Android phones sometimes give us annoying errors, one among them is the “Failed to obtain IP Address” error that is displayed while you are trying to connect to any WIFI network, this happens suddenly and you won’t be able to connect to any WIFI network when you face this error.
Sometimes this error occurs because of some issues with your ISP but if other devices are able to connect to the same network but you can’t then this means that the issue is not your ISP instead there are some other reasons.
Why do I get a Failed To Obtain IP Address Error?
When you connect a device to a WIFI connection, the router assigns an IP address to your device, and appearing of this error means that the router is not able to assign you an IP address.
This same error can also sometimes show up differently, some users just get the wifi connection progress stuck at “Obtaining IP Address” until the connection request times out.
Following are some of the most common reasons why this error might occur to you.
- Incorrect Password: Incorrect Wifi password is one of the most common causes of this error in Android phones, so before worrying, make sure that you have entered the correct password without caps lock.
- VPN Connection Failed: If you are using any VPN to maintain your privacy on your Android phone, then it can cause the error in some cases when the VPN app is not able to connect to its proxy server, So make sure you switch off any VPN connection before trying to solve this issue.
- Poor Connection: If the Wifi network signal is not good, this error can occur. Try moving closer to your Wifi router and reconnecting.
- MAC Filtering: Some routers have privacy settings to connect with only whitelisted MAC Numbers. If you are wondering what a MAC number is, it’s a unique number assigned to all computers.
- Fault in your Router: Hardware damage in your Wifi router can cause malfunction and cause these errors if its the case then you will have to get your router repaired or get a new one (first try all the solutions given here).
How to Fix “Failed to Obtain IP Address” Error On Android?
Before trying these solutions make sure that you don’t have any VPN app active, or have entered the correct password to your Wifi connection.
Fix 1: Use Static IP Address
This is the best method to solve your error, just assign a static IP Address by yourself and try connecting again.
Follow the steps given below to assign a static IP Address in your Android phone.
- Open your Android settings and navigate to “Wifi” settings.
- Long Press on the Wifi network you are trying to connect and click on “Modify Network”. (In Some Android devices, you have to click on the “i ” button next to the network you want to connect to).
- Click on “Advanced options” to show the IP Settings option.
- In the “IP settings” option select “Static“.
- In the IP Address section, just enter the default IP Address with just the last digits changed to anything between 0 to 225 (Example – 192.168.1.200).
- Save the settings and try connecting to the Wifi network again, it should be connecting successfully now.
Fix 2: Turn OFF MAC Filtering
If only you are not able to login into your WIFI Network and all others are able to use the internet through the same WIFI network, then there is a high probability of MAC Filtering being enabled in your Router settings, check it and turn it off if it’s enabled to solve this problem.
Follow the steps below to turn off MAC Filtering in your Router. Please note that different routers have different names for the settings.
- Connect your Router using a LAN cable to your computer, or if you don’t have a computer you can use any device that is presently connected to the Wi-Fi connection to perform the next steps.
- In the backside of your Wifi router, you will find an IP Address and User credentials, those are your router login details.
- Enter the given IP Address in a web browser and enter the credentials given in the backside of your router to login into your Router settings.
- Once you are logged in you will find the “MAC Filtering” Option in the dashboard, click on it.
- In the MAC filtering settings, make sure to disable the MAC Filtering and save the settings.
Now, restart your router and try connecting your Android phone to the WIFI network again, and check if everything is working properly.
Fix 3: Some Other Workarounds
Most of the users who get the failed-to-obtain IP Address error get them solved with the above listed 2 solutions, if this has not solved the problem for you try out these things.
- Router reboot: Switch off your Wifi router and disconnect all the cables attached to it, clean all the ports with a blower or simply by blowing air from your mouth to clean the dust. After cleaning reconnect all the cables and check if the error is solved after switching on.
- Airplane mode: Sometimes the connection error is caused by your Android device and it can be solved simply by turning on and off the Airplane mode in your phone, this will refresh all your Android phone’s network drivers and solve the issue.
- Forget Network: If you are trying to connect to an already saved Wifi network, try forgetting the network and starting a new fresh connection. To Forget the network, long press on the Wifi network you want to connect and click on the “Forget Network” button.
- Rename your Android Device: Renaming your Android device solves the error for some users, to do so go to your Android settings, navigate to “About Phone”, and tap on the “Device name” option to rename your phone.
