WiFi-scanning every few seconds with WiFi off - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Questions and Answers

Starting today, my S7 Edge has a problem when WiFi is turned off: every two or three seconds, the WiFi turns on for about a third of a second (as shown by the WiFi quick-settings icon). When this happens, the phone gets warm (even if otherwise idle) and the battery drains rapidly.
The problem disappears if I turn off the Location Accuracy setting that scans for WiFi networks even with WiFi off. But it shouldn't be scanning constantly even if that setting is turned on--it's using much more power than if I just leave WiFi turned on.
Turning off the WiFi Location Accuracy setting also fails because then, when I use a location-enabled app such as Google Maps, it pops up a message asking me to turn on Google Location services (which is already on, and the phone has a good GPS signal). If I tell it to go ahead and turn location services on, it then turns WiFi Location Accuracy back on and the constant scanning resumes.
So there's clearly a bug, but the problem is very recent and my phone (AT&T) has not received a recent update.
Has anyone else encountered this problem or does anyone know how to fix it? (Rebooting doesn't help.)

Gary02468 said:
Starting today, my S7 Edge has a problem when WiFi is turned off: every two or three seconds, the WiFi turns on for about a third of a second (as shown by the WiFi quick-settings icon). When this happens, the phone gets warm (even if otherwise idle) and the battery drains rapidly.
The problem disappears if I turn off the Location Accuracy setting to scan for WiFi networks even with WiFi off. But it shouldn't be scanning constantly even if that setting is turned on--it's using much more power than if I just leave WiFi turned on.
Turning off the WiFi Location Accuracy setting also fails because then, when I use a location-enabled app such as Google Maps, it pops up a message asking me to turn on Google Location services (which is already on, and the phone has a good GPS signal).
So there's clearly a bug, but the problem is very recent and my phone (AT&T) has not received a recent update.
Has anyone else encountered this problem or does anyone know how to fix it? (Rebooting doesn't help.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue here, started yesterday. I'm on T-Mobile, and have had no new updates to the system.
I saw this was happening (on other threads) to other phones, not just Samsung phones.

Same here in France with SFR, it's very annoying ...
Hope we're getting a fix soon!

*Link to video if it doesn't play above (gives an error on playback for me for some reason): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5dbrBMqsuU
Here's a video of the issue I've been having, which I believe is the same as the one you're describing. My WiFi switch just constantly turns on and off, and I am unable to connect to my network. I have found a way to get it to connect to my network by first clicking the WiFi Direct button (when it's clickable and not flashing), and then when I go back, the list of available networks shows just like it normally does, and I am able to connect. Turning off WiFi again, would then reproduce the problem though. It started happening recently after the latest update for me. I'm non-rooted, completely stock for now.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/help/wifi-off-constantly-t3499683

Oops, sorry, I see now that there was already a thread here about this problem.

Related

Bell JK4 - Wi-Fi Discussion

After upgrading to JK4 via Kies I've noticed some strange Wi-Fi behaviour. It seems to manifest at different times and for no apparent reason, so I'm starting a thread to see if a) anyone else has this issue and b) if so, how does it manifest for them.
First manifestation: after turning on Wi-Fi through Notifications the text switched to "On" but the Wi-Fi symbol did not turn green. Going into the Wireless and Network settings on the phone caused a temporary lockup, when it did let me in Wi-Fi was showing "Error". A reboot of the phone fixed it, temporarily.
Second manifestation: after turning on Wi-Fi through Notifications the text switched to "On" and the Wi-Fi symbol turned green, but it did not connect to my wireless network automatically like it should. Going into the Wireless and Network settings on the phone caused a temporary lockup, when it did let me in Wi-Fi was rapidly switching from a "Turning on" state to "Turning off". It did this about 10-15 times in a few seconds then went to "Error". Turning on and off the Wi-Fi again solved this issue.
Every time I solve this it seems to come back within a 24 hour period. I didn't have this problem (from what I can see) on JK3. I factory reset before and after flashing to JK4, and I flashed JH2 back just to be on the safe side beforehand.
Let the discussion begin!
got_milk said:
After upgrading to JK4 via Kies I've noticed some strange Wi-Fi behaviour. It seems to manifest at different times and for no apparent reason, so I'm starting a thread to see if a) anyone else has this issue and b) if so, how does it manifest for them.
First manifestation: after turning on Wi-Fi through Notifications the text switched to "On" but the Wi-Fi symbol did not turn green. Going into the Wireless and Network settings on the phone caused a temporary lockup, when it did let me in Wi-Fi was showing "Error". A reboot of the phone fixed it, temporarily.
Second manifestation: after turning on Wi-Fi through Notifications the text switched to "On" and the Wi-Fi symbol turned green, but it did not connect to my wireless network automatically like it should. Going into the Wireless and Network settings on the phone caused a temporary lockup, when it did let me in Wi-Fi was rapidly switching from a "Turning on" state to "Turning off". It did this about 10-15 times in a few seconds then went to "Error". Turning on and off the Wi-Fi again solved this issue.
Every time I solve this it seems to come back within a 24 hour period. I didn't have this problem (from what I can see) on JK3. I factory reset before and after flashing to JK4, and I flashed JH2 back just to be on the safe side beforehand.
Let the discussion begin!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I quickly tried out after reading your post, and I did confirm your first issue happening, but only when I turn my Wi-Fi on and off really quickly. Also my phone didn't lock up as you described either. Basically, I could only make that issue to surface once I turn off the Wi-Fi, and then turn it back on as soon as my phone reports it is disconnected. When I go into Wi-Fi settings, it does say "Error" there, but if I check the "Wi-Fi" there again, it connects automatically.
I almost never use Wi-Fi because I get 6GB of data, but I can see this becoming a very annoying issue if you have to use Wi-Fi frequently.
Edit: Actually, I ran into a different issue just now. I kept on playing around with my Wi-Fi, and confirmed this happening: Wi-Fi text turns to "ON" but the icon doesn't turn green. When I go into settings, it says "Turning Wi-Fi On.." or something similar and is stuck there. I wasn't able to turn on nor off the Wi-Fi. Reboot fixed issue...for now I guess.
I have also had this issue but I believe it has to do with trying to turn on wireless when your preferred network has a very weak signal. When I'm next to my router, I can turn wi-fi on and off rapidly with no issues. I have only had the issue in my room which has a much weaker signal.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App
i was having problems with my wifi today...i wasnt able to pickup any wifi signals and i couldnt manually turn the wifi on either...i got a few force closes on some apps and decided to reboot the phone, hopefully sovling the problem...instead i got stuck in the boot loop at the i9000m logo and now my internal sd card is done....hopefully i can return this pos at bell(im on rogers) and do a hup through rogers for the iphone4...at least thats a stable device.
dpvu said:
I have also had this issue but I believe it has to do with trying to turn on wireless when your preferred network has a very weak signal. When I'm next to my router, I can turn wi-fi on and off rapidly with no issues. I have only had the issue in my room which has a much weaker signal.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never tested right beside the router, but my room is next to the room which has the router so I would think I'd have a fairly strong signal.
Interesting, though...
dpvu said:
I have also had this issue but I believe it has to do with trying to turn on wireless when your preferred network has a very weak signal. When I'm next to my router, I can turn wi-fi on and off rapidly with no issues. I have only had the issue in my room which has a much weaker signal.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested my Wi-Fi pretty much right beside my router as well...like less than 3 feet away. My phone was reporting it was seeing an "excellent" signal.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App
I find my wifi on my phone to be pretty solid.
I have an occasional issue where it does not see my wifi router at work, but all I do is turn it off / on and off she does. Just happens with the work router. Never had an issue with my linksys at home.
I've experience this issue with JH2 and it was caused by a change to fast in the settings. Just give your phone some time to connect and get identified on the network before you turn it off ans don't torn it on right after you disconnect it and you should be fine.
Been having the same issues since upgrading to JK4. Wifi gets stuck in "enabling" state occasionally when it try to turn it on. Sometimes I have to go as far as restarting the phone to get it to work again. Not a huge deal but still a nuisance.
I have seen both of these situations occur once after applying JK3 from Odin. It was shortly after booting it up for the first time including the "ERROR" text. I attributed it to a one-time glitch and it has not come back since. When I am home I force WiFi on and leave it in that state until I leave the house for work the following day so I am not constantly messing with the settings.
I get a similar issue butt only when activating my mobile AP.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App
I've been having a similar issue with my wifi since upgrading to JK4. I've gotten the "error" message on enabling wifi, but as others have mentioned it may be because I'm re-enabling it too quickly after turning it off. However, in one instance yesterday I tried re-enabling it several times after turning it off via the control widget and was ultimately forced to reboot before it worked again. Also, this morning I found that after leaving home and coming to work, I was still only seeing the wifi hotspots near my apartment rather than the ones in my new location (one of which I have saved and automatically connect to). I had to reset the wifi to find the local hotspots. Other than these wifi issues, I'm really loving JK4 so I just hope they get sorted out.

[Q] Wi-fi doesn't turn off

The problem is that Background Data and Sync ignore the wi-fi policy meaning that the settings to disable wi-fi don't actually disable wi-fi, they just block applications from using wi-fi. The OS can still use it and it still drains power.
That basically means you can never disable wi-fi unless you go in and change multiple settings. The wi-fi policy when the screen is off is useless. Any toggle wi-fi widget you put on the page don't work.
Manually refreshing gmail shows 'no connection' - browser wont connect. But the OS can still get your email and download attachments. Relegating any wi-fi policy to a 'user stop function', not a 'data stop function'.
I have a toggle wi-fi widget on my home screen. I have wi-fi toggled off (also shows as off in settings) I *just* saw the widget flick on for a second, then flick back off. That's the Background data/ sync kicking in right there and that's my whole point.
Another point - if you have disabled wi-fi then turn it back on, it should be looking for the router and getting an IP address. It doesn't do that. When you turn it back on all it does is enable applications to connect. Meaning, when you disable it (via settings>disable wi-fi or disable wi-fi policy) all it does is make the software think you're not connected. It doesn't actually disconnect from the router.
It still shows in your routers wireless list (which it shouldn't if it's disconnected) and ping test will fail because it will refuse any incoming/outgoing requests that aren't from the OS (background data / sync)
If you wait for the background data/sync to connect, you can then ping your tablet and it will work. A security issue as far as I'm concerned.
UPDATE | May 05
An update. I can confirm that the wi-fi will never turn off for me. I have toggled it off and put it in airplane mode and I will still get email notifications.
Under battery power it even still shows wi-fi as taking 4% even though by all settings it is off.
The gmail application shows 'no connection'. If i refresh it, nothing happens. If i turn the screen off, eventually it will sync/connect and I will get email - even though I also have the wi-fi set to off when the screen is off.
So to sum-up - wi-fi never turns off. Ever.
You can help by testing!
Disable wi-fi
Set the policy for wi-fi to disable when screen is off
Go to home screen
Turn off the screen
From another location, send yourself an email
Wait for notification on your tablet or wait for about 5 minutes
Turn on your tablet, email should be waiting for you.
UPDATE | 12:15pm
On the phone with acer support and they confirmed this is the case. They started to explain about Background data and Sync and I stopped them right there. This isn't a settings issue, this is an OS/Hardware issue.
Going to the next tier.
UPDATE | 12:30pm
Everything is confirmed with tier 2 and for what it's worth, it'll be pushed further down the chain and looked into.
I had to clarify with them that the issue was with the OS/Hardware and it's not software. If the wi-fi is disabled and I can go into gmail and it show 'no connection' and i hit refresh and it wont get email, then open the browser and it tells me I'm not connected, then the software thinks the wi-fi is off.
The problem is that the wi-fi isn't off as far as the OS is concerned. It is still draining power and Background data/ Sync are still able to connect (and/or override your settings). This shouldn't be the case. The wi-fi setting should superseed all other settings. If i set the wi-fi to off, it should be off for everything and not be draining power. To me this means that the disable wi-fi setting doesn't actually disable the wi-fi, it just locks out software from using it... which is *not* disabling it.
Same issue here, have to get a widget to turn of the wifi. How can they oversee such simple things?
Also sometimes the power button just randomly lights up when its in sleep mode, it's a small light but very anoying if it's dark in the room (e.a on your bed stand).
Okay - Good to hear it's not just me then. But not so good in general.
If you're reading this thread, try it out. Set the wi-fi to disabled when the screen is off then email yourself from another computer and wait for the notification on your tablet. Or get a friend to email you a minute or so after you've turned your screen off (with wi-fi disabled on screen off)
You can reset the policy after.
If you get the notification then your wifi didn't disable while the screen is off like the setting is supposed to do.
mine is NOT giving me issues, but I have found that it can take up to 10 minutes for the wifi to go off. I just used ping to test it. In some cases it took a while but did turn off. My battery doesn't really go down at all when in standby with wifi off when screen off.
sgdossey said:
mine is NOT giving me issues, but I have found that it can take up to 10 minutes for the wifi to go off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updated OP
gammaRascal said:
I've set the wi-fi to disable itself when the screen goes off but unless I disable sync and background data, the wi-fi still stays on when the screen is off and I can hear my email/IM notifications still.
Anyone else have this issue?
I mean, I think it's an issue. If you set the policy to disable wi-fi when the screen is off in the OS it should override any apps - I shouldn't THEN have to go and disable sync and background data as well otherwise whats the point?
UPDATE | May 05
An update. I can confirm that the wi-fi will never turn off for me. I have toggled it off and put it in airplane mode and I will still get email notifications.
Under battery power it even still shows wi-fi as taking 4% even though by all settings it is off.
The gmail application shows 'no connection'. If i refresh it, nothing happens. If i turn the screen off, eventually it will sync/connect and I will get email - even though I also have the wi-fi set to off when when the screen is off.
So to sum-up - wi-fi never turns off. Ever.
You can help by testing!
Disable wi-fi
Set the policy for wi-fi to disable when screen is off
Go to home screen
Turn off the screen
From another location, send yourself an email
Wait for notification on your tablet or wait for about 5 minutes
Turn on your tablet, email should be waiting for you.
UPDATE | 12:15pm
On the phone with acer support and they confirmed this is the case. They started to explain about Background data and Sync and I stopped them right there. This isn't a settings issue, this is an OS/Hardware issue.
Going to the next tier.
UPDATE | 12:30pm
Everything is confirmed with tier 2 and for what it's worth, it'll be pushed further down the chain and looked into.
I had to clarify with them that the issue was with the OS/Hardware and it's not software. If the wi-fi is disabled and I can go into gmail and it show 'no connection' and i hit refresh and it wont get email, then open the browser and it tells me I'm not connected, then the software thinks the wi-fi is off.
The problem is that the wi-fi isn't off as far as the OS is concerned. It is still draining power and Background data/ Sync are still able to connect. This shouldn't be the case. The wi-fi setting should superseed all other settings. If i set the wi-fi to off, it should be off for everything and not be draining power. To me this means that the disable wi-fi setting doesn't actually disable the wi-fi, it just locks out software from using it... which is *not* disabling it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I just ran these tests and unfortunately I can't reproduce your results.
When I disable wifi, I don't have any data connection.
As for wifi sleep, I don't know if it's a bug or intentional but it seems to put wifi into an extremely low power mode, but not necessarily disable it or turn it off when using the sleep policy.
As someone mentioned somewhere in this thread, it looks like wifi has some sort of 'cooldown' period until it turns the chip and process off completely.
I have used Wifi sleep and played Pandora and had Pandora play for hours until it finally disconnected.
The problem is that Background Data and Sync ignore the wi-fi policy meaning that the settings to disable wi-fi don't actually disable wi-fi, they just block applications from using wi-fi. The OS can still use it and it still drains power.
That basically means you can never disable wi-fi unless you go in and change multiple settings. The wi-fi policy when the screen is off is useless. Any toggle wi-fi widget you put on the page don't work.
Manually refreshing gmail shows 'no connection' - browser wont connect. But the OS can still get your email and download attachments. Relegating any wi-fi policy to a 'user stop function', not a 'data stop function'.
I have a toggle wi-fi widget on my home screen. I have wi-fi toggled off (also shows as off in settings) I *just* saw the widget flick on for a second, then flick back off. That's the Background data/ sync kicking in right there and that's my whole point.
Another point - if you have disabled wi-fi then turn it back on, it should be looking for the router and getting an IP address. It doesn't do that. When you turn it back on all it does is enable applications to connect. Meaning, when you disable it (via settings>disable wi-fi or disable wi-fi policy) all it does is make the software think you're not connected. It doesn't actually disconnect from the router.
It still shows in your routers wireless list (which it shouldn't if it's disconnected) and ping test will fail because it will refuse any incoming/outgoing requests that aren't from the OS (background data / sync)
If you wait for the background data/sync to connect, you can then ping your tablet and it will work. A security issue as far as I'm concerned.

[Q] "No connection available" When Opening Apps/Browsing

Hi All,
First android device and curious if anyone else is having an issue with WEP WiFi security when opening YouTube,Google play,etc. I sometimes get the "network not available" screen when I try to open any of these apps or try to browse. When I hit the refresh button it loads the page I am trying to view. Usually it takes one click,but other times it takes 3 or 4 for the page to load and stop giving me the "no network available". I tried disabling sync in the background with Google currents but it doesn't fix the problem. I've read other threads that there is lots of WiFi problems such as the range and connecting to certain networks. I can be as close as 10ft away from router and it will occasionally happen. Now I can live with it, but rather fine a solution as pressing the refresh button fixes the problem. I have yet to discover a solution whether this is a bug or hardware related. Any input or solution would be appreciated.
Running jelly bean 4.2.1 version on a 16GB. Should state that other devices over the same WiFi connection don't have this problem.
Thanks in advance!
In the Wifi settings do you have it set to turn off while sleeping or not plugged in?
I have that checked to save battery and sometimes it takes a few secs to come back on and sometimes have to reload the page as well.
reply
Never knew about this setting ,but I have selected to always be on since I usually shut it down at night. I can be browsing Google play for example and say I want to buy an app and when I click on it I get the no network connection page. Been reading and saw a poll here about people having WiFi dropouts. Not sure if that is the case for me. I will look into it next time it happens if the network still On ( or at least it shows its connected). Thanks for the input

[Q] Location/Network problems/delays (stock 4.3)

Hi,
I have some problems with finding my location, and I think it started since the 4.3 update, but I'm not sure.
I see it mostly with Tasker. I have some profiles for different locations (like home and college..) triggered by "net" without GPS, that is ment to turn Wifi on and off.
I noticed today when I left college, I opened the screen on the way home and I saw for a brief moment that the WiFi is still ON and my "college" profile was still activated, and immediately after that, the profile went off and also the WiFi. The Net location only triggered when I opened the screen, and it seems it thought my location was still in college until I did so.
When I got home, I opened the screen to see if it activated my "home" profile and turned on the WiFi, and nope, nada, even when opened the screen it still didn't know my location, only after I turned on the WiFi manually it knew where I am and activated the "home" profile (which in that case was already pointless)..
My guess is that on the way back from college it found my location when I opened the screen cause the WiFi was still on, and when I came back home the WiFi was off so it didn't find my location without it.
But if that's the case, then there is simply no point in those "wifi on / off" profiles if it can only find my location with WiFi.
I posted a similar thread on Tasker support group, but honestly I think it's a problem with the google's new location services.
What's that point? now we can get a good location fix only with WiFi or GPS?
and also why I must turn on the screen to "refresh" the location? isn't "net location" works on the 3g network? which is always on, so what's the problem.
By the way these network delays doesn't only happen with location, it happens alot with messaging apps, that sometimes I get the messages only when I turn on the screen. Is there a fix for that?
Sorry for throwing out so many questions without order
Thanks in advanced
same issue
Yah, I'm experiancing the same issues.

WiFi turning on by itself

Hi,
My H990DS has been bothering me for a couple of days as WiFi turns itself on without any kind of intervention.
Turning it off manually or having the phone restart does not help. I made sure the latest apps installed make no impact.
Playing with Developer Options made no difference.
I am ready to Factory Data reset.
Anyone experienced something similar ?
Thanks,
My 918 always shows wifi active in GSAM's graph, even when set to "Never" under the "Wifi on while inactive" option in system settings. I ended up just downloading Leandroid from the play store and setting it to disable the wifi radio, and renable it periodically to check for push messages. Seems to work fine with doze and standby time has improved.
Under settings, location, three dots top right, scanning, turn wifi scanning off. It turns back on anytime you use wifi and you manually have to turn it back off each time.
Mine (918) does this all the time. Im thinking its a 7.0 thing. There has been a few exceptions where it has stayed off. In my case I drive through a busy section in town and it constantly connects to the 20 or so open wifi spots so I turn it off. Well once I pull into the garage at home its magically back on.
Maybe something to do with networks it recognizes, Xfinity wifi wreaks havoc on it as well.
As soon as I uninstalled the latest apps, the issue disappeared. Not a single exception in 24 hours.
I suspect a Sip Client had caused the problem.
Gytole said:
Under settings, location, three dots top right, scanning, turn wifi scanning off. It turns back on anytime you use wifi and you manually have to turn it back off each time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What!?
That sounds utterly horific for the battery, nevermind privacy concerns. I thankfully haven't experienced anything similar myself, but I've only ever used custom ROMs so perhaps that's the cause. But that sounds terrible.

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