Many users are familiar with the situation of needing to connect a new device to the network but forgetting the password. It often happens that one device is already connected to the router, but entering the password on another device is impossible due to data loss. In such cases, a natural question arises: is there a way to recover or view the saved access key directly from a mobile device?
Fortunately, modern operating systems Android And iOS provide built-in mechanisms for managing network connections, allowing you to solve this problem without installing complex software. However, the methods may vary significantly depending on the operating system version and your smartphone model. It's important to understand that access to passwords This is only possible if the phone has previously successfully connected to this access point.
In this article, we'll take a detailed look at all the current methods for obtaining network information. We'll cover the system's built-in tools, QR code scanning capabilities, and router administration. You'll learn about the limitations of different manufacturers and how to legally circumvent them.
Using the Share feature on Android 10 and later
Starting with the tenth version of the operating system AndroidGoogle has introduced a convenient mechanism for sharing Wi-Fi network data via QR codes. This is the simplest and most secure method, requiring no root access or third-party apps. The feature is available on the vast majority of modern smartphones, including models from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme And Google Pixel.
To view the password, you need to go to the wireless network settings. Find the section Settings → Wi-Fi or ConnectionsFrom the list of available networks, select the one you're currently connected to, or tap the gear icon next to the name of a saved network. The menu that opens often includes a "Share" button or a QR code icon.
After pressing the button, the system will ask you to confirm the action using biometrics (fingerprint, Face ID) or a screen unlock PIN. This is a security measure that prevents unauthorized access to your data. After successful authentication, a QR code containing all the necessary connection information will appear on the screen.
- 📱 Open Wi-Fi settings on your smartphone.
- 🔗 Click on the name of the active network or the gear icon.
- 👁️ Select the "Share" or "QR code" option.
- 🔓 Complete authentication (Face ID or fingerprint).
On many devices, the password itself is written in clear text below the generated QR code image in small font. If the text is too small or missing, you can simply take a screenshot and open it in any QR code reader app (such as Google Lens or the standard scanner in the gallery). The scan result will show a string like this: WIFI:S:MyNetwork;T:WPA;P:MyPassword;;, where after the symbol P: and there will be the desired key.
⚠️ Attention: On some skins (such as older versions of MIUI or OneUI), the password text may be hidden behind asterisks even in the menu. In this case, use a second smartphone with a camera and a QR code scanner to read the data from the first phone's screen.
Viewing saved networks on older versions of Android
Owners of devices with operating system versions below Android 10 face significant limitations. For security reasons, the system did not allow apps or even the user to view saved passwords in plaintext without permission. Root rights. The file in which this data is stored (wpa_supplicant.conf), is located in the system partition, access to which is closed to normal processes.
If your phone isn't rooted, the only legal way is to access the router's control panel via a browser, which we'll discuss in the following sections. However, if you're an experienced user and have superuser rights enabled on your device, the procedure is trivial. You'll need any file manager with root support, such as Root Explorer or ES File Explorer.
It is necessary to follow the path /data/misc/wifi/. This directory contains the file wpa_supplicant.conf. By opening it with a text editor, you will see a list of all the networks the phone has ever connected to, along with their passwords in the field pskBe careful when editing system files, as incorrect changes may cause the Wi-Fi module to become unstable.