Cannot stop phone from auto-reconnecting the XFINITY wifi hotspots.

[FlyingToastr]

I cannot stop my phone from connecting to XFINITY wifi networks. The option to disable auto-reconnect is gone, and disabling the Hotspot 2.0 setting does not help either. 

"Go to Settings > Connections > WiFi > Advanced
2. Toggle Auto-Connect to XFINITY WiFi to off" Does not work because this option has not existed in my phone as of two software updates ago. 

"Go to Settings > Connections > WiFi > Advanced > Smart Network Switch
Make sure Smart Network Switch is off" Also does not work. I've tried this both on and off and any time I come home my phone latches onto a Neighbor's XFINITY wifi before I get in range of my apartment unit's gateway. I've had to reconnect to my own wifi 30 times in the past 7 days. 

Samsung Galaxy Note10 SM-N970U purchased directly from Xfinity Mobile

Software build QP1A. 190711.020.N970USQS2BSLA

I just wasted 15 minutes proverbially beating my face into a brick wall with a chat agent (and getting increasingly irate with every inane BS easily googled script answer they gave me), trying to have them understand that this issue was not something they could help me solve and rather I just wanted it escalated to the team that codes and QCs the updates. I don't expect a resolution here either. Just need it known and escalated. 

And no, this solution will not help either:
11:45:06 AM XFinity support agent : Alright I will escalate your request to bring the option back and as of now you should eliminate the app.
11:45:23 AM Me: Which app? My phone's OS?
11:45:51 AM XFinity support agent : Xfinity Hotspots.
11:46:31 AM Me: There is no Xfinity Hotspots app installed on my phone
11:48:33 AM Me: It's an Xfinity Mobile phone. The Xfinity hotspot function is baked into the Xfinity custom version of the android Kernel. What you're suggesting is not possible without literally erasing the OS on my phone. (Yes I know I could just root it and that kernel was not necessarily the correct terminology. I was being dramatic)
11:48:34 AM XFinity support agent: http://hotspots.wifi.comcast.com/
11:49:13 AM Me: You sent me a map...

[Bluetouchwiz30]

Hi @FlyingToastr,

Disclaimer: You can try uninstalling the XFINITY WIFI Settings app, but I'm not sure how you can get it again.

To try: From your home screen, go to apps, then search for Xfinity Wifi Settings (nothing will show up until you hit Ok go search). The Xfinity Wifi Settings app will show up, open it and from there you should be able to uninstall it.

Also, I know this sounds very simple but have you tried just forgetting that ssid from the Manage Networks manu?

Let me know if that stops auto reconnect.

[GMoGoody]

@FlyingToastr , This just started happening to me as well on my Iphone X. I had disabled Auto Join and even though it's still disabled the phone still joins.  I even tried resetting network settings to default.

I think Xfinity closed the loophole. The reason the service is cheaper is they want people using the hotspots over the cell towers.  This is built into the  Carrier Firmware. Previously they had a bug ot loopholehwere we could prevent the phone from joining. They have since fixed that. 

The only way I now won't join is when I disable WiFi. This auto join drives me nuts becasue I stream media in my car all the time. I constantly lose my signal becasue the phone switches to a business hotspot when I drive by or stopped at a light and then doesn't switch back to Mobile data. You would think their algorithm would use a combination of GPS and movement before doing this switching. 

This is one of the reasons I have just unlocked my phones and leaving for another carrier

[ComcastChrisL]

Hello everyone,

Thank you for creating the thread and for initiating a useful conversation.  I wanted to find out if you guys had also disabled the Xfinity WiFi Settings app from accessing your phone and location?

You can do so by going into Settings>Apps>Show System Apps>Xfinity WiFi Settings, then disable permission to phone and location.  Also, go ahead and disable the Change System Settings option on the app as well.

These instructions are for Samsung Galaxy.  Let me know what device/s you are using in order to investigate how this is done on your device in case you haven't located it already.

Let me know what results you get.

Chris    

[FlyingToastr]

Xfinity Wifi/Xfinity Wifi settings is not in my phone's system apps. I did not uninstall it at any point either. There is the android Carrier wifi settings which I'm on the verge of force stopping because I am extremely tired of this issue but even that has no special permissions enabled, nor does it require any.

[CB345]

So, uninstalling the Xfinity Wifi Settings stopped the auto-reconnect, but within a few hours my Xfinity mobile service appeared to get throttled. I could not load any content on social media apps or stream even a YouTube video. This persisted even after I restarted my phone.

Once I reinstalled the Xfinity Wifi Settings app, everything continued to work as normal. At work, there are no Xfinity networks nearby, and my wifi is never connected to a network in my office.

Reading through many forums and even reviews in the Android app store, there appears to be an uptick in problems related to Xfinity wifi connections that started in January 2020. That is also when I started having problems and it was also around the time of the latest Android update I received.

It appears that Comcast is now FORCING Xfinity Mobile customers to use hotspots. I was hesitant to use their mobile service for this exact reason. I was assured upon signup that I could disable hotspot autoconnect.

If the problem isn't fixed soon, I'm going back to Verizon.

[secured2k1]

For iOS devices, check for a profile installed by XFINITY. Removing it will allow you to disable auto join or forget the network, however you may not be able to connect to the password protected XFINITY network automatically. Non-passworded WiFi like xfinitywifi should still work if your device MAC is registered with Xfinity. Connecting to XFINITY WiFi may prompt for a user/pass for your account.

Settings -> General -> Profiles -> XFINITY WiFi -> Remove Profile.

[CB345]

After reinstalling Xfinity Wifi Settings on my S9 with Android 10, I was getting the same problem again. Auto-connect is disabled, but my phone, without asking, is connecting to Xfinitt hotspots. I uninstalled it again and restarted immediately. I havent had any more connectivity issues (see previous post).

However, even without the Xilfinity Wifi Settings app, my phone continues to connect to hotspots without asking. No Xfinity Wifi networks are saved in my phone.

Smart switch is not a feature on S9s.

Not surprised by Xfinitys silence on this...

[Samwathegreat]

I've been having this exact issue as well and it is maddening.

In my own home, my phone will often connect to an Xfinity hotspot with only 1 bar and no service. Nothing will load while connected. I'm having to manually force it to connect to my home network which is saved. Basically, if the phone connects to Xfinity hotspot before it connects to my home network, it will stay connected even though my home network is full strength 5 bars. I do NOT have an Xfinity hotspot in my home as I have my own modem and router.

This needs fixed yesterday. I should be able to CHOOSE when I want to use a hotspot. I'm paying by the gig anyways, so you have no incentive to hold me hostage to your awful network of hotspots, Xfinity.

You need to fix this. We just need an option to NOT auto connect. I've never given my permission for you to autoconnect my phone to your hotspots. This needs to stop. Put an on/off button somewhere. This has me ready to switch carriers.

[abujabal]

This issue is plaguing me. Since January 2020. I just wanted to toss my acknowledgment into the thread (will I get an email?). My apartment is densely surrounded by numerous Xfinity hostpots. Countless times per day when I enter my apartment, I'm forced through the manual steps of reconnecting my Xfinity phone to MY OWN Xfinity router in order to control my various smart devices that are on my network. Xfinity tech support said that's just how it is. Unbelievable.

[secured2k1]

Phones do not auto connect to networks unless they are saved, have a third party application installed, or have some kind of device management profile installed.

For iPhone, standard methods of disabling auto join or forgetting the network, deleting an offending app, or removing a profile will work. I previously posted instructions for removing a profile.

There are too many versions or variations of Android based phones to explain instructions - please search a site like google for how to manage android WiFi profiles, delete apps or limit permissions, or remove android mobile device management profiles. Note that not all apps in android have an icon on the screen; you will need to remove any “hidden” background apps as well.

[Samwathegreat]

@secured2k1 -- I wish I could thumbs-down your post. Clearly you are clueless about this situation. Xfinity has BAKED IN the autoconnect into their latest updates for Xfinity Android devices. So before you say phones only connect to saved networks, you might do your research as you couldn't be more wrong. This is being forced upon us with no ability to disable it as it's baked into the software itself. Do you understand why we are so irritated now??

[FlyingToastr]

@Samwathegreat Your reply quite accurately sums up the situation I neglected to elaborate in the original post. I own a gateway and numerous neighbors lease the XB3/XB6 gateways from Comcast which transmit the Xfinity hotspot. Since there is no longer an option to disable auto-reconnect to XFINITY hotspots my phone latches onto those hotspots as I'm walking from my car to my apartment and every time without fail I'm forced to switch it over on my own, and I usually find out after I realize some picture message someone tried to send me never made it and they ask me about it. Even when I'm driving now and using my phone as nav I'm constantly bombarded with the "limited or no internet access. Switch to mobile data?" prompt at the top of the screen as I pass by dozens of useless Xfinity hotspots which if you're the irritable type could be a pretty big safety issue (<Edited>). To add insult to injury, around late February my phone recieved a software update. Anyone want to guess what issue was NOT addressed in the update and still plagues me to this day?

<Edited>

[CB345]

@secured2k1 - you could not be more inaccurate here. I have NEVER voluntarily connected to an xfinity hotspot. There arent even any Xfinity hotspots in my network history. Auto-connect to ALL wifi networks is turned is because that's just smart. As other posters have noted, this is a Forced action from Xfinity. There is a business below my parking garage that has a hotspot. I never connected to a network there and it tries to connect every other day.

This is a specific problem with Xfinity mobile.

The fact that people keep posting and a Comcast rep has not suggested a fix or at least an update that it's being worked on is appalling.

[wleduc]

Here is the soulution. You are having this issue because your xFinity gateway is broadcast both "xfinitywifi" and "xfinity" hot spots. That's why you are seeing the hotspots on your phone. "xfinity" is a secure hotspot where as "xfinitywifi" anyone can log into. This is one way that Comcast is blanketing the area with hotspots. You have an option to turn off the hot spots that your gatway is broadcasting and thus will no longer have the issue with connecting to the xfinity hotspots.

Logon to your account and click on My Account and then click on Manage Internet and you will find a topic Wifi Public Hotspots. There you can disaable the public hotspots that your gateway is broacasting.

[Samwathegreat]

@wleduc

Myself and several others don't even have an Xfinity gateway. We have our own and prefer it that way.

Anyways, I think you misunderstand the issue. I can be driving down the road listening to music on 4g when the phone randomly decides to connect to the Xfinity hotspot. But since I'm not around long enough to actually use it all it really result in is Google music skipping the current track due to assumed network issues.

Among many other issues. I shouldn't have to constantly reconnect to my full strength wifi because my phone seems to prefer the neighbors XFINITY connection with 1-2 bars over my full strength secured WiFi network.

This is a privacy violation. As far as I'm concerned Xfinity is forcing me to connect to hotspots for which I'm unable to assure the security. It should ALWAYS be my decision to connect to a hotspot. Never my arrogant carrier who thinks they can control me all the while charging inflated rates and having to deal with issues like this.

Why is this still not fixed. We just need an off setting somewhere, Xfinity. What's the problem?

[Vitaminb12]

I'm having the same problem.  Will be looking for a new carrier if this isn't fixed soon.

[wleduc]

Samwathegreat I believe you may misunderstand the issue. I have had the problems you refer to for years as a AT&T customer. I was a Comcast customer with a AT&T phone with the xfinity app installed on my phone and logged in.  My phone would connect to xfinity hotspots and many time have had to turn off wifi because the xfinity hotspot was too weak. You may be able to fix that problem by uninstalling all xfinity apps.

My problem and I am sure a number of others in this thread happened after installing a new xfinity gatway. My phone would autoconnect to the XFINITY hotspot and I would not be able to download pics on text messages. Doesn't make sense to me, but that's what happens. And even though I went into setting and disabled autoconnect on the XFINITY hotspot it would connect. So by disabling the hotpots on my xfinity gatway I solved my problem.

[TurboGT]

I've been plagued by this problem as well... although up until now it's only been an issue when I'm driving in my truck, and as such I'm out of range sooner than I can investigate what's going on.

Thanks to the COVID-19 scare, and now that I'm working from home, this problem has resurfaced.  I just happened to find under "Setting > Wifi > Advanced > Hotspot 2.0 (second to last option) >  Xfinity Mobile" a button slider for "auto reconnect".  This is on a Samsung Note10+, running Android 10, security patch level Mar 1, 2020, Build number QP1A.190711.020... and my software update says I'm on the most current version.

I hope this helps others, so far it's worked for me (going on two hours without an auto-connect attempt)

[bald271]

Have all these possible workarounds been tried? 

- Disable/remove the APN/profile that was loaded the first time you ran the hotspot app (I'm actually not sure how to do this).

- Delete the xfinity hotspot app.  Not sure if this will remove the APN/profile.

- Disable wifi before driving?    (Wifi "privacy violations" occur constantly as you drive and can used to track your movements by the sequence of SSIDs that you encounter in your travels.    Also it wastes massive battery for the wifi radios to constantly be talking to every wifi/SSID that it encounters in your travels, unless you like aggressively looking for xfinity hotspots.)

I see most or all of the issues described in the posts above on my xfinity mobile handsets, but I mostly like the current behavior.  (I keep cellular-data OFF so as to avoid paying a penny extra for optional ads & optional tracking, and to hoard all the available cellular-data for my spousal-approver.)

[NEWcam30era]

"I just happened to find under "Setting > Wifi > Advanced > Hotspot 2.0 (second to last option) >  Xfinity Mobile" a button slider for "auto reconnect".  This is on a Samsung Note10+, running Android 10, security patch level Mar 1, 2020," 

@TurboGT 

Thanks for the suggestion.  However, I did try this and my Note 10+ still connects to xfinitymobile hotspots....

[Samwathegreat]

@wleduc

Though I appreciate your input, I believe it is you who misunderstands.

1. I do not have, nor have I ever installed *any* Xfinity apps.

2. I own my own (non-xfinity) modem. My phone connects to OTHERS' Xfinity networks. Since I can not turn off all of their hotspots, I'm really not understanding what your advice is here.

[user27834682763]

***** Edit ****** my method below does not work. I thought I was on to something, but it's a no go. Sorry if I led anyone down the wrong path. It seems like  Samwathegreat might have the most viable solution thus far, I am just too apprehensive to try to root my phone at the moment. Would love to though.

***** End Edit ******

People who do not suffer from this problem, although we appreciate their caring and effort, they simply won't be able to help. It's up to those of us who have this problem to figure it out, as Comcast is clueless.

My current strategy on my Samsung S9 is this:

Settings>Apps>(three dots at the top right)>Show system apps>

Look for 2 different apps

1. Xfinity Wifi Connect (or something equivalent) - uninstall this POS.

2. Carrier Wifi - go in and disable this POS, doesn't seem like we can uninstall it.

The following I can confirm does NOT work, however it can't hurt in my opinion:

Settings>Connections>Wi-Fi>(three dots at the top right)>Advanced>Hotspot 2.0>Xfinity Mobile

Turn off "Auto reconnect"

Any standard Android user will tell you to just "disconnect" or "forget" the Xfinity wifi next time you are connected. This in theory works, except for two problems:

1. It only forgets the current MAC address of the Xfinity access point you are connected to, not all SSIDs labeled "xfinity" or similar

2. I have seen it happen on my own Xfinity-provisioned modem/router, the MAC address can change after a reboot/reset/or remote operation by Comcast technician, which gets us problem number 1 as above all over again.

Basically, Xfinity support is useless, but hey when you subscribe to the only provider in town, there isn't much choice unfortunately. I hope my steps above can help us crowd-fix this issue if we can just figure out what to disable.

I can say with 100% certainty that if these settings do somehow work, they will need to be performed each time Samsung issues an OS update. Everytime the OS gets updated (seems to be monthly recently), all of the Xfinity-related apps and settings return to their default from the carrier.

Best of luck everyone, I am glad someone started this thread and I am not the only one out there trying to browse the internet on the bus but not able to because I keep handshaking/disconnecting from random Xfinity hotspots out there. I appreciate that Xfinity offers them, I just do not want to be force-fed them.

[NEWcam30era]

First, thanks for the input.  However, none of these worked for me.  My device is a Samsung unlocked Note 10+, and it has no Xfinity apps on it, at all.  And disabling the setting in Wifi/advanced/hotspot didn't help, either.  The only reliable solution for me is to disable WiFi every time I leave the house....

[bald271]

Fwiw, there seem to be scattered reports of other Samsung Note owners having the same issues on other carriers which offer wifi hotspots.    Also fwiw I have not seen the issue on my samsung S8 lately but did see it in the past.    best regards..

[32werf1245sadfg]

Same problem here. Nowhere in settings to turn this off, and support is beyond worthless. They suggested that I go to the store to escalate this DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC!

[Samwathegreat]

@Xfinity : Do you not value our business or what? Why no comment? Why no effort to correct this horrible oversight on your part?

[Samwathegreat]

Edit:. It doesn't work. See later comment.


I took matters into my own hands and solved this problem. If you do this, you could destroy your device if you are not careful. You have been warned. This is not an appropriate solution for everyone...but it was perfect for me.

I was able to use Odin to flash the unlocked firmware to my Galaxy S10+. Flashing the unlocked firmware exposed the settings in WiFi &gt; Advanced and allowed me to turn off this horrible "feature". Now I can connect when *I* choose to.

Here are the quick steps. Obviously I can not explain full details so you need to be quite tech savvy OR have good Google skills. Otherwise do not attempt it.

1. Back up your phone to your windows PC using smart switch windows application.

2. Factory reset your phone. Leave the Sim in. When it boots back up to the "pick your language" screen or whatever, power it off.

3. Find the appropriate firmware for your exact model device. I used the unlocked firmware that was the same version as the carrier firmware that was already on the device. This is where your Google skills come in. Be very careful - the wrong firmware could brick your phone. It may be difficult to find and / or require registering on some website, and / or take a very long time to download. Recommend verifying the checksum of the file for safety.

3. Find the appropriate version of ODIN, put your device in download mode, and flash the firmware you found. Make sure you use instructions or watch a YouTube video from a reputable source.

4. When the phone boots back up, it will be on unlocked firmware. You will no longer have the Xfinity mobile logo when booting up - it will be the Samsung logo instead. All xfinity apps will be gone. You'll need to download the voicemail and any other Xfinity apps you need from the play store. After you get to the home screen, you can use windows Samsung smart switch to restore all of your content.

5. Now promptly proceed to WiFi &gt; advanced &gt; hotspot 2.0.

First, go into Xfinity and turn off auto reconnect. This is probably all that's necessary. I also went ahead and turned off hotspot 2.0 entirely.

Now my phone no longer connects!!! I can drive through town without my phone trying to connect to every Xfinity hotspot I pass anymore. It's wonderful!!!

Attempt at your own risk, not for the faint of heart. This was performed on a Galaxy S10+ carrier version. Now my device has the unlocked firmware and no carrier bloatware. Keep in mind that if you are not already sim-unlocked, this will NOT sim-unlock your device. That is a totally different thing... These steps should be similar for Note devices and other Galaxy devices that are affected as well.

Anyways, hope this helps someone. And shame on Xfinity for not exposing these settings in their own carrier rom. It is unacceptable to force this upon us with no choice.

[mikeorama]

---

@secured2k1 wrote:
For iOS devices, check for a profile installed by XFINITY. Removing it will allow you to disable auto join or forget the network, however you may not be able to connect to the password protected XFINITY network automatically. Non-passworded WiFi like xfinitywifi should still work if your device MAC is registered with Xfinity. Connecting to XFINITY WiFi may prompt for a user/pass for your account.

Settings -> General -> Profiles -> XFINITY WiFi -> Remove Profile.

---

I'm using a unlocked, originally AT&T, iPhone 6 and this is driving me crazy too. Seems like it should be possible to disable it, since this phone doesn't have any Xfinity software on it, but under Settings>General>Profiles there is nothing.

[Samwathegreat]

Update:. Though it seems to happen less often, my phone still forcibly connects to the hotspots even on unlocked firmware. This is awful.

[user27834682763]

Yikes that's terrible news. Even on a rooted phone we are still seeing this behavior! <Edited> How come more people aren't upset at this?

I will keep investigating Tasker. I wish there was a way we could implement a blacklist of SSID names. Anything with "xfinity" would get blocked.

[Matttheriot284]

Go to wifi control history under the advanced wifi section. It will show you what apps have toggled you wifi on or off lately. Click xfinity wifi settings and uncheck it's ability to toggle wifi.

This is on Galaxy s8+

[12xuser]

Man, it sure would be nice if some Comcast rep would confirm that this annoying behavior was by design and that if we do find a fix they will figure out a way to disable it. I had been using an app called Wifi Prioritizer to block Xfinity hotspots, but that's not working for this any more. Turn off Wifi whenever I leave the house for now, but that risks forgetting to turn it on again when I get home. 

[redSL500]

This is what worked for me so far. Keeping fingers crossed that it'll continue.
I couldn't find anything that would work under the normal wi-fi settings so I
1) went to settings and put wi-fi in the search bar of settings.
2) tapped on "wi-fi control" and a list of apps popped up
3) went to every xfinity app I have (my account, xfi, etc) and turned off "allow app to control wifi."

I keep wifi turned on all the time but I no longer get those f-ing irritating pop-ups! If I want to connect to a wifi I'll do it and if I don't it doesn't do it automatically and it also doesn't turn wifi on and off.
I hope this helps others.
We just switched back to Comcast after many yrs without them and this was ticking me off so much I was ready to cancel them again!

[NEWcam30era]

Many thanks for this. The only thing that has worked, except for turning of WiFi every time I leave the house.

Edit: Unfortunately, after further checking, this is not working for me.  I still have to turn off WiFi when I leave the house.