You just got notified of your favourite YouTube channel’s latest video, so you’re now very excited, even rushing, to see what’s new. But lo and behold, the dreaded buffering icon shows up because your Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a mobile data or Wi-Fi issue.
What a bummer, isn’t it? The worst-case scenario is if this slow internet connection continues for quite some time. So, it’s best to try and fix this problem as soon as you encounter it.
Read on to see our take on the ultimate guide to fixing mobile data and Wi-Fi connectivity issues on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Fixes | 15 |
| Duration | 5-10 minutes (average) |
| Things You Need | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 |
Why is my Galaxy Z Fold 3 Mobile Data/Wi-Fi not working?
Your Galaxy Z Fold 3 phone’s mobile data or Wi-Fi connection might not work because of software or network provider problems. Your phone could use a refresh by reboots and restarts or changing its settings.
How to Fix Galaxy Z Fold 3 Mobile Data or Wi-Fi Connection
Before giving up all hope and junking your Galaxy Z Fold 3, there are still some things you can do to try and improve its slow internet connection. These methods include tinkering with the phone’s settings and restarting and resetting stuff.
Without much further ado, here is our list of suggested fixes for your Galaxy Z Fold 3’s mobile data or Wi-Fi issue!
1. Do the Airplane mode trick.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 3 |
| Duration | 10 seconds |
Perhaps the fastest way to solve any mobile data or Wi-Fi issue on your Galaxy Z Fold 3 is to toggle Airplane mode on and off. It’s a “soft reset” of your internet connection and doesn’t require turning off your phone.
Here’s how it should go:
Step 1: To access the Quick Settings panel, swipe down from the top edge of your home screen. Search for the icon that resembles an actual aeroplane—the icon should appear disengaged or untapped.  |
Step 2: Tap the aeroplane to toggle Airplane Mode ON. It will turn off your phone’s wireless connections like the phone network, mobile data, and Bluetooth (you should also see an aeroplane icon beside your battery icon instead of the usual ones). |
Step 3: Turn Airplane Mode OFF by tapping the aeroplane icon again. The aeroplane beside your battery should disappear, and you’ll see signal bars instead (and a Wi-Fi icon if the feature is activated). |
In most cases, this quick fix does the trick. We hope this works for you, too.
2. Turn the SIM card on and off.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 2 |
| Duration | 10 seconds |
Another “turn it off and on again” procedure you can do is to toggle the SIM card you use for your mobile data connection off and on.
This move somehow resets the link between your SIM and its network provider and improves your slow mobile data connection (if your network doesn’t have an outage).
Here’s how to toggle a SIM card on and off:
Step 1: Open the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s Settings, tap Connections [1], and then SIM card manager [2].  |
Step 2: Check which SIM is assigned for mobile data at the lower part of the screen, under Preferred SIM card. Toggle the applicable SIM on and off by tapping its switch at the upper portion of the SIM manager. |
This method might sound new to you, but it’s still worth a try.
3. Restart your Wi-Fi router.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 2 |
| Duration | 30 seconds – a few minutes |
If you’re having internet connectivity problems with your Galaxy Z Fold 3’s Wi-Fi connection, it could not be caused by anything on your phone at all.
Also, check your Wi-Fi router for any issues, like if it’s turned off, has a loss of signal (LOS) light on, or has any other error message.
Regardless of what you find out, the best way forward is to restart your Wi-Fi router:
- Press your router’s power switch to turn it off. Wait for a few minutes.
- Press the same button again to turn the router on.
Observe your router’s notification lights for any errors. You could also check if your Wi-Fi connection is now back to normal through your Galaxy phone.
4. Check your mobile data allocation.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 2 |
| Duration | 10 seconds |
If you’re using a mobile data connection, chances are it’s a metred one (meaning, it has a set limit). Internet that’s slow when connected to mobile data can also be caused by an allocation that has run out, so better check your remaining allocation consistently.
There are two ways you can check your mobile data allocation.
The first is through your network provider’s SIM toolkit or any existing data balance checking service. The method for this one differs per provider, so it’s best to learn how to do it for yours.
The other way is by checking your data allocation in the Settings menu. However, this will only work if you’ve pre-set your data allocation limits at the beginning of your mobile data billing cycle.
Here’s how to see your remaining data allocation via Settings:
| Step 1: Go to your phone’s Settings app. Look for Connections and select Data Usage. |
Step 2: Once you see your data allocation details, you can decide whether to turn off Data saver or reset your monthly data allocation in the Billing cycle and data warning menu. |
Mobile data connection can also be slowed down by your phone even if you’re just approaching your set limit, so it’s best to check the above setting out.
5. Check if your Wi-Fi connection is set as metred.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 3 |
| Duration | 10-20 seconds |
Android phones, including Samsung ones, have a nifty feature that can help you monitor and save internet data consumption. However, there are instances where this feature could backfire.
Your internet connection via Wi-Fi could be set as a metred one. If you happen to be near or reach your limit, your phone may deliberately slow down the speed of your connection to save data.
Here’s what you can do for Wi-Fi networks:
| Step 1: Go to your Z Fold 3’s Settings and select Connections > Wi-Fi. |
| Step 2: Tap on the settings icon (cog) beside the name of the Wi-Fi network you’re connected with to open its settings, and tap Advanced. |
| Step 3: Tap Metered network. Select Treat as unmetered. |
Sounds somewhat similar to the fix for mobile data, right? But it can also work so give it a try.
6. Check if your internet provider has actual downtime.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | varies |
| Duration | varies |
Network outages are a common reason why you might have a mobile data or Wi-Fi issue on your Galaxy Z Fold 3 phone. You’d know through a couple of ways if you’re experiencing one.
Firstly, your provider might send a notice through SMS or other means that its mobile data service is down. Your Wi-Fi router’s LOS light might activate to signify a network outage or downtime.
As internet network outages are out of your or any subscriber’s control, the best thing to do is wait until the outage is over.
7. Restart your phone.
To refresh your phone’s overall functioning and help with any mobile data or Wi-Fi issues, we also suggest you restart your phone.
At this point in the article, you might have noticed that we’re starting to sound like Roy and the rest of the IT Crowd but to stress it once more, “Have you turned it off and on again” does the job!
We’ll discuss some ways to restart your Galaxy Z Fold 3 below.
How to restart your phone using only your screen:
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 3 |
| Duration | 10 seconds |
Step 1: Swipe down from the top of the home screen to open the Quick access panel. Swipe down again to expand the said panel.  |
Step 2: Tap the power symbol at the top right corner of the Quick access panel (between the search and cog/settings icons) to make the power options appear. |
Step 3: Press Restart and let the phone reboot itself. |
Here’s how to restart using the phone’s physical buttons:
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 2 |
| Duration | 10 seconds |
Step 1: Hold down together the Volume Down and Power buttons until your phone’s power options appear. |
Step 2: Tap Restart and let the device reboot itself. |
If you remember the IT Crowd as much as we do, you’ll also realise that most of the time, device reboots/restarts solve the IT issues of Reynholm Industries’ employees!
8. Remove and re-insert the SIM card.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 3 |
| Duration | 10 seconds – 1 minute |
Depending on where in the world you are, your Galaxy Z Fold 3 phone could have either one or two SIM slots. Removing and re-inserting your SIM card could help restore a good connection if your internet is painfully slow when connected to mobile data.
Here’s how to do this:
| Step 1: Find out where your phone’s SIM slots are. You can consult your phone’s manual or look for the slots around the phone’s sides. |
| Step 2: Open the SIM slot of the one you use for your mobile data connection with a SIM tool (if you don’t have one around, a paperclip or a stud earring’s post will do). Push down the tool inside the hole of the applicable SIM slot until it opens. |
| Step 3: Once the SIM slot is open, remove the SIM card from the tray before re-inserting or immediately re-insert the whole tray with the SIM right back into the slot. |
After the above steps, your mobile data should hopefully return to normal.
9. Toggle 5G connection mode on or off.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 3 |
| Duration | 10 seconds – 1 minute |
This fix can help you if you are in one of these scenarios:
First, you might be in an area that has a 5G network available, but you aren’t tapping into it for the fastest speeds possible.
On the flip side, you could be in an area not covered by 5G networks, but your phone is set to use 5G. A phone that’s constantly looking for a 5G connection might lead to a slower internet browsing experience.
We highly suggest you change your phone’s network settings to something that matches the network bands available in your area.
Here’s how to set your network connection to use or not use 5G:
Step 1: Open your phone Settings and select Connections > Mobile networks to open network settings.  |
Step 2: Tap Network mode and choose the best type of network for the most optimal mobile data speed in your location.  |
Once you’ve set your network to the one in your area, your browsing speed will hopefully be decent enough for work or play.
10. Turn the Wi-Fi connection on and off.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 2 |
| Duration | 5-10 seconds |
If your connection is slow when connected to Wi-Fi and the issue isn’t with the Wi-Fi router itself, you can restart your Galaxy Z Fold 3’s Wi-Fi sensor. This method is also known as turning your Wi-Fi connection off and on again.
Here’s how to toggle the Wi-Fi connection on your phone:
| Step 1: Open the Quick access panel from your home screen by swiping down from the top of the screen. |
Step 2: Tap on the Wi-Fi icon to turn the connection off. Wait a bit, and tap the same icon again to turn the Wi-Fi back on. |
If the Wi-Fi sensor restart fails, there’s another thing you can do below.
11. Forget the Wi-Fi connection and connect again.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Duration | 30 seconds – 1 minute |
You might need to make your phone forget that it was ever acquainted with your Wi-Fi network—a fresh start like Joel and Clementine’s in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
Here’s how to forget a Wi-Fi network and reconnect:
| Step 1: Open the Z Fold 3’s Settings and go to Connections > Wi-Fi. |
| Step 2: Tap on the cog beside the name of the Wi-Fi network you’re connected with to open its settings. Tap Forget network. |
Step 3: Go back to Connections > Wi-Fi. Tap on the Wi-Fi network name you’d like to reconnect with. |
Step 4: Fill in the network password [1] and tap Connect [2]. |
12. Reset your phone’s network settings.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Duration | 10-20 seconds |
This method will reset all of your Wi-Fi and mobile network settings. This is a much quicker way to reset stuff than doing it one at a time for each type of connection.
Here’s how to reset your Galaxy Z Fold 3’s network settings:
Step 1: Tap Settings from your home screen or app drawer. |
Step 2: Scroll to select General management [1], and tap Reset [2].  |
Step 3: Choose Reset network settings. |
Step 4: Confirm your action by selecting Reset settings. Input your phone’s passcode/ unlock pattern when prompted, and then tap Reset again to finalise your action.   |
Once the network reset is finished, go through the entire process of setting up your Wi-Fi network connection again. Hopefully, the slow internet connection of your Galaxy Z Fold 3 is now solved.
13. Update your device software.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 3 |
| Duration | 10 seconds – 30 minutes |
It’s always best practise to make sure that your Galaxy Z Fold 3 is running with the latest device software. Doing so ensures that you’re always up-to-date with your device’s latest features and fixes.
By default, you’ll receive a notification whenever a new update is available for download. However, if you turned off automatic updates, here’s how to manually check for and update your phone:
| REMINDER: Before proceeding with any update, ensure your device has enough battery power to avoid any problems. You may also plug it in for good measure. |
Here’s how to update the software of your device:
Step 1: Go to your Z Fold 3’s Settings and look for Software update. |
Step 2: Tap Download and install. Your phone will check for any available software update—if there is, you can leave the download running in the background. |
Step 3: Once the software update is fully downloaded, you can install it immediately by tapping Install now. Otherwise, tap Schedule install to move the update to another time. |
If your phone has a reported Wi-Fi issue, its most recent software update hopefully has the needed fix.
14. Wipe the phone’s system cache.
| Difficulty | Moderate ●●●○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Duration | 20-30 seconds |
As you continue to use your Android phone, lots of extra files accumulate in its cache. It’s highly suggested to clean these excess files to retain your phone’s smooth operation.
Here’s how wiping your Galaxy Z Fold 3’s system cache goes:
| Step 1: To open power options, press the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time or tap the power button on top of the Quick access panel. Then, press the Power off button on your screen. |
Step 2: Hold down the Power and Volume Up buttons simultaneously until the Android Recovery menu appears. |
Step 3: Use the Volume Up/Down buttons to navigate to Wipe cache partition, then press the Power Button to select it. |
Step 4: Press the Volume Down button to select YES, then confirm the cache wipe with the Power button. The cache wipe process will be visible at the bottom of the screen.  |
Step 5: Following the wipe, your phone will return to the Recovery menu, with the option to Reboot system now selected. Press the Power button to proceed with the phone reboot. |
15. Factory reset your device.
| Difficulty | Moderate ●●●○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Duration | 10-20 minutes |
If you’re still having mobile data or Wi-Fi connection issues with your Galaxy Z Fold 3, you can also try doing a factory reset. This procedure deletes the entire data and settings of the phone and reverts it to how it came out of the box.
| REMINDER: Always back up your phone’s data before proceeding with a Factory reset. Make sure you also have enough battery. |
Here’s how to factory reset the Z Fold 3:
| Step 1: Open the Settings app on your Galaxy phone and select General management. |
| Step 2: Press Reset. |
| Step 3: The next page will show you the various types of resets available; select Factory data reset. |
 |
| Step 4: Your phone will show you a list of the data that will be lost if you perform a factory reset. Tap Reset and enter your phone’s passcode. |
| Step 5: Choose Delete all, then wait a few minutes while the phone goes through the reset process. |
Wrapping Up
If there’s a will, there’s a way to fix your Galaxy Z Fold 3’s slow mobile data or Wi-Fi connection.
We hope this list increases your confidence in fixing your phone before sending it to the shop or the landfill.
FAQs on Mobile Data/Wi-Fi Issue in Samsung Phones
How do I fix the Wi-Fi on my Z Fold 3?
You can restart your Wi-Fi router, tinker with the Wi-Fi network settings on your phone, and even perform reboots and resets on your Z Fold 3 to fix its slow Wi-Fi speed.
Why is mobile data not working in my Samsung phone?
Mobile data might not work on your Samsung phone because your network settings aren’t the best for your current area, your phone is experiencing some bugs, or your data allocation has already run out.
How do I fix my Samsung Wi-Fi problem?
You can fix your Samsung phone’s Wi-Fi problem by ensuring your Wi-Fi connection is working and setting your phone to the most optimal settings. It will also greatly help if your device’s software is of the latest version.
Why is my Samsung not connecting to Wi-Fi anymore?
Your Samsung phone might not connect to Wi-Fi anymore because it’s experiencing a software bug. A software update, phone reboot, or reset can help solve this issue.
