Stuck at “Obtaining IP Address” in Android WiFi

Everytime you connect to a WiFi, Android tries obtaining the IP address of that network. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and you can get stuck at the “Obtaining IP address” step.

This problem normally occurs when you try to connect to a new network over WiFi. For most saved networks, Android doesn’t need to obtain the IP address again because it is stored on your device already.

To replicate this problem, head over to Settings > WiFi Settings. Select any network here that you can’t connect to. Enter the details like SSID and password. If your phone is susceptible to this problem, your phone won’t connect to that network. The error that you’ll get is “Failed to obtain IP address”.

How to fix Stuck at “Obtaining IP address” on your Android Phone

There are a few things that can cause this IP address issue to show up.

• Low WiFi strength
• WiFi interference
• Bad networking settings in Android

Method #1: Fix your Wifi strength (range)

Check your notification bar on the top of the screen. If the WiFi signal is poor, your phone won’t interact with your router correctly. This means that obtaining the IP address for the network that you want to connect won’t be possible. To fix that, you can try changing your position. If you are having the IP address problem on your phone, try going somewhat closer in range to the router.

One reason for low WiFi strength can also be the configuration of your router. Some routers have the option for you to adjust the signal strength. This setting is also called “Transmit power” in some routers.

Check your router manual on how to adjust this. Make sure that it is set to High. This setting directly affects your WiFi range. I have got a TP-Link router, so following are the steps for that. The method should be similar for most routers.

• Open http://tplinkwifi.net
• In the sidebar navigation, go to Wireless > Wireless Advanced.
• Look for Transmit Power setting and select High in the drop-down menu.
• Click Save.

If it is not possible for you to fix move and the Transmit power is already set to High, try upgrading your router. Go from a low-end router to something with a larger range. You can take a look at this list of new WiFi routers.

Method #2: Restart your router

Routers, just like your computers and phones can get bloated and slow down over time. Restarting WiFi routers can sometimes alleviate your Obtaining IP address problem. You can reboot your router in two ways. Either from the configuration screen or manually by toggling the power ON and then OFF.

Manually restarting your router

• Go to the power outlet where the router is connected to and then turn OFF its power.
• Wait for at least 2 minutes and then turn it back ON. Waiting 2 minutes is crucial because unlike other electrical appliances, the WiFi routers can store electrical charge. This charge keeps the router turned ON for a few minutes even when the external power source is disconnected.

Restarting your router via the configuration screen

• Go to tplinkwifi.net
• In the left-navigation menu, go to System Tools and the Reboot.
• Click on the big Reboot button and wait for your router to restart.

Now try connecting your Android phone to this WiFi network. See if you get Obtaining IP address error.

Method #3: Reset Android Network settings

Many applications that you install try to adjust the settings on your phone. In Android, if you have any app that has the permission to modify the system configuration, the chances are that it may have some time or the other changed something. If you are using a VPN app, try disabling it for a few minutes. Check if you still get the Obtaining IP address error on your phone.

If some network setting is incorrect, you won’t be able to connect to anything over WiFi. Android provides you the simple method to fix this problem.

• Go to Settings and then Backup and Reset.
• Scroll down to the bottom and look for Reset network settings.
• Tap on it and then click on Reset Settings button.
• Let Android do its work for a few seconds and wait for it to complete.
• After that’s complete, restart your phone.

Try connecting to the WiFi network this time. You won’t get stuck at obtaining IP address while connecting to any network this time.