Samsung S4 - Connecting to the internet

[gareth76]

Hi

I have recently upgraded to the S4 (GT-I9505, Android 4.2.2).  My issue relates to connecting to the internet via the mobile network.  When I connect to the internet via wi-fi, there is no problem.  However, if I turn wi-fi off, and try to use the mobile internet, I find that I am unable to.  I am in a strong signal area, and other users with different handsets can connect to the (vf) network; however, my device will not.  A workaround that I have found is to try and register the phone on another network, which it will fail to do as is it a vf phone. I then re-register the phone back on to the vf network, which then gives me mobile internet connectivity.  However, this proves to be a temporary solution, as any period of inactivity means having to do the whole process again.  Toggling between flight mode does not work.  I have also tried to wipe the cache memory in recovery start-up, however this produces the word 'error' and simply reboots, with no improvement to the connection status. 

I would be interested to know if there are others experiencing this issue, and more importantly, what I can do to resolve this; having to register the phone onto the network every time I want to use mobile internet is definitely not the way forward!

Regards

Gareth

[Gemma]

Hi Nial,

Thanks for posting.

I’d recommend following the steps here so that we can double check that the sites in your area are ok.

Are you seeing a slower internet connection speed everywhere you go? 

Thanks,

Gemma

[Adele75]

I have also recently upgraded from an S2 to an S4. my mobile internet was working until recently. My 3G symbol that normally appears on the top right hand corner of my phone has disappeared. I can only connect to the internet via Wifi even though i have internet usage on my contract bill. my mobile data is switched on. I haven't changed any settings on my phone so how come I cant get internet

[drey_p]

Hi there

It could be a problem with the settings, the SIM or an issue in your area.  The best place to start is to get the correct settings on your handset.  Text the word WEB to 40127 or visit www.vodafone.co.uk/settings and you will get a configuration text sent through to your device. 

[hrym]

It's possible that this is a network issue, so it would be worth checking the coverage.  Can you do other things with the phone - make calls, send texts?

You could also check that mobile data hasn't got switched off.  If it's on, turn it off for a moment, then back on again.  If that doesn't do anything, try retarting the phone.  If it's still not working, you could try going into Mobile Networks, selecting one other than Vodafone, again giving it a minute, then switching back.  This will refresh your whole network connection and may solve the problem.

[Adele75]

Cheers....did what you said & it worked. I am also receiving my mms pics now. Thanks a mil

[drey_p]

Please could you let us know precisely what you did so that it can help others in the future.

[Adele75]

I turned my mobile data off for a few minutes & back on again then re-started my phone. as soon as my phone turned back on my mms came through & the 3G symbol came back on again

[hrym]

I've had a similar experience myself - after trying various things, turning data off and on was what worked for me.  I've also seen another report of similar behaviour.  It doesn't seem to be widespread, but I wonder whether there's been some network upgrades that have caused it.

[certifiedinsane]

I am now experiencing this issue after the most recent update (NE8). Auto switching networks on the previous version was absolutely fine but it appears to be broken again. I've also noticed that the stock browser now crashes quite regularly too when exiting the app.

On some occassions the network will auto switch but it takes several minutes, other times I need to reboot the phone with the wifi off before it'll connect.

[hrym]

It's generally recommended to do a factory rest after major updates.  This may well solve the issues you're having.