SOLVED! Couldn’t Establish A Secure Connection

All in all, depending on individual liking, Android users can install a wide range of web browsers on their devices. Therefore, it’s safe to say that with modern Android devices, surfing the Internet is a walk in the park. That being said, every now and then, owners of Android devices still come across several issues while viewing online content. One of such issues is the “couldn’t establish a secure connection” error that prevents people from accessing numerous websites.

A Summary Of The Error 

So your Android phone keeps showing you the secure connection error every time you attempt to access a website? Then you may want to take a look at this article. Down below is everything that you must keep in mind to troubleshoot the “couldn’t establish a secure connection” error.

The Cause Of Error: Suspects 

Quite a few factors affect the surfing performance of web browsers on Android devices nowadays. However, once it comes to the secure connection error, you have to consider these possibilities.

Bugs

On the Android operating system, bugs appear and disappear from time to time but they could occasionally cause extensive disruptions. Needless to say, when Android acts up, its applications including web browsers inevitably experience a lot of oddities too. Assuming that the secure connection error on your Android phone is the work of bugs, it should resolve by itself after you eliminate the bugs. Luckily, you don’t have to do much to remove the majority of bugs on Android.

Corrupted Cache 

In general, Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and other web browsers on Android utilize cached data in a multitude of operations. If the cache is free of corruption, the web browser is going to perform smoothly. On the other hand, if the cache becomes corrupted, the web browser would go haywire and the secure connection error is one of the consequences. Hence, in the case that you come across the “couldn’t establish a secure connection” error out of the blue, give corrupted cache some thought.

Network Settings 

Essentially, the network settings of your phone dictate many aspects of Internet surfing and website connection is not an exception. The moment network settings of the device run into hiccups, the surfing experience often suffers. Because of that, if your web browser fails to establish a secure connection, your network settings may be at fault. Until you address issues with network settings, the web browser on your phone should have a hard time working properly.

Third-Party Applications 

Over time, it’s common for Android users to install an assortment of applications from third parties on their devices. For most of the time, the apps work well side-by-side but sometimes, a few of them could come into conflict with each other. App conflict not only impairs the performance of applications but also interferes with functions of the device like website connection. Unless you manage to remove the source of app conflict on your Android device, the situation won’t return to normal.

Website 

You have checked everywhere and nothing is out of the ordinary on your Android phone? In that case, it’s possible the cause of error lies with the websites. If the websites you wish to visit indeed develop technical difficulties, there is a good chance that your device cannot establish a secure connection. Usually, since only the website owners have the ability to deal with problems on their websites, you have little to do.

How To Tackle The Error 

Regarding the “couldn’t establish a secure connection” error, Android users resort to multiple measures. Nonetheless, if you like to get rid of the secure connection error at once, it’s strongly recommended that you try out these solutions.

Restart 

Sometimes, when Android devices behave strangely, all people need to do is to restart them. By restarting your phone, you could remove bugs that plague various operations on it including the setup of website connections. Many modern Android devices incorporate a dedicated restart option but you always have the option of turning your device off and on to simulate restarts. Still, to protect the integrity of hardware, you should wait at least thirty seconds between restarts.

Clear The Browser Cache 

About corruptions in the cache, clearing the cache is the best fix by all accounts. You would be signed out from all of your accounts on the web browser though so keep that in mind.

• Step 1: Go to Settings
• Step 2: Hit System
• Step 3: Select the web browser you use
• Step 4: Pick Storage
• Step 5: Tap both Clear cache and Clear data

Note: Following the clearing of cache, the cache of your web browser should be free of corruption. However, if you want to be thorough, it’s widely advised that you wipe cache partition as well. To wipe cache partition, you have to enter Recovery Mode but it’s noteworthy that the process changes slightly between Android devices. In any case, once you reach the Recovery Mode screen, highlight wipe cache partition then select it via the Power button

Reset Network Settings 

After you reset the network settings, the configuration for website connections of your phone return to default. That is going to eliminate hiccups with the network settings in most of the cases.

• Step 1: Go to Settings
• Step 2: Hit System
• Step 3: Select Reset options (pick Advanced if you cannot locate it right away)
• Step 4: Choose Reset network settings
• Step 5: Hit Ok if prompted

Boot Into Safe Mode 

In layman’s terms, Safe Mode on the Android operating system allows you to temporarily disable all third-party applications. Hence, via  Safe Mode, would be able to determine whether an app is responsible for the secure connection error on your device.

To boot into Safe Mode, you have to go through the following steps:

• Step 1: Press and hold the Power Button
• Step 2: Long-press Power Off in the pop-up menu
• Step 3: Tap once as the “Reboot to Safe Mode” line appears

When the device enters Safe Mode, you should attempt to access a couple of websites to see how things turn out. If the “couldn’t establish a secure connection” error vanishes, you can conclude that an app is the cause. The next thing to do is to uninstall the troublemaker from your phone to eliminate the error for good. You could locate the application that is giving you a hard time by enabling all third-party apps one-by-one.

Contact The Website Owners

To put it plainly, if the cause of error is not from your end, you cannot do anything besides contacting the website owners. Look around for contact details then send the website owner a message. At best, the website owners would provide you with a summary of the situation. At worst, you could only wait for the website owner to fix the error on their own terms.

Surfing The Internet On Android: Tips And Tricks 

The secure connection error is annoying but it’s only one of many headaches that Android users face while surfing the Internet. If you want to optimize our surfing experience, you should implement the measures down below

• Update the web browser app: The web browser is your gateway to the Internet so you have to pay attention to its updates. If your web browser app becomes obsolete, it’s going to be vulnerable to an assortment of errors in use. Nowadays, you could check whether your web browser is in the latest version by going to the About tab in its Settings menu. In the case that your web browser app is behind on updates, use the app store to update it.
• Consider installing a VPN app: By keeping a VPN application on your Android, you should be able to protect your privacy, access websites, work around content restrictions, …. with relative ease With so many VPN applications available on the app store, you don’t have to worry about running out of options.
• Keep an eye on the network connection: To minimize interruptions as you surf the Internet, you have to think about network connection. If you have a mobile plan, make sure that you always have some cellular data to use. You mostly connect to the Internet using WiFi networks? Then it’s imperative to take good care of the router for optimal network stability.