Wifi Connection Issues

[Jhinn939]

I have an A16, it updated to OneUI 7 on 7/4. Since then i have been having issues connecting to wifi. If in a wifi zone, my phone will give me the notification there is an open network, but when i do the actual search to connect nothing is listed. If i run the diagnostic it says my hardware is fine and will also say there is an open connection, again if i search the list is blank. For the phone to actually connect i have to stand directly next to the router, once i do this and it connects i can walk around as normal. Nothing else has changed and my other devises have no problem finding and connecting. I have tried clearing the cache partition with no effect.

[meself]

Try resetting the network in connection folder

[Jhinn939]

Thank you for the reply. Can you expand on your suggestion? After going to my phone's settings>connections what is the next step? I dont see an option to "reset network".

[Mujibar]

Settings, general management, reset. Try resetting WiFi and BT settings.

[Jhinn939]

Thank you for the info. I tried this, then a phone restart but there seems to be no change. Still getting the notification of the open wifi but nothing shows in the search if im more then a couple feet from the router.

[Philscbx]

Almost sounds like a fitted case protector is blocking view.
Where is router located?
Sitting down in a shelf hidden from view vs up out in the open as my preference is on top of fridge so all rooms and garage get access.

When you do connect, what speed is shown selecting connection.
Right next to router, it should see roughly up to 800mbps.

Now test in furthest room.

[Jhinn939]

The router is on a pole about 5 feet above ground in an open environment. Connected within 3 feet and walking approx 30 feet away had the same speed results, about 60 Mbps and 8ms latency using speedtest.net. Again, i had zero issues with connecting to wifi until the ui 7 update. Because of my current location im unable to take the device to a repair shop. Starting to lose hope i can get this figured out.

[Galaxy_A16_User]

Hi...

I am about to post similar behavior with TWO Galaxy A16s (2025 version, 5G, US Unlocked) phones I've bought in the last few days.

In my case, the phones came with Android 14 and UI 6.1.  I installed Android 15 and UI 7.  My Wi-Fi issues occured before AND after installing these upgrades.

It just seems that the Wi-Fi is profoundly deaf.  Not only do I not see MY routers' SSIDs unless I'm very close to the routers, but I do not see any neighboring networks.  On my other phones and laptops, I see about 15 networks broadcasting their SSIDs.  On the A16s, I see none of these other networks.

Samsung support tried to troubleshoot the issue on one of my two phones, but couldn't offer a fix.

Also, as #Philscbx posited, I thought about the possibility that the case I put one of my A16s into could have been blocking the signal, however taking the phone out of the case made no difference.

It might be worthwhile to note that phone calls and cellular data do not appear to have any issues.  Only Wi-Fi.

I'd prefer not to, but I'm about ready to return both phones and buy something else.  I am truly frustrated with the situation.

[bctr]

I have the same issue with my brand new A16, both before and after Android upgrade. Also, both before and after a reset to factory. Phone is going back. This is clearly a production issue.

[Galaxy_A16_User]

Spoke to Samsung support again, regarding the Wi-Fi issue on the A16.

They deny being aware of any widespread Wi-Fi connectivity issue affecting A16  phones, regardless of software versions of Android or One UI.

When asked whether I could roll back software updates, to see if it solves the problem, they didn't say it was impossible;  they just wouldn't discuss it.  All they can really offer is to guide you to a repair facility.

From what I've researched, rolling back to earlier releases is not officially supported by Samsung, although there are resources on the Web that explain how it's done.  I won't attempt an unsupported rollback for several reasons, including the possibility of bricking the phone and voiding the warranty.

As a side note, I decided to try getting support via a chat session.  I was told there was a two hour wait, and 70 people in queue.

I'm not too impressed.