That’s exactly the problem. Android’s API for directly connecting to WiFi is limited—it’s mainly designed for connecting to local or temporary networks, like the setup used by robot vacuums. More details explained here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43384614
Exactly. I initially went with that approach [1], but eventually opted for on-screen QR code scanning. Suggested networks have lower connection priority and don’t always auto-connect. Also, passwords for suggested networks can’t be viewed or shared later, unlike regular WiFi connections. This is inconvenient because I often need to connect my Mac to the same network later.
I’m not sure about iOS either. Could you point me to how an Android app can directly connect the user to a WiFi network? I know about the WiFi suggestion API, but I haven’t found a straightforward way to initiate a direct WiFi connection. That’s why I ended up with this quirky QR code workaround.
Thanks for looking into the code! Initially, I wanted the app to work consistently on both platforms, but I found that the WiFi connection APIs behave very differently. In the end, I focused mainly on Android to ensure it matched my intended use case.
You’re right about the LLM smell. I’ve been using cursor composer and find it very handy at times!
I know. The simple answer is that Android doesn’t allow apps to directly manage WiFi connections. I’ve provided a more detailed explanation here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43384670
I understand your point and initially wanted to avoid the overhead of generating and scanning a QR code just to connect to WiFi. The reason for this approach is that the Android API doesn’t allow non-system or non-rooted apps to directly manage WiFi connections. In other words, it’s not possible to create a simple app that directly connects to WiFi with known network name and password.
Generating and scanning a QR code is a workaround to minimize steps—avoiding the need to manually select the network from a long list and type the password.
Android does provide a WiFi suggestion API [1], but it has several limitations and doesn’t behave quite as expected. I initially tried using that, but eventually settled on the QR code solution.
Yes, exactly. If WiFi QR codes were provided in the first place, we could just use the built-in QR code reader to instantly connect. This app targets situations where WiFi credentials are displayed only as printed text.
Thanks for the suggestion! I initially went with that approach [1], but eventually opted for on-screen QR code scanning. Suggested networks have lower connection priority and don’t always auto-connect. Also, passwords for suggested networks can’t be viewed or shared later, unlike regular WiFi connections. This is inconvenient because I often need to connect my Mac to the same network later.