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How To Know Connected WiFi on Mobile Devices

Thanks to the internet, the world is a global village. It is possible to travel back in time or to visit the farthest part of the world without leaving your living room. You can carry most knowledge in your pocket — or at least the potential for more knowledge — than several libraries.

Almost any information is one google search away. The door to learning a new skill is one click away. The allure of having almost anything you need a few clicks on a portable contraption is so enticing. Alas, all these benefits come at a price.

To work their way around the issue of cost people have been banding together their resources under the correct assumption that pooled resources are generally cheaper for each individual.

As a result many apartments, most offices, communities, libraries have WiFi networks that make it easy to log on to the riches of the internet without paying an arm and a leg. With these numerous WiFi networks everywhere we go, it is difficult to keep track of all the passwords.

So it is likely to forget what the password for your apartment’s WiFi is when a friend comes visiting and wants to log on to your network. The very fact that many people even change passwords frequently for security reasons make it more likely that you won’t remember the correct password when you need it.

So how do you share a WiFi password that you don’t remember? How do you find out the password of a network you have used in the past? This article will explain the simple steps you need to take.

How to Share WiFi Using QR Code

When your friends come visiting, one of the first questions they ask you is “what’s your WiFi password”. Some people have devised a method where they hand over pieces of paper that contain their WiFi password to house guests.

This is not a foolproof method. The paper can fall into the wrong hands, or your handwriting may not be so clear as to prevent them from making mistakes.

Some people just prefer to tell their passwords. This can be a hassle if your password is as long as the Nile, or it contains several special characters, and upper and lowercase letter combinations. You know how annoying it is to repeat your password over again if a mistake has been made.

Well, there is a simple solution to this. You can share your WiFi using QR codes. This way you can have total control over who uses your WiFi without the stress of having to repeat yourself. So how do you go about this?

First, you need to have Android 10 to be able to share your WiFi via QR code. This is a feature that is not available in earlier versions of Android OS.

The good news however is that the person at the receiving end doesn’t need to have updated to Android 10 to benefit from your generosity.

How to create the QR code

Now you’re armed with Android 10, to create the QR code to share with your friends and colleagues, follow these simple steps.

Go to Settings on your phone then Go to Network & Internet settings

Tap on WiFi (the word itself, not the toggle button)

How to Know Connected WiFi on Mobile Devices

Tap on the WiFi network you wish to share

Tap on share next to an icon resembling a QR code. You have to verify it’s you by entering your pin/password, or via fingerprint verification

Show the QR code to your friends. You can take a snapshot of the QR code and even print it out.

How To Know Connected WiFi on Mobile Devices

With the QR code printed out you are now permitted to forget your WiFi password.

How to Scan a QR code

Now that you have created your QR code and even printed it out, how does your friend scan it so he can join your network? She can follow these steps:

Go to Settings then Network & Internet settings

Scroll to the bottom of all your saved networks till you see “add network

Tap the QR code icon next to add network

How To Know Connected WiFi on Mobile Devices

Proceed to scan the QR code generated by your generous friend, or a printout of the QR code

Following these steps automatically connects you to the network.

There is a second method in scanning the QR code, this time using your camera app.

Go to your camera app and Tap on Google lens and Direct the camera at the QR code to scan it

The network’s name will appear on your screen then Tap on the network to join

If you don’t have a Google lens, no problems. There are a lot of QR scanner apps you can download on the Playstore.

The process is just as easy on an iPhone or an iPad running iOS 11.

– Open the camera app
– Direct the camera, or position the camera viewfinder above the QR code
– A notification will show when the camera recognizes the QR code
– Tap the notification to join the WiFi network

An alternate method

QR codes are extremely useful two-dimensional bearers of specific information. To generate this information, aside from the method we have discussed earlier, there is another way.

For this, you’ll need a third-party app. Download a QR Code Generator app that can create a QR code that connects to your WiFi. A good example of such an app is InstaWifi. One benefit this app has is you don’t need to create an account to generate your WiFi QR code.

InstaWifi Walkthrough

To proceed along this path, you also need information about your WiFi. You should know your WiFi’s SSID and WiFi network encryption type, as well as the password.

To identify your WiFi SSID go to WiFi settings and tap on WiFi. The name of the WiFi displayed at the top of the page is the SSID. Copy this information correctly because it is case sensitive.

The network encryption is the type of security your WiFi has. The most common ones are WPA2, WPA, and WEP.

Enter the SSID, the network encryption type and password into the app and it will generate a QR code. Once the app shows a QR code updated notification, the code can then be saved. You can also choose to print out the saved QR code.

You can scan the code in any of the ways that have already been explained.

How to View Saved Wifi Password on Android

It is difficult to see the saved passwords of WiFi networks on your phone without root access to your device. We would explain some methods to solve this without having to root your phone.

For Android 10 users, there are new features available to Android 10 users that allow them to create QR codes for their WiFi networks. There are also features that make it possible to view the password of saved WiFi networks.

  • Open the phone settings
  • Network & Internet settings
  • Tap on WiFi
  • Tap on the name of connected wifi network to go to the Network Details Screen
  • On the details screen, tap on the share button
  • Verify it is you with your fingerprint or by entering password/pin

The WiFi password is displayed below the QR code

Using ES File Explorer

For those using an older Android version, you can use ES File Explorer. The ES File Explorer gives the user special access to system files. It also helps you restore apps and is useful for backups. It helps you restore deleted files. It is a very useful tool to have.

This method, however, doesn’t work on all devices. This shouldn’t stop you from trying, however. Follow these steps to find saved passwords to WiFi networks.

  • Open ES File Explorer app
  • Drag the left navigation bar and select local storage option
  • From the drop-down list, tap on device
  • System->etc->WiFi
  • Open wpa_supplicant.conf file

Select the built-in HTML manager or text file viewer if the file manager app asks you how to open the selected configuration file
Once the file is open you will be able to view all passwords of connected WiFi networks.

Using A Password Recovery App

A simple process you may consider is downloading a password recovery app. This will help you view WiFi passwords easily. Make sure you grant the app all the permissions it needs to function properly.

The app will list every WiFi network you have connected along with the necessary security information. Some apps even allow you to copy passwords.

Conclusion

The limits of human innovation are always being extended. Not only is it possible to enjoy the internet wherever you go, but it is also now easier than ever to extend those privileges to friends.

In a few steps you can create a QR code for your friends to scan and log in easily to your WiFi network. You can find the password of connected networks easily.