Question error popup: Wi-Fi Direct: Scanning services failed (3)

[howdy there]

Every 30 seconds on my Pixel 7 and also on my old Pixel 3a I get an error popup saying "Wi-Fi Direct: Scanning services failed (3)". It appears for a second or two, and then disappears. The only setting I can find for Wi-Fi Direct is a device name (which seems like it was autogenerated). This pops up, visually interrupting whatever I am doing, and is quite annoying at times. I don't know that I ever use Wi-Fi Direct, I don't know what apps might try to use it, it doesn't seem to matter what apps are running or not running, I would be happy to turn off Wi-Fi direct and see if anything breaks, and I would be happy if I could just eliminate the pop-up from appearing and annoying me.

I've tried tapping the pop-up, but that doesn't lead me anywhere.

I have no idea how to diagnose the issue, is there an error log somewhere that would shed more light?

Andoird 14 on the pixel 7. The 3a is stuck at Android 12, of course. The messages are not synchronized with each other, so I doubt it is a network or router issue, but something in the phones themselves triggering the pop-up every 30 seconds. I've only noticed this in the last few weeks, first on the 3a, and more recently on the 7.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Do you have any devices nearby (at home or work) that are capable of connecting directly to a phone via wi-fi? Or have you ever tried to share anything with another phone with Nearby Share?

 

[SeeBeeEss]

Wi-Fi Direct is a standard for wireless connections that allows two devices to establish a direct Wi-Fi connection without a direct internet connection. Have you ever been connected to a wireless printer? Connected to Google Chromecast? Connected wirelessly to another device and not using bluetooth?

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can't turn off Wi-Fi Direct, but you can remove any devices associated with it and, hopefully, remove the error notification you are getting.

To do so, go to: Settings>Network and Internet>Internet>Network Preferences>Wi-Fi Direct>and tap and remove any of the Peer Devices shown.

Hope this works for you.

 

[howdy there]

Welcome to Android Central! Do you have any devices nearby (at home or work) that are capable of connecting directly to a phone via wi-fi? Or have you ever tried to share anything with another phone with Nearby Share?

I have some other devices, maybe they are capable of connecting, but I've never told them to.

 

[howdy there]

Wi-Fi Direct is a standard for wireless connections that allows two devices to establish a direct Wi-Fi connection without a direct internet connection. Have you ever been connected to a wireless printer? Connected to Google Chromecast? Connected wirelessly to another device and not using bluetooth?

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can't turn off Wi-Fi Direct, but you can remove any devices associated with it and, hopefully, remove the error notification you are getting.

To do so, go to: Settings>Network and Internet>Internet>Network Preferences>Wi-Fi Direct>and tap and remove any of the Peer Devices shown.

Hope this works for you.

I've googled the error message extensively, so in the process have learned a little about Wi-Fi Direct (theoretically) but have never attempted to connect to a wireless printer, nor Chromecast. I did try to transfer some audio recordings from a different phone to my computer using AirDroid but when I installed that on the computer, it complained that the computer didn't have bluetooth, so I uninstalled it. I guess that is called QuickShare on the phones.

In the settings area for Wi-Fi Direct, I only see one name, and the ability to edit the name. Thanks for the clue about the possible list of Peer Devices. Oh, sitting there with that screen showing for longer than I had before, I see my neighbor's TV show up in a Peer devices list that I had never seen before. And new it has disappeared again, not just his TV, but the whole Peer Devices list. I had never tried to connect to his TV (I only know it is his from the name of it). I wasn't quick enough to explore what I could do with the Peer Devices list or entries thereof while it was visible.

So maybe this neighber bought a TV recently, and I'm close enough to be in range intermittently? And this might be the source of the error message every 30 seconds? But I'd sure like to get rid of the message.

 

[B. Diddy]

Check to see if the Google Play system updates are current -- go to Settings>Security & Privacy>Updates and tap Google Play system update.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

After you have checked your Google Play System as per B. Diddy, check your Peer Devices list again. Go to Wi-Fi Direct once more and tap the 3 dots in the upper right corner. This will initiate a new peer device search and create a new Peer Devices list. If you can, take a screenshot of the list - it could be helpful.

 

[howdy there]

Check to see if the Google Play system updates are current -- go to Settings>Security & Privacy>Updates and tap Google Play system update.

I have auto-update set for most apps and the system, but I went and checked, and there were 3 new updates since this morning, so installed them. I do have one app that wants to update but won't. Maybe I should uninstall it, and start fresh.

 

[howdy there]

I have auto-update set for most apps and the system, but I went and checked, and there were 3 new updates since this morning, so installed them. I do have one app that wants to update but won't. Maybe I should uninstall it, and start fresh

I uninstalled and reinstalled the app that wanted to update but couldn't. So my update list is empty now.

Went back to the Wi-Fi Direct page, and tapped the 3 dots, and it is Searching.... I tapped Searching.... and the submenu went away. Not sure if it would go away on its own when the search is done?

 

[howdy there]

I uninstalled and reinstalled the app that wanted to update but couldn't. So my update list is empty now.

Went back to the Wi-Fi Direct page, and tapped the 3 dots, and it is Searching.... I tapped Searching.... and the submenu went away. Not sure if it would go away on its own when the search is done?

Tapped it a few more times, and finally saw Searching.... change to Search for devices, so I guess that is what happens when the search completes.. The Peer devices list is empty, so a screen shot seems

OK, now the neighbor's TV showed up, and underneath it say "Invited", but on the right it has a Wi-Fi type signal with a little lock at bottom right. Tapping, I get the option to cancel the invitation, so I did so, and the TV disappeared, as did the Peer devices list.

In 30 seconds, I should know if that helped? Nope, there's the popup message again.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

This is an odd one. Have you tried a hard reboot on your phone? If not, it is worth a try as it sometimes takes care of mystery glitches. Press and hold the Power button + Volume up button for about 10-15 seconds (ignore the emergency/poweroff/restart popup). Your phone will turn off and restart on its own. After the hard reboot, check to see if the issue continues.

 

[B. Diddy]

I have auto-update set for most apps and the system, but I went and checked, and there were 3 new updates since this morning, so installed them. I do have one app that wants to update but won't. Maybe I should uninstall it, and start fresh.

Just to be clear -- did you check specifically for Google Play system updates? This is separate from app updates or the monthly security patch.

 

[howdy there]

This is an odd one. Have you tried a hard reboot on your phone? If not, it is worth a try as it sometimes takes care of mystery glitches. Press and hold the Power button + Volume up button for about 10-15 seconds (ignore the emergency/poweroff/restart popup). Your phone will turn off and restart on its own. After the hard reboot, check to see if the issue continues.

I power off my internet modem/router and computers every night. But not my phones. So gave that a try, and it seems to have worked for the pixel 7, so I tried on the 3a.... got rid of the list of Peer devices, and there were also some groups! Got rid of them too. Before I could power off, I got a pop-up saying intitation, and the only option was to accept. It had what looked like a MAC address in that pop-up, which wouldn't go away when I tapped outside the pop-up. I powered off instead. Didn't help the 3a, the pop-up messages came back, and so did the inviation, when I went to look at the Wi-Fi Direct list, and a couple devices popped into the Peer devices also, so I got rid of them again, did another hard reboot. Scanning error pop-up still occurs on the 3a after several repeated attempts at the above. Haven't seen it on the 7 yet.

Well, I'll see what happens in the next while, the 3a usually lives in a different part of the house than the 3a, maybe the messages will recur on the 7 when I move it over there. Will do some experiments. The 3a is generally closer to the neighbor's house with the TV. Wish there was a way to turn Wi-Fi Direct off when I don't use it, and on if I ever want to.

 

[howdy there]

Just to be clear -- did you check specifically for Google Play system updates? This is separate from app updates or the monthly security patch.

No I hadn't, but I have now. Curiously, the 7 needed an update, and the 3a didn't. The 7 still seems to have stayed fixed (no popup errors from Wi-Fi Direct), and the 3a still gets them.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

I power off my internet modem/router and computers every night. But not my phones. So gave that a try, and it seems to have worked for the pixel 7, so I tried on the 3a.... got rid of the list of Peer devices, and there were also some groups! Got rid of them too. Before I could power off, I got a pop-up saying intitation, and the only option was to accept. It had what looked like a MAC address in that pop-up, which wouldn't go away when I tapped outside the pop-up. I powered off instead. Didn't help the 3a, the pop-up messages came back, and so did the inviation, when I went to look at the Wi-Fi Direct list, and a couple devices popped into the Peer devices also, so I got rid of them again, did another hard reboot. Scanning error pop-up still occurs on the 3a after several repeated attempts at the above. Haven't seen it on the 7 yet.

Well, I'll see what happens in the next while, the 3a usually lives in a different part of the house than the 3a, maybe the messages will recur on the 7 when I move it over there. Will do some experiments. The 3a is generally closer to the neighbor's house with the TV. Wish there was a way to turn Wi-Fi Direct off when I don't use it, and on if I ever want to.

Fingers crossed that your 7 now remains free of the Wi-Fi Direct error popups. The difference in one phone receiving the error and the other not receiving the error after using the very same troubleshooting steps could possibly be related to the differing Android versions. Or it could be something else! That's what makes technology so much fun. Keep experimenting!

Insofar as your wish, it sounds reasonable and doable, and you might want to consider sending feedback to Google by going into Settings>Tips & Support>Send Feedback.

 

[howdy there]

Fingers crossed that your 7 now remains free of the Wi-Fi Direct error popups. The difference in one phone receiving the error and the other not receiving the error after using the very same troubleshooting steps could possibly be related to the differing Android versions. Or it could be something else! That's what makes technology so much fun. Keep experimenting!

Insofar as your wish, it sounds reasonable and doable, and you might want to consider sending feedback to Google by going into Settings>Tips & Support>Send Feedback.

Thanks for your help. I did send feedback. We will see what happens with the 7 over time, and will try a few more repetitions on the 3a over time and see what happens there also.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

Thanks for your help. I did send feedback. We will see what happens with the 7 over time, and will try a few more repetitions on the 3a over time and see what happens there also.

You are most welcome. Happy to hear you sent some feedback.

 

[howdy there]

Well, it came back on the Pixel 7. After some more hours of being annoyed by the popup messages, I noticed there was a tiny icon on the left edge of the message, and I eventually determined it match an app called "talkie" that I had install years ago (and hadn't used for long enough I had forgotten about it). Maybe it was a new version of "talkie" that got auto-updated that was generating the popups? So I uninstalled "talkie" and haven't seen the popup since.

 

[mustang7757]

Wi-Fi Direct is a standard for wireless connections that allows two devices to establish a direct Wi-Fi connection without a direct internet connection. Have you ever been connected to a wireless printer? Connected to Google Chromecast? Connected wirelessly to another device and not using bluetooth?

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can't turn off Wi-Fi Direct, but you can remove any devices associated with it and, hopefully, remove the error notification you are getting.

To do so, go to: Settings>Network and Internet>Internet>Network Preferences>Wi-Fi Direct>and tap and remove any of the Peer Devices shown.

Hope this works for you.

I believe you're correct in you can't turn off WiFi direct