If a Galaxy S23 Ultra keeps dropping Wi-Fi or shows connected with no internet, the usual trigger is a Wi-Fi 6 or 6E router. Owners in Samsung's forums dated the problem to the March 2023 security update, SamMobile wrote it up with a temporary fix, and the pattern held after the April update: the phone works on old 2.4 and 5 GHz routers and trips on Wi-Fi 6 ones. Test by turning Wi-Fi 6 off in the router or joining a separate 2.4 GHz network name, and by switching the phone from a random to its own MAC address.
Differential
Likely causes of “Samsung Galaxy S23 family will not connect to Wi-Fi or keeps disconnecting”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A Wi-Fi 6 or 6E router
What separates it It connects, then drops or shows no internet, but only on the newer router
How to confirm The prevailing pattern in the threads: turning Wi-Fi 6 off in the router, or splitting it onto its own network name, stops it
- 2
WPA3 security
What separates it The drops stop when the router is set to WPA2
How to confirm Some owners fixed it by disabling WPA3 along with Wi-Fi 6
- 3
Random MAC address
What separates it The router blocks or forgets the phone
How to confirm Open the network's settings and choose Phone MAC instead of Randomized MAC
- 4
Intelligent Wi-Fi switching
What separates it The phone hops between networks and loses the connection
How to confirm Turn off Intelligent Wi-Fi in Wi-Fi settings and reset network settings
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The router model and whether it is Wi-Fi 6 or 6E
- Whether other devices on the same Wi-Fi stay connected
- The security setting, WPA2 or WPA3
- Whether it drops on a 2.4 GHz network name
Try in this order
0 of 5 completedForget the network and join it again
ReversibleOpen Settings, Connections, Wi-Fi, tap the gear beside the network, Forget, then join again.
Switch to Phone MAC
ReversibleOpen the network's settings and change MAC address type to Phone MAC.
Turn off Intelligent Wi-Fi
ReversibleOpen Wi-Fi, Advanced, Intelligent Wi-Fi and switch it off.
Change the router side
ReversibleTurn Wi-Fi 6 off or give it its own network name, and try WPA2 if WPA3 is on.
Reset the network settings
ReversibleOpen Settings, General management, Reset, Reset network settings.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Wi-Fi
- GSMArena lists the S23 Ultra with Wi-Fi 6E, which is the standard the router threads describe.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If it drops on every router and in Safe mode, run Samsung Members diagnostics and contact Samsung support
- !If it drops only on one router, ask the router's maker for a firmware update
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Restart, update, forget the network, Safe mode, reset and router checks.
The Wi-Fi 6 router workaround for S23 Ultra disconnections.
Owners reporting dropouts after the March update.
The Wi-Fi 6 router pattern.
Exact questions
Common questions
Is the S23 Ultra Wi-Fi fault a known bug?+
SamMobile reported Samsung was aware of the S23 Ultra Wi-Fi disconnections and was working on it, and the forum threads tie them to Wi-Fi 6 routers.
Is the fix to turn off Wi-Fi 6?+
It is a temporary workaround from the threads. Keeping a 2.4 or 5 GHz network name available lets the phone stay on Wi-Fi while the router is changed.
Does WPA3 matter for the S23 Ultra Wi-Fi fault?+
Some owners fixed the drops only after disabling WPA3 together with Wi-Fi 6, so set the router to WPA2 for a test.
What is the quick temporary fix SamMobile described?+
Turning Wi-Fi 6 off in the router and using the 2.4 or 5 GHz bands, which the threads report stops the S23 Ultra dropping.
Will a network reset help?+
It is one of the steps in the threads, along with turning off Intelligent Wi-Fi and using Phone MAC. It erases saved networks, so note the passwords first.