipe down from the top (bottom on some devices)
2) Click on the Wi-Fi icon, to turn Wi-Fi off
3) Wait a few seconds
4) Click on the Wi-Fi icon again, to turn Wi-Fi on
5) Try to reconnect to the Wi-Fi

#2 Turn Airplane mode on and off

1) Swipe down from the top (bottom on some devices)
2) Click on Airplane mode, the looks like an Airplane
3) Wait a few seconds
4) Turn Airplane mode off, by clicking on the icon again
5) Try to reconnect to the Wi-Fi

#3 Reboot device

Just hold the power button 2-3 seconds and you should get a menu, where you can select Reboot

#4 Reboot Wi-Fi router

A good practice is to remove the power and wait 15 seconds. I normally count 1001, 10002, 1003 ... 1014, 1015, before reconnecting the power

#5 Remove any new apps

Especially VPN and other network related apps can cause mischief, if wrongly configured

Even if you don't have network, you can still see recently installed apps in Google Play

1) Open Google Play
2) Select your profile icon > Manage apps & device
3) Under Manage, sort by Recently updated
4) See if there's any apps recently installed or updated since around the time the issue started
5) If there are, Uninstall one by one from the top and check if Wi-Fi is working again

#6 Static IP

Advanced: This option is a bit more advanced and if you don't feel comfortable, proceed to next way

1) Go into the Wi-Fi menu
2) Select the network in question
3) Find IP Settings and change to Static
4) Enter your IP and Save
5) Try to connect to Wi-Fi

If it doesn't work, you can either change IP Setting back to DHCP or continue to the next way

#7 Forget network

1) Go into the Wi-Fi menu
2) Select the network in question
3) Select Forget Network
4) Reconnect to network (you'll need to enter Wi-Fi password again)

#8 Network settings reset

1) Go into Settings
2) Search for reset
3) Select Network settings reset and follow the steps
4) Reconnect to network (you might need to enter Wi-Fi password again)

#9 Factory reset

This will remove all data on your device, so if you decide to try this. Please ensure you backup all data you don't want to lose, such as photos and documents

1) Go into Settings
2) Search for factory reset
3) Follow the steps

#10 Get service on the device