What is com.android.captiveportallogin?

If you connect your Android smartphone to a public Wi-Fi network you’ll find a system application called com.android.captiveportallogin showing up in the Activity Log or Google My Activity.

Most users are unsure about the purpose of this app so I came up with this article where I will explain what is com.android.captiveportallogin, what is its purpose, why does it keep stopping and how to fix com.android.captiveportallogin has stopped issue?

Page Contents

What does com.android.captiveportallogin mean?

com.android.captiveportallogin is the Android Package(APK) file of the Captive Portal Login application. A Captive Portal is a webpage where a new user connecting to a public access Wi-Fi network must enter their login information for authentication before they are granted access to that public Wi-Fi network.

Once the user enters the login information, the captive portal completes the authentication and allows the user to browse the Internet using that public Wi-Fi network.

The APK file for the Captive Portal login could be named differently. In some Android devices, the package file is named as com.google.android.captiveportallogin whereas in some Samsung devices it is named as com.samsung.android.captiveportallogin.

Captive Portal login is used where open public Wi-Fi networks are available like Airports, Railway Stations, Libraries, City Halls, Coffee Shops, Restaurant chains like KFC, McDonald’s, Visitor Centers, Subway Stations, Shopping Malls, and Hospitals.

How does a Captive Portal Work?

A venue with public Wi-Fi has several Access Points. These Access Points are devices that allow mobile phones to connect to the Wi-Fi network.

An Access Point broadcasts the Wi-Fi network name(SSID) which is picked up by mobile phones and displays as a “Network is available” in the Wi-Fi network settings. Home or Office Wi-Fi networks require a password to connect but a Captive Portal doesn’t require a password instead it has a different system for authentication.

When you connect your Android phone to a public Wi-Fi network, your Android phone will check if the device is connected to the Internet using connectivitycheck.gstatic.com URL. If a Captive Portal is present then the device cannot connect to the Internet and it assumes that further authentication is required so it triggers a Captive Portal browser.

The Captive Portal browser requires you to enter your phone number and once you enter your phone number it sends a temporary login ID and password or a temporary One Time Password(OTP). Once you enter the correct login ID, password or OTP it completes the authentication and allows you to connect to the Internet.

Captive Portal browsers create temporary isolation cookies which means your device information isn’t stored permanently. Once you log out of the Wi-Fi network, it deletes the cookies and if you want to re-connect then you will have to go through the same process again.

What is com.android.captiveportallogin used for?

The Captive Portal login in public Wi-Fi networks is used for two reasons – Security and Marketing.

Security

The main reason why a Captive Portal login is used is for security reasons.

Public Wi-Fi is accessible for everyone so chances are that spammers connect to the Internet and consume a lot of bandwidth. Some developers also create bots that can connect to the Internet using public Wi-Fi networks.

A Captive Portal login prevents spammers and bots from connecting to the Internet because they cannot complete the authorization process.

Also, Captive Portal login limits the time and data usage up to which you can use that Wi-Fi network. If the time or data usage limit is over then you’ll have to re-connect to the Wi-Fi- network using the same authorization process again. This prevents users from consuming a lot of bandwidth at one go.

Marketing

Captive Portal logins are also used to run brand awareness and lead generation campaigns.

If you connect to public Wi-Fi in Starbucks the captive portal login contains the logo and information about Starbucks. This promotes brand awareness so people can recognize the company and its name.

There are captive portal logins that require you to fill a form using your email address and phone number which is used to generate leads for the business. They will send you marketing emails and SMS to promote their products or services.

Some captive portal logins might require you to log in using your social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These are called “Social Wi-Fi” and they can use it to market their products/services to your social media pages.

What Permissions does com.android.captiveportallogin use?

The Captive Portal login app only uses the Location Permission. The Location permission allows apps to approximate location (network-based) and precise location (GPS and network-based).

com.android.captiveportallogin has Stopped?

The captive portal login can cause issues where it stops functioning and you get an error message like “com.android.captiveportallogin has stopped.”

This error occurs due to a corrupted or overloaded app cache. If you haven’t cleared the com.android.captiveportallogin app cache for a long time then chances are that the cache files have become corrupted or overloaded. It causes the app to malfunction and you get such error messages.

How to fix com.android.captiveportallogin has Stopped error?

You can fix this error by clearing the app cache and force stopping the app. If that doesn’t work then you can try forgetting the public Wi-Fi network you’re connected to. All of the methods are mentioned below.

Clear App Cache and Data

The first fix is to clear the com.android.captiveportallogin app cache and app data. All the steps are mentioned below.

Go to Settings.
Tap on Apps.
Tap on the Ellipsis icon (three dots) on the top right corner.
Tap on Show System Apps.
Find the com.android.captiveportallogin app from the list and tap on it.
Tap on Storage.
Tap on the Clear Cache button and then tap on the Clear Data button.

Force Stop the App

You can Force Stop the com.android.captiveportallogin app by following the steps mentioned below.

Go to Settings.
Tap on Apps.
Tap on the Ellipsis icon (three dots) in the top right corner.
Tap on Show System apps.
Find the com.android.captiveportallogin app from the list and tap on it.
Tap on the “Force Stop” button.

Forget the Public Wi-Fi Network

If this error is occurring after connecting to a public Wi-Fi network then you can try to forget that Wi-Fi network and it should hopefully fix this error.

Go to Settings.
Tap on Network & internet (In some devices this option is named as Connections).
Tap on Wi-Fi.
Touch and Hold the public Wi-Fi network you are connected to.
Tap on the Forget network option.
Set up the Wi-Fi network again from the beginning and the error should be gone.

Factory Reset your Android Smartphone

A Factory Reset erases all the data from your phone and restores your phone to its original state. If you can’t fix the error message using the methods mentioned above then a factory reset will hopefully remove this error message for good.

Before factory resetting your device, you should backup your data. After the backup is complete, follow the steps below to Factory Reset your Android device.

Go to Settings.
Tap on General.
Tap on Reset.
Tap on Factory Data Reset.
Tap on the “Reset” button and you may need to enter your PIN or password.
Tap on Delete all or Wipe Data and your phone will be reset.

Can you Uninstall com.android.captiveportallogin?

com.android.captiveportallogin or Captive Portal login is a default system application so you cannot uninstall it in the traditional way you uninstall other apps. To uninstall this app, you’ll need to use either the Android Debug Bridge(ADB) or the System App Remover application (requires root access).

You can also freeze this app using an application like the Titanium Backup app but it requires you to gain root access to your Android device.

I recommend users not to uninstall com.android.captiveportallogin because if you remove this app then you won’t be able to connect to public Wi-Fi networks that require Captive Portal authentication.

If you still want to uninstall this system application then follow the methods mentioned below.

ADB allows you to bring up a Unix shell so you can issue commands directly on the Android device. You can use it to install, uninstall, debug and disable apps. You’ll need a Windows PC to use ADB.

Here are the steps to uninstall this app using ADB.

Step 1 – Go to Settings > System > About phone.

Step 2 – Tap on the Build number 7 times to activate Developer Options.

Step 3 – Go back to the main Settings menu and tap on Developer Options to open it.

Step 4 – Enable USB debugging by tapping on it.

Step 5 – Download ADB on your PC.

Step 6 – Extract the ZIP file into a folder.

Step 7 – After extracting the ZIP file, open that folder.

Step 8 – Press and hold the shift button and right-click in a blank area.

Step 9 – Click on “Open Powershell window here.”

Step 10 – Enter the command adb devices

Step 11 – Connect your Android device to the PC using a USB data cable.

Step 12 – Type the command adb shell pm uninstall –user 0 com.android.captiveportallogin and press Enter to run this command. Wait for a few seconds and you’ll notice the app has been uninstalled from your device.

2. Uninstall com.android.captiveportallogin using System App Remover

This method requires you to gain root access to your device. If you don’t know how to root your Android device then check our Android Rooting guide mentioned in the next section. After gaining root access follow the steps below to uninstall the Captive Portal login app.

Step 1 – Download and install the System App Remover application.

Step 2 – Launch the System App Remover application, type com.android.captiveportallogin in the Search bar, and select it by tapping on it.

Step 3 – Tap on the Uninstall button to completely uninstall the app and delete its data.

How to Root Your Android Device?

If you run into any problems while uninstalling the Captive Portal login app from your device without gaining Root Access, you should root your device to get more control and easily uninstall any system app.

Also Read – What is com.osp.app.signin?

Most Android devices can be rooted easily with an Android app while some new generation Android devices don’t allow it. In that case, you’ll need to root your devices using a Windows PC.

I’ll recommend you first try rooting your device without a computer using an Android app like Kingo Root. If it doesn’t work then you can root your device by connecting it to a Windows computer and using an app like Dr.Fone or Kingo Root PC.

How to Root an Android device without using a PC

Here are the steps involved in rooting your Android device using an Android app without having to use a Windows PC.

Step 1 – Download and install the Kingo Root app on your Android device.

Step 2 – Launch the app and tap on the “OneClickRoot” button.

Step 3 – The rooting process will start. You will need to wait for the rooting process to complete.

If rooting fails, then you will have to root your Android device by connecting it to a Windows computer using the Dr.Fone software.

How To Root an Android Device using A PC

Here are the steps involved in rooting your Android device using a Windows PC.

Step 1 – In your Android device, Go to Settings > System > About phone.

Step 2 – Tap on the “Build number” option 7 times to activate “Developer Options.”

Step 3 – Once Developer Options is activated, go back to the previous menu and tap on “Developer Options.”

Step 4 – Turn on “USB debugging” and “OEM unlocking.”

Step 5 – Download and install the Dr.Fone software on your Windows PC.

Step 6 – Connect your Android device to your PC using a USB cable.

Step 7 – Launch the Dr.Fone software and click on the Start button.

Step 8 – Wait for the software to detect your phone and find a proper way to root your phone.

Step 9 – Once Dr.Fone is ready to root your Android phone, click on the “Root Now” button to begin rooting your phone.

Step 10 – After your device is successfully rooted, you can disconnect it from the PC.

Freeze Captive Portal Login using the Titanium Backup App

If you don’t want com.android.captiveportallogin to run in the background, you can make it inactive by Freezing it.

After rooting your Android device from the guide mentioned above, follow the steps mentioned to freeze this app.

Step 1 – Download and install the “Titanium Backup” app. This app allows you to backup, restore, and freeze your apps and data.

Step 2 – Launch the app.

Step 3 – Search for “com.android.captiveportallogin” and tap on it.

Step 4 – Tap on the “Freeze” option.

This will freeze com.android.captiveportallogin and stop all the background processes related to it.

Note – If you have the Superuser app installed on your device, you’ll need to grant permission to freeze the app. All you have to do is tap on the “Grant” option and the process will start by itself.

Conclusion

com.android.captiveportallogin is the package name of the Captive Portal Login application that authenticates a new user connecting to a public Wi-Fi network. This application requires you to add login info like username, and password before getting access to the public Wi-Fi network.

Sometimes, this app might cause issues where the app stops working unexpectedly. It can be fixed by clearing the app cache, force stopping the app, and forgetting the public Wi-Fi network.

You can uninstall this app using ADB or System App Remover application. You can freeze this app using the Titanium Backup application.