IssueTracker

While the new functionality around poor connections seems pretty reliable to me, it would still be nice to have the option of disabling it in certain circumstances.

I'm in the mountains with no cell signal. The only connection option is WiFi, but I keep dropping my connection because I had my WiFi set to avoid poor connections in KitKat. Now I can't disable this option.

This is a significant issue. Hope to see a fix soon!

My request is either to add those options back in or to fix the documentation if those features are unnecessary.

This is an extremely frustrating issue.  I also had "avoid poor connections" toggled in kit kat.  I only had it for a day or so before I updated to Lollipop.  I now want to turn off the avoid option but I can't.  It regularly will avoid a perfectly fine connection.  I hit "forget" then "connect" and I am able to reconnect fine.  But it drops it anyway.  Needs updating.

I had to turn off my mobile data completely because of this change. I did not recognize that I was using my mobile data and reached my data limit within a few days. The missing option to turn off “Avoid poor connections” is needed for those that have a small mobile data limit.

I have a similar issue. When abroad, I don't want data roaming only WiFi. I keep getting disconnected from the WiFi if the connection is poor and am left with no internet connection. This is really frustrating! If this function can be turned off to avoid poor internet connection, that would be great.

Please fix this issue google

Idem...

I must avoid poor connections (or not, sometime)

And I MUST choose between 2 (or more) wifi access, +/- equal quality connection : MINE (or friends) with large data rate, and some free wifi access with tiny band.

I used (free +pub/ paid without) apps which did that, they don't w 5.x

This is a constant issue requiring me to constantly micro-manage my wifi/mobile connectivity. I live in China and the mechanism for determining connectivity is to ping a Google server, which has been blocked by the great firewall. The Chinese government doesn't take bug reports, so I would like to suggest here a setting to remove/disable this functionality in Android 5.

Specifically, connecting to Wifi causes Android to think the connection is not working properly (exclamation mark in signal indicator) due to the failed ping and fall back to mobile data. Data-heavy apps like Google Play then proceed to run all their updates over mobile data, costing me a small fortune. There should be an option to either disable the fallback, disable the connection-quality checking using an unavailable server, or test connectivity in some other way.

Nexus 5, LRX22C, China Unicom

I'm also living in China. I've constantly got an exclamation in my mobile connectivity icon. Even with my phone just idle, I can not keep power for more than 4 hours.

Like some of the users above, I live in China and experience the same problem, unless I use my VPN all the time (a battery hog) I will always have the ! on my wifi and cell data signal as the google service to determine connectivity is blocked. This results is very poor battery life.

I used to connect my Nexus 4 to a camera which was set as an access point.  Obviously, when the cam is set as an access point, it is not connected to the Internet.  The cam is therefore avoided by this new "feature"!

Another situation is that sometimes I need to connect to my modem's admin page in order to do a reboot... with this "feature" I cannot do so when the modem's connection is dropped.  

An option to enable / disable the feature is desperately needed.  

Having same issue on Nexus 6.  My home wifi works on all my other devices however the Nexus 6 keeps dropping  the wifi connection with the error "avoided poor internet connection".  As I move around the house, I don't want to have to keep reconnecting my wifi manually.

Please add the feature back in to disable "avoid poor internet connections"

This is really frustrating and i'm eating uup my cell bandwidth

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Even in the UK the quality check seems intermittent. I get the ! against mobile data and most apps won't work, some apps seem unaware and carry on normally and shell checks show I have a internet connection, but google apps in particular like Chrome and the Play store insist there is no connection.

The feature needs an end user method to disable it. It's actually stopped me buying a Nexus 6 for now and about 60% of the time mobile data on 3 UK is now unusable in areas where I know I have good service. I was actually blaming my provider because the ! indicates an error to my eyes, so bad UI decision as well.

lg g3
wifi exclamation mark allways on. im connect to wifi and i have ip and can ping 8.8.8.8 but i cant use the internet. my other devices use the same wifi are ok.
i just upgrade to lollipop from kitkat.
plz fix !
thanks

I use a nexus 5 in Australia and suddenly I have started getting a ! on my network strength a few weeks ago. I think it only seems to haloen when i am o. "H" network. Nobody else near me has any network problems, even people on the same provider (virgin aus). While the ! is displaying I get no internet at all - no browsing the web, no apps, no twitter etc. It is extremely frustrating and my phone is pretty useless when I'm not on wifi

Also seeing this issue. Could we raise the priority of this above "Small" because this is really annoying.

I have the HTC One m8 Google Play edition running on stock lollipop. I have constant problems with the wifi because it keeps disconnecting although the signal is pretty good. before on kitkat everything worked just fine, because I could Disable the "avoid poor connection" box. And had no problems. Google should fix this.

Same issue my wifi connection keeps getting disconected because of poor conection when i'm in my bathroom. So i get no connection instead of a slow one please add that setting back in

I have the same problem with motog,my WiFi signals keeps on going bad and then phone starts to avoid poor connections and I can't find any settings like the one in KitKat so that I can turn the option off( avoid poor connections ) this is really annoying

This "feature" stops my tablet connecting to guest networks that require authentication after connecting, god I hate lollipop, does Google even read these?!?

 is Pi**ing me off...

I have multiple wifi SSIDs in my home. I would like to prioritize the 5G SSID first. Having the wifi priority back would solve my issue as it did in the past.

thanks.

I too am constantly dropping out WiFi and using my 4G data. After the upgrade to lollipop it started and it's really annoying. Fix it Google!

(Using Nexus 5 on Telstra nw in Australia.)

Prevents me from using 802.11ac on 5Ghz when close to the access-point and 2.4Ghz for getting a bit better range.

So what happens now is whenever i get home the phone will see the 2.4Ghz band first (since it's passing the walls a bit easier) and connect to the 2.4Ghz wifi and stay there.

If i have "Keep wifi on during sleep" set to "never" it will randomly connect to the first seen network so sometimes 2.4 and sometimes 5.

The options i have:
- To have a bit better range only use 2.4Ghz - but only getting 1-2Mbit speed during evenings/mornings. (many AP's in the area with quite a bit of traffic.)
- To get good speeds use 5Ghz. Less traffic seen here and 802.11ac support. But lousy range.. Signal lost as soon as passing to the outside, thereby loosing uplink.

The wifi priority was a *very* good feature that have been lost here.

A few, common, use-cases that made life easier with this feature...
- Someone living close to a free public wifi (starbucks etc) while having their own wifi at home.. If the phone just have "enough" connection via the public wifi it will stay connected there instead of switching over to the private wifi. This person would then always have to remember to delete the starbucks wifi after using it...
(replace home with office/commonly visited place and you get an idea of how common this can be)

- You have multiple "non-encrypted" wifi's added on your phone, but you prefer "Telia surfzone" over "TheCloud" but if you get to a place where you have both then the phone will stay connected to the first one seen instead of the one you prefer (have better/cheaper uplink with.)


I would say that this should be marked 'High' or 'Critical' since it's a missing feature for very common use-cases.

I'm having similar problems ... seem to be spending my life going to 'settings' and either disabling/enabling wifi or data as the phone either won't connect via wifi or starts to eat up my limited data plan at a rate on knots

"I'm having similar problems ... seem to be spending my life going to 'settings' and either disabling/enabling wifi or data as the phone either won't connect via wifi or starts to eat up my limited data plan at a rate on knots".

It's worse than that, as even with cellular data disabled, the phone keeps avoiding "poor" wireless connections, leading to no internet connection at all.

The impossibility to turn this setting off is just unacceptable.

I am seeing the same problem on my LG G3 that just updated to Android 5 today. My phone thinks the connection is poor so it avoids it. This is horrible and needs resolved asap

I've just updated my LG G Pro 2 D838 to Lollipop and this issue is driving me crazy. I live in China where most of Google's server are blocked. It means that I cannot use Wifi anymore ... I cannot believe that Google approved this feature... Please do something.

Even when having good connection. It keeps popping up. See attached file

I'm amazed this kind of change has slipped through quality control. I've been lucky enough to avoid any problems with normal Internet connections with my Moto G (2014) and Nexus 7 (2013), but on both devices the Lollipop update has made Wi-Fi connections with cameras practically unusable (Panasonic and GoPro). Obviously there will be no internet connectivity when my camera is acting as the Wi-Fi access point, but this is a totally valid use case. Currently there's no way to predict whether the connection will work or not (usually it won't). I haven't had any such issues with my older phone (Galaxy S2 running Jelly Bean) or iOS devices.

I'm sure there are also other use scenarios involving Wi-Fi connections intentionally without Internet connectivity in addition to cameras. In my opinion this is clearly a bug and needs to be fixed quickly. Surely it can't be intentional to break functionality which was working just fine earlier.

me too, my previously accessible WiFi connections are now being dropped due to the temporary avoidance. Please fix this Google, can't you see all the feedback you're getting on this?

This setting is affecting me on my HTC One M8. The connection is perfect and all of my other devices have no issue. Not sure if it is a 5ghz issue or not but it only blocks my 5ghz connection. For the time my fix is turn wifi off and on and everything goes back to normal operation.  I have not seen this issue however on my Nexsus 7.

I'm having the same issue with my LG G3G3. It's totally broken my ability to wirelessly copy pictures from my Sony camera to my phone as it appears to disconnect from the cameras access point due to lack of internet connection. Extremely frustrated. This surely cannot be intended. Please fix.

This bug doesn't seem to be getting any attention here - 2.5 months after it was first reported, it still hasn't been assigned to an owner. We also have a solid collection of confirmed cases, particularly in China, incorrectly degrading working wifi connections and connecting to non-internet wifi devices. Does anyone have experience raising the profile of a bug so an actual Android developer can work on this? Seems this just keeps sinking to the bottom of the barrel here.

Why has nobody been assigned to deal with this problem yet? There seem to be dozens of threads all over the support forums where a lot of users are floundering about trying to fix this in vain

I don't believe they are doing the same as Apple, i.e., forcing their decisions on us.

I'm having a HTC One M8 GPE. Since Lollipop I doesn't receive push notifications when screen is off. They all appear ones I turn the Screen on. When I convert to Sense, I can turn "WiFi Optimization" off (the option doesn't exist anymore on GPE) and the error is fixed. Without turning it off, it's the same issue. A Friend of mine is having the same issue (he's having the same cable provider like me also) with Moto G on lollipop.

Same problems as everyone else, but I'll add I have the phone paired to a Gopro.  Whenever the phone is near the camera, guess who has the strongest wifi?  I regularly have to mess with the wifi settings to receive updates that require wifi even though I have several networks that are in range and on the internet.  The Gopro wins and prevents internet access.

That's a retarded solution beyond limit: with Kitkat I can connect no problem with a wifi with 2 bar signal, if I'm on Lollipop the phone will disconnect every time... with no other wifi interference

same ,problem with my motog

nexus 6 constantly having trouble staying connected on home wifi.

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According to this post: http://android.stackexchange.com/a/100296
the issue has been fixed on 5.0.2
Could someone confirm?

I am having worse battery with my new moto x. Anyone know if the push fixes it.

I also have issues related to this. I can no longer connect to my GoPro with my Android devices using Lollipop. The camera creates it's own hotspot so of course there is no Internet connectivity. It works fine on KitKat. Since all my Android devices are on Lollipop, I have to use a iPhone or iPad to use my GoPro.

I am also have a same issue. Kindly update

I would be very interested to know on which device, the screenshot posted on stackexchange has been taken.

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These options do not exist on my Nexus 5. I'm running stock 5.1 with nothing modified.

I have a poor connection and when it drops, the ssid does not reconnect - I put the phone in airplane mode and back to normal to avoid forgetting it.

I suggest an ssid dependent option not to avoid it.

I have the same issue while trying to use a stock rom to connect to a locally hosted app on my company's network (we do not have internet access and because of this my device disconnects randomly ) , tried with a cyanogen rom with the "avoid poor connection" disabled and it worked...

Nobody from Google has any comments on this??

Are there any 5.1 roms for Nexus 5 that have fixed this f*up?

China again :
My Nexus 5 with Android 5.1 thinks WiFi and  WAN are not working properly with China Mobile and issue a warning with exclamation marks.
I am unable to stop this unhelpful feature and getting punished with low battery life and high data charges.
Please do something about it.

Another reason for having this appears to have skipped the developers' minds.
Around my flat are a number of BTfon / BT Openzone hotspots, which I use when out and about. *However*, when I am at home, I want to connect to *my* network, not my neighbour's BTfon just because it's a stronger connection when I'm in my kitchen.

Why is there no action on this issue? I'm seeing posts all the way back to February and nothing. No priority increase even though this issue is being reported in many threads. I tried making one (a simple one) and it was immediately closed due to being a duplicate.

This is crazy, why not just fix it? Every modern O/S has had this ability for many years now...

The issue is bigger than just some missing options in the WiFi settings. I have two devices running CM 12 (Lollipop 5.0.2). My devices are a Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro SM-T325 and an LG G3 D850. Both of them have the option to avoid poor connections. Even with that option turned off, I still cannot connect to my GoPro camera Wifi. I don't see any options for WiFi priority.

Both my devices could connect fine to my GoPro running CM 11 (KitKat 4.4.4).

Since this seems to affect many diffeent devices all running Lillipop, it's not an issue with specific hardware or devices. That means Google must fix it in Android.

Go to your WiFi settings and at the upper right tap the three little stacked boxes then tap Advanced Wi-Fi.

Doesn't work for me - it still looks for Internet connectivity and if it does not find it - it won't connect. I think we're all aware the issue is with the way the code was written. It does not take into account that the end user might want to connect to an access point that does not offer Internet Access.

Verizon Nexus 6 - same issues - wifi keeps disconnecting - all other devices in the home stay connected - as I've been on many message boards, I can confirm this is not Nexus 6 specific - it is Lollipop for sure - I implore Google to get with it and resolve with an update and push out asap!

Unfortunately, at the top left of this page Google has classified this issue as Priority: Small

.......

I'm paying for internet that I can't use due to it being a "poor" connection. It might not be the best connection, but I would rather have a poor connection than pay a fortune for the data I would use. Fix this problem.

Did anybody try aggressive wifi/cell handover in the developer options?
(Note 3). Seemed to help.

After unselected, it is still working.

 On 10 Apr 2015 23:58, <android@googlecode.com> wrote:

WiFi with ! Symbol. I live in Cleveland, Ohio. This just started happening last week. Please address this Google.I'm on 5.1 Lollipop.

I'm on HTC One M8 with Android 5.01 - and very annoyed! On Kitkat, the phone just switched to mobile data, when the Wi-Fi signal was weak, never had a problem. Now, on Lollipop, it stays on Wi-Fi, but refuses to send/receive data. So no connection at all, I have to switch off Wi-Fi manually, and switch it on angain, when getting closer to my router. Obviously a downgrade!
Complained to HTC Danish support, they obviously didn't understand my issue, the suggested to restart my router!!! Written them again, this time in english and with screenshot!

This is fine for people with unlimited data or who are surrounded by strong free Wi-Fi, but this is absolutely terrible for people who pay per gigabyte and only have access to weak Wi-Fi. You're costing people money, Google. I'm lucky I found out about this before I upgraded. I won't be upgrading to Lollipop till this is fixed.

This whole thing with requiring Internet access from an Access Point is total BS. It's screwing with my life big time.

If you haven't upgraded yet - don't let it! I'm thinking of reverting the tablet back so that I don't have to deal with this unwanted 'feature'.

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This android update is crap!!! Nothing works anymore,  music going to lockscreen and not being able to remove it, getting a call when you ar  using your phone is confusing and stupid,  press answer and sends you to an sms menu.... It literally just happend while writing this.. And all the WiFi problems!!! I want to go back to kitkat!!!

This is just horrible for people that have secure connections that you have to log into before generating the access. My certificate comes through a new tab and I cant get to that tab as its already being blocked.

Seems like a massive fudge up on googles behalf, and yet they still have it as prio: Small. This cheeses me off more than anything right now.

Android 5.0 (lollipop) sucks ass! All pretty and colourful with a shitty game we can all play whilst we no longer have access to (previously, on 4.4 KitKat) reliable WiFi Internet connections.

Sort it out Google. You've replaced practicality and ease of use with flashy lights and turd rolled in glitter!

Same problem here as OP. I have official LP 5.0.2, Vodafone and option is not there and I want to turn it off, since it is not working as it should. I connect to wifi AP 1, have full signal, go to other building, connect to wifi AP 2, have full signal, but when I return back to previous AP 1 it cannot connect, because it is avoiding poor wifi. OMG.

This fails on wifi networks that purposely don't have a connection to the internet.  It's not valid to expect that an access point should be able to reach arbitrary sites.  Additionally, the priority on this issue should be higher.

Priority on this issue should be much higher. Too many apps lock up because of poor wi-fi signals. Fixing this would raise the quality of Lollipop.

I have some additional information that may help some people.

The lack of the option to avoid poor connections is not the only WiFi issue. I have that option on both my Lollipop ROMs. Even with the option avoid poor connections turned off, I still cannot connect to my GoPro.

It appears that Lollipop has issues getting an IP address from some DHCP servers. I found this fix for my GoPro.

http://www.reddit.com/r/gopro/comments/340ykz/android_lollipop_gopro_app_wifi_issues/cqrlaqe

So Google may consider the lack of the interface option to enable or disable 'Avoid poor connection' to be a minor issue, the DHCP bug is a larger issue.

The fix above should work on any GoPro cameras with WiFi. If you have a different camera you'll need to connect with another device and look at the IP settings to determine the compatible IP settings to switch to a static IP address for that camera.

My Dad works in China and can't setup and use his Nexus 7 because you cannot skip the WiFi config during setup and it insists on pinging Google servers which are blocked.

+1

Give us back these settings. Stop trying to be like Apple and dictating what you think is best for everyone. I'd like the choice of make my 5GHz band a priority over 2.4GHZ w/o having to set 5GHz only.

Well said!

It's always so nice when a developer arbitrarily makes a unilateral decision and screw everyone over.

Back in the 'day, we used to fire people for making changes like that.

Not sure if I'm missing something but this seems to be making WiFi unusable on my HTC One. My preferred connection keeps dropping as the phone repeatedly attempts to switch to a network with no internet access. Hitting Forget for that network makes no difference.

I was struggling with my previous android version on a motog with wifi drop out util I discovered the avoid poor connections option (or keep poor connection) then had perfect wifi everywhere and everything worked.  Then lollipop came and we're back to constant dropping wifi which leads to a whole host of problems. Please put it back, simplifying things is great, but not at the expense of crippling functionality.  

The same problem with my Galaxy S5. I work on board of a vessel. At open seas the sat signal is really poor but it works.

Now without the possibility to remove this option. I cant browser, because the Android decides by itself that speed internet is not enoght to me. >:(

FIX IT GOOGLE!

I have the option to "avoid poor connections" but it does not work on my OPO.

If I want to connect to network that gives my an exclamation mark I have to switch to flight mode. Otherwise the phone will use my cellular data.

Would rather have a 'poor' connection than none at all...let me choose.

It's ridiculous. I just downloaded an update the other day, and I was hoping this would fix it, but no dice. I still can't set a preferred network and this is causing no end of grief.

It makes you wonder if the Android developers have anything upstairs at all. All day I was fighting the damn tablet because it would not remain connected to the network I designated.

Stupid Google - Stupid Android - Stupid Developers.

I can't setup my home automation because of this issue. I can't use my tablet because of this. I sell Google everyday in the wireless field but I will let every store in my region know of how this is impacting your customers and I will make sure we have an impact on you. I can't believe this has been an issue for so long without Google fixing it.... Starting to act like Apple

They are too busy flying around in their new Airbus jets to think about the people who put them there.

But yes, it's really pretty stupid to not be able to set a preferred network that an Android device will connect to.

This causes us no end of pain and we are not the only ones...

Wow, I cannot believe that Google has not responded to this.  I have a Nexus 6 so the feature issue is not my problem, my problem is how poorly the WiFi connection works, and it is related because the connection drops when signal quality is not good, rather than just slow down.  I think they hard coded it in.

Meanwhile, I installed an app that seems to help a bit and manages the connections better.  You can find it in Google Play - it is called WiFi Manager and I even paid for the Premium version, it works pretty well and has allowed me to stay connected better.  Hope this helps some of you folks out there waiting on Google to fix this.

I just tried out WiFi Manager and it didn't work. Even with a stronger network it still sat there connected to the wrong one.

What we need is an app or a setting that will allow us to set the preferred network to connect to, or better yet, lock the dumb thing to a network of our choosing.

come on stop this silly trolling. yes it is an issue but there are some workarounds available. please have a look in the xda-developers forum : it appears to be that there is no universal fix for everyone, but the China related issues patch worked for me.
relax ;-)

In my case I'm using a tablet PC as the dashboard on my motorcycle. It's tied into the ECU via WiFi and the GPS via BlueTooth.

Guess what?

Every time I shut the engine down and start it back up I have to go into the tablet, manually tell the stupid #&^$^%$^$^$ to connect to the proper network and then, and only then, will my dashboard work.

Relax? I don't think so. I went from perfect no-intervention riding to playing with my dashboard every time I start the bike. Stupid Google wrecked something good by making a new 'feature' and then forcing us to adopt it.

When we all pipe up and report the issue nothing happens.

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I live in China and the solution I've found is to use an app called Super Wifi Manager, which automatically tries to find the strongest connection and connects to that.

@uhu.maotouying, what is the China related issue patch that you're referring to? I couldn't find this on XDA-developers.

try these, both worked for me :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58252752&postcount=38

Thanks! First solution seems to be working for me.

Very strange indeed!

All - the first solution works for me - I got the 'avoided due to poor internet connection' problem.

Here goes:
1. Reboot phone and wait until Wifi is connected
2. Go to Settings and create a new user
3. Continue with user setup until you see "checking connection"
4. As soon as you see "checking connection", switch off your phone
5. Switch on your phone again
6. Toggle Wifi, and the exclamation mark should disappear quickly
7. You may optionally remove the new user you just created

I didn't see 'checking connection' but I turned off my phone once I created the new user account. Restarted my phone, tried to connect to the previously ignored Wifi network and not it works.

*now it works

Unbelievable... when ever I get out of my house the WiFi signal weakens and gets "Avoided ..." and never reconnects even if I'm next to the WiFi router. Google FIX THIS RIGHT NOW! I end up using data connection instead of the free WiFi!!!

in response to #96 and #97: splendid! This just works!

Stupid move by Google. I keep connecting to public networks that require sign-in over my private one and miss out on loads of push notifications until I leave the office and connect back to 4G. Fix! And to get your attention....
FIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is unbelievable. My connection is annoyingly intermittent, as if WiFi Optimization is switched on.

I may have found a fix for this issue with my HTC One M8,go to Wireless settings, Advanced and UNCHECK "Auto-switch to mobile network" (Use mobile connection when Wi-Fi signal is weak)
So far my signal hasn't dropped out on me (usually does as our broadband is rubbish here)
I'll update this if I remember to let you know if it's worked permanently.

I can confirm that rooting the tablet and using ADB to run this command appears to have fixed the new 'feature' that everyone is complaining about;

adb shell su -c "settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0"

I have the same problem of my phone connecting to WIFI networks that I don't want our that require a login and make me miss emails and other data. The problem is compounded by my carrier ATT that automatically added hotspots that my phone tried to connect to enemy when they don't have good data connections.  Being able to prioritize my connections would solve the problem

This issue has rendered my portable streaming device useless.  It doesn't have internet because it is meant to allow me to stream movies when I am travelling.  PLEASE FIX!!!!!

I just "upgraded" from a Simian Nokia 5800 to a Sony Xperia Z3, running Android 5.0. I "upgraded" because the screen kept blurring on the Nokia and for no other reason.

For me, Android is a total nightmare. The Nokia was great to use, and I miss it terribly.

I came to this thread because I want to set priority for internet connection. That is, make the phone look for my Wifi before using my contract internet connection. You can do that easily on the Nokia 5800. But, with Android, you have to remember to turn the wifi on before going onto the internet if you don't want to be eating into your monthly data allowance. Then, you have to remember to turn the wifi off again, to save on battery drain. How clumsy. What were they thinking when they set it up this way.

I have also noticed that the phone updates apps etc. any time it feels like it. It did that on my phone during the night, behind my back, so to speak. The wifi was off when it did that, so it must have used some of my data allowance. There should be some way to stop ALL updates. I have searched the settings, and I can't find out how to do that.

Now, seeing all these comments in this thread, I am absolutely disgusted. I am seriously considering getting rid of this Android phone and buying a used Nokia 5800 on eBay, thereby returning to sanity and ease of use.

My WiFi only N7 running 5.1.1 is nearly unusable due to this issue. I doubt that I'll ever get another Android device; too god damned much trouble.

can disable the 5ghz band and use only the 2.4 ghz i need to eliminate the use of 5ghz band because the use of it is not permitted in my country

Having the same issue of wifi dropping on my moto g after updating to Lollipop.
Please fix it asap.

[Comment deleted]

How can Google consider this a small priority? Support forums are clogged with Lollipop users complaining of WiFi connectivity problems on numerous devices. WiFi may or may not run for a while, then all you get is connecting ... saved ... failed. It doesn't matter what network you try. I might connect, might not. Once it doesn't it never will again. I've had WiFi trouble with every Lollipop device I've used. KitKat is solid.
KitKat and earlier supported connections with both TKIP and AES. But in Lollipop you can use only one (which is probably best anyway). However even selecting no encryption doesn't help. Even though my phone right next to the access point and the signal is good Lollipop tries to avoid the "poor" connection. Every other Wifi connection in the house works. This goes far beyond lacking a simple setting. I have to perform a full factory reset most every day to regain WiFi functionality. I have 3 Moto X gen 1 in the house. One has Lollipop and I have WiFi issues every day. It worked perfectly before *upgrading*. The 2 with KitKat work great. One has to wonder if this is an intentional attempt to force using more mobile data.

Google please fix this!

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Try this (temporary) fix,
Enable Airplane mode,
1st, Forget all wifi connection
Your Tablet or phone must be rooted.
Using any explorer that can open root files,
Go to /data/misc/wifi/
Move this two files to sdcard(for possible backup):
wpa_supplicant.bak.conf
wpa_supplicant.conf
Reboot
Go back to wifi settings and turn it on
Connect to your intended wifi connection
Wait until successfully connected then tap hold the connection to modify
Re-enter the password if possible
Change IP settings to "Static" and save

Look like my procedure I got is a permanent fix.
After rebooting again, turn off Airplane mode, reconnect to all my Internet wifi and lastly reconnect to intended wifi connection, prompted me that "Internet may not be available" and still stay connected even Smart is enabled. No need to change to static IP, no need to forget other wifi with Internet connection and no need to enabled Airplane mode.

in response to #117 and #118, what if your phone is not rooted?

I am having the same issue with my device running Lollipop 5.0.2

Helloooooooo!!

Any workarounds for a non-rooted Android device running Lollipop? Thanks!!

Over 270 days and still no owner assigned. Awful.

Where is the fix? Are u kidding me? This is must have bugfix!!!

Fuk google

[Comment deleted]

Getting ! on data signal via Sprint, I have the Nexus 6.

Sometimes I do PRL upgrade or restart the phone for a temporary fix. Sometimes even though the ! is present the phone is still connected to data but majority of the time it isn't. I want to throw my phone out the window...

I'm wondering if the new Nexus 5X and 6P will have the same issue?? This may determine whether I try the iPhone or not, or maybe just go back to Samsung; I had the Note 2 prior to the Nexus 6 and never had such issues.

Same problem here. Please help!

What is happening Google? Same Issue and no response or even fix in long time? Are you guys even reading this?

Google are well aware of this.  They choose to ignore because they are receiving loads more money via the extra usage mobile data.  They should be called #Swindle.

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You'll find no argument from me about Google - they want nothing less then to continually spy on us 24x7 and for that they need us permanently connected to the 'net, hence the stupid 'feature'. I found it hilarious when they were attacking the NSA about 'spying' on people.

There's no bigger spy agency in the world then Google - the NSA has nothing on them. Nothing at all. And at least the NSA is directly under authority....

Having said that....from my post several miles back...

"I can confirm that rooting the tablet and using ADB to run this command appears to have fixed the new 'feature' that everyone is complaining about;

adb shell su -c "settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0"

We have a few users connecting Android phones to our corporate WiFi in order to access Intranet sites.  These devices are blocked at the firewall from accessing the internet.  Since Android 5 the only way WiFi has worked for these users is if they disable mobile data on their phones.

I have a new workaround, which appears to be effective.

Firstly, I created two domains on our DNS server - clients3.google.com, and connectivitycheck.android.com, setting the IP address of these domains to our internal web server.

Then on the web server I made a file /generate_204, which returns an empty page with a 204 status code.

HTH

Regret updating corporate nexus 7's which access intranet only. Switching from AP to AP is now a nightmare that involves a lot of clicking around.

1 year over and no change from Google ... they get better and better huh? All my android devices at home (5!) keep loosing WiFi connection (sometimes as close as sitting on top of the router) because of this stupid option. IT IS NOT PRIORITY-SMALL, IT IS HIGH PRIORITY, DO SOMETHING GOOGLE!

Obviously, Google won't fix this issue. Neither will they fix the intermittent/broken GPS that Lollipop has all but obliterated.

Guess they want to shove Marshmallow down our throats if/when that rumored disastrous OS is pushed out.

I'm tempted to sideload one of the older Android OSes (4.4.4) back onto my tablets just so I can use my Wifi and GPS as Google intended.

Shame on you, Google, for ignoring your end users' pleas...you know, the people who keep you in business? Very shitty customer service.

I have a home media server that's has its own 802.11ac 5GHz Wi-Fi card running in AP mode, and it is purposefully not connected to Internet for security reasons (it's just an isolated PC).

Since I also have "normal" Wi-Fi in the same room, Android 5 (and Android 6.0 as well) keeps switching back to the "normal" Wi-Fi unless I delete the password for it from the device, which is incredibly frustrating.

The developers who invented this "feature" without providing any means to turn it off certainly did not think about common usage scenarios.
The ability to control which Wi-Fi network is used is incredibly important, especially for security and privacy reasons.
If I connected to a trusted network, I do *NOT* wish to use any other network unless I manually switch to it.

There's an old adage - "Build a system that even a fool can use and only a fool will want to use it." - it really applies in this case.

+1 for the developer getting fired.

I have had several recent android versions on different HTC devices. Gingerbread, Ice cream sandwich, Jelly bean, KitKat and Lollipop. Jelly bean and Kitkat have been by far the best. They've all been on HTC devices.

Currently I use an HTC One m7 that originally came with android 4.1.2, and I was hesitant to upgrade to android 5. With that said, it tried downloading Lollipop AGAINST MY WILL several times until it successfully did it and upgraded without asking me. Awkward???

Ever since then it's been awful. First, had the common problems of apps, had to factory reset. Then camera is purple hue in low light (apparently HTC's problem).

Getting to Wi-Fi. I have an option in Wi-Fi->Advanced->Auto-switch to mobile network (Use mobile data connection when Wi-Fi signal is weak)

But it seems like it's BACKWARDS!

If I have this checked, then I stay connected to weak Wi-Fi and no data traffic as mentioned by other users.
If it's unchecked, then Wi-Fi is dropped for weak signal and everything is fine...

But it "checks" itself back again after some time!!!

Not sure if this is android code or HTC Sense code, but for Pete sake, c'mon. Seriously? This is Linux based! It should be flexible AND reliable!

Dr. G.

Trying to access a wifi SD card in a camera put me over the edge.  The android wifi has been "improved" since KitKat and still is sometimes unusable due to automagic that doesn't always work.  Trying to connect to the camera wifi sometimes there is a requester on the phone that gives me a fraction of a second to tell the phone to use the wifi even though it seems like it is bad.  But it times out way too quickly, and there is no way to change the decision via settings.  Both should be fixed.

This is with a Nexus 5, now on marshmallow.  Before KitKat, I had an app that could automatically remember the needed wifi logon steps for starbucks, airports, etc.  Since KitKat, none of those are reliable.  Often, by the time I get around to manually putting in the info, android gives up on the wifi and shuts it off.

Meanwhile, when I have good wifi, it sticks with it too long.  As I leave my house it tries to keep using the wifi even when nothing is getting through it anymore due to the weak signal outside my house.  This is a truly common scenario that really ought to be handled well if you are going to try to do wifi switching intelligently at all.

Sorry, I said KitKat above where I meant Lollipop.  It's all ancient history now that I have Marshmallow.

I am in the same boat that the devices are becoming an absolute nightmare to use in China, unless your willing to root and get the google server check out of the way.

I haven't rooted, and didn't intend to.

Try app WiFi Prioritizer.  
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.za.flash.wifiprioritizer
An android application that aims to manage your WiFi network priorities as straight forward as possible. 

This issue has blocked me from being able to use wifi for work as we move through different access points android suddenly thinks the connection is bad and permanently wont allow me to connect to it.

This is also an issue when trying to connect to a wifi enabled action camera (with no internet connection obviously). Phone will not stay connected to the camera because it assumes that anything related to wifi MUST have internet or its no good!

Impossible to connect to my GoPro3 because of this.  Frustrating.

I am disappointed.Why would you remove an option??????
I can not connect to my home wifi.
The sad part is no body has found a real work around for this. Jesus.

We are now in a situation in our house where none of our android devices are capable of disabling the avoid poor connection option which means when we need to connect to a WiFi network that has no internet access and doesn't assign an IP address like the lifx bulbs we use the devices won't stay connected and we cannot set up the bulbs. By removing this option you have rendered all smart home devices that use a custom WiFi network for initial setup useless.

How incompetent does a company have to be in order to make this mistake in the first place and then ignore it for so long?

Why is this a priority "small" when it fundamentally breaks IoT functionality for so many devices? You can't even use a Kodak picture kiosk with Android anymore due to this issue. Posting from a Nexus 6P running Android N, where this option has been totally removed.

FIX THIS IMMEDIATELY!!! I DID NOT SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR THIS

This is STILL a crippling usability issue when trying to connect and manage WiFi based cameras and home audio systems. I can't fathom the thought process that produced this change.

Please fix this!!!!

This issue is preventing my OnePlus 3 to connect to my GoPro Hero 4 camera using the app.
Please fix this ASAP.

unbelievable.  years have passed and no fix.  might consider switching back to iOS.

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I can confirm what @mm29263 said before.

Disabling the option captive_portal_detection_enabled through adb fixes the problem. At least I was able to connect and comunicate with my camera through wifi with Android 6.0.

adb shell su -c "settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0"

I really hope any developer can add this option to the GUI, I think is REALLY IMPORTANT.

It's disappointing that this regression was introduced in Lollipop, and downright SCANDALOUS that it hasn't been fixed despite being reported and re-reported hundreds of times for over two years.

Please reinstate the Wi-Fi Priority settings GUI.  It is almost essential to proper Wi-Fi functionality whenever there are overlapping networks with different capabilities: a throttled network for guests and full access for registered users; my own private network vs. the ubiquitous xfinity; etc. etc.

I'm not able to connect to a connection that I was previously able to due to "poor internet connection" even though the signal strength is strong and the only trouble shoots are to check/uncheck the box that disables your phone from avoiding the "poor" connection but that option isn't there. PLEASE fix

I need that function too. Please fix

Come on Google, fix this mess out I am trying to convince Corporate to move off Apple, but the WiFi issues are a problem when we move from a WiFi covered building to one thats not and then back into coverage. This is a standard corporate set-up, if you want businesses using android, you need to fix this.
It shouldnt be down to the OEMs to do this should be baked in to the OS, Linux can do it, windows does it, even iOS does it, so get your act together and listen to your users.