Android Wi-Fi policy saves SSID but does not auto-connect on Samsung deviceSolved

Hello, thanks for reaching out to Hexnode Connect.
On Android devices, a Wi-Fi profile pushed through MDM is saved on the device, but the device may not automatically connect to that SSID the first time.

The expected behavior is:

1. Hexnode pushes the Wi-Fi profile to the Android device.
2. The SSID is saved on the device.
3. The user or admin must manually select the SSID once from the Wi-Fi settings.
4. The device should connect without prompting for the Wi-Fi password.
5. After that first manual selection, Android can reconnect to the same saved network automatically.

This is controlled by Android OS behavior and is not specific to the Wi-Fi payload configuration in Hexnode.

Best regards
George
Hexnode UEM

That makes sense, but it is awkward for kiosk devices. If the device is locked in kiosk, users cannot easily open Wi-Fi settings to tap the SSID. Is there a way to allow just Wi-Fi access without letting them exit kiosk?

For kiosk deployments, you can allow access to Wi-Fi through Peripheral settings. This lets the user open the Wi-Fi section and select the saved network without needing broader access to device settings.

This can help with the first-time SSID selection requirement while keeping the device in kiosk mode. However, it does not remove the Android requirement entirely; the network still has to be selected once after the profile is newly added or modified.

Best regards,
George,
Hexnode UEM

What happens if the device is already connected, then the access point password is changed and I update the Wi-Fi policy in Hexnode with the new password? Will it reconnect automatically after the policy update?

If the Wi-Fi credentials are changed and the updated Wi-Fi payload is pushed again, Android generally requires the SSID to be selected manually again before reconnecting.

This is an Android OS security and connection-stability limitation. Android does not automatically drop an existing or saved Wi-Fi connection and switch to a newly pushed or modified network profile without user authorization. Once the updated SSID is selected manually, the device should connect without asking for the password and can reconnect automatically afterward.