This is an ongoing issue with Android OS and captive portals. A result of the variances between manufacturers of Android devices, some devices may experience a better user experience than others. View the original issue reported to Google.
When Android devices successfully authenticates on a Guest WiFi network using the default Android Captive Portal window, the window is closed before the landing page loads.
What is the cause?
- Unauthenticated user selects WiFi Network
- “Sign-in to network” (Android system app) popup is shown
- Splash page is presented inside Captive Network Assistant
- After pressing Connect, the device is authenticated and redirected to the landing page
- Device is no longer limited to the walled garden entries and automatically closes the captive network assistant
What can be done?
The Smart WiFi Platform contains a hotspot feature called ‘Detect Android CNA’ that when enabled, intelligently identifies if a guest is accessing the splash page from within an Android Captive Network Assistant (CNA) and seamlessly redirects them to view the splash page within their device’s default web browser. This transition of the guest experience for Android devices into the default browser not only enhances user interaction with advanced login features but also ensures uninterrupted access to your hotspot’s configured landing page, improving the overall guest experience.
Please contact your support representative if you’re interested in enabling this feature for your hotspot.
The Detect Android CNA feature works with Androids running OS version 11 and above. Androids running a previous OS version will interact with the splash page as if this feature is not enabled. Depending on the Gateways in use for the hotspot, guests may see a http post browser warning. If your hardware is mentioned in the list below and supports uploading a certificate and configuring your own hostname for authentication, you can resolve this yourself by completing the necessary steps to modify your configuration.
- Samsung
- Adtran Bluesocket
- Fortinet Fortigate
- TP-Link Omada
- SonicWall
- ArubaOS
- Cisco Meraki
- Cisco Enterprise
- Extreme CloudIQ (FKA Aerohive)
- Ruckus ZoneDirector
- Ruckus Unleashed