EOS R7 unable to connect to Android Galaxy S22

[HarryNE]

I got myself an EOS R7 to get back into photography. Tried to connect the camera to the canon cloud via image.connect over WLAN with no problems. Got my smartphone connected via Bluetooth and can "see" the devices on both sides. However when I want to see the camera pics on the smartphone and the phone is attempting to set up a WLAN link with the camera, the process would not finish and the connection is not established.

I spent a couple hours going through posts here and elsewhere, resetting communication settings many times etc but the result is always the same. I was glad that I was obviously not the only one with connection problems, but it's a bit frustrating that something that eems to be an easy thing to do turns out to be so complicated.

My work-around is to stick with BT for camera control and image.connect for picture transfer. I will try a camera generated access point when in the field. However it would be nice if a direct WLAN connection to the phone would work. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!

[Stephen]

Hi, HarryNE!

If your EOS R7 connects but then drops after a few seconds, your phone is likely trying to "save" you from a Wi-Fi network that has no internet.

3 Quick Checks to Fix It:

1. Check Permissions: Go to Settings > Apps > Camera Connect and ensure "Nearby Devices" is ON.

2. Stop the Auto-Switch: Go to Wi-Fi Settings > Intelligent Wi-Fi and turn OFF "Switch to mobile data."

The "Keep" Prompt: When you first connect, if your phone asks "This network has no internet. Stay connected?" you MUST tap "Keep Connection."

Step-by-step details after the graphic...

✅ 1. Enable "Nearby Devices" (Critical) Android often blocks the app from seeing the camera's Bluetooth.

• Go to phone Settings > Apps > Camera Connect > Permissions.

• Set "Nearby Devices" to ALLOW.

✅ 2. Turn off "Smart" Network Switching Your phone sees the camera as a "dead" Wi-Fi spot and drops it to use 5G instead.

• Go to phone Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi.

• Tap the three dots (top right) > Intelligent Wi-Fi.

• Toggle OFF "Switch to mobile data."

✅ 3. Clear "Ghost" Connections If you updated your phone recently, old pairing data might be stuck.

• Phone: Go to Bluetooth Settings > tap the gear icon next to "EOS R7" > Unpair/Forget.

• Camera: Go to Purple Menu > Connect to Smartphone > Delete Information.

• Re-pair: Open the app and start the pairing process fresh.

If you try these and still see an error, please let us know exactly what the error message says!

Official Canon Sources

• Android Connectivity Troubleshooting: https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/s/article/ART170299

• EOS R7 Wireless Guide: https://cam.start.canon/en/C005/manual/html/UG-07_Network_0030.html

[HarryNE]

Thanks, Stephen.

I did check points 1 and 2, they were set correctly.

However now, trying again the image connect, it did establish a WiFi link, it appears to be a "new" one, not the home WLAN. Case close I guess? 

I don't understand what exactly happened, maybe some delay in synching settings across devices? I won't touch it again if I don't have to  🙂

cheers, Harry

[Waddizzle]

“ If your EOS R7 connects but then drops after a few seconds, your phone is likely trying to "save" you from a Wi-Fi network that has no internet. “

I totally agree with that observation.  Smart phones want to always “see” the Internet.  For as long as the camera is awake, the phone stays connected.  But just as soon as camera hotspot goes idle, the phone may start looking around for the Internet. 

My iPad lacks phone service for this very reason.  It connects to my LAN and so does the camera.  The wireless connection never drops. If the camera goes to sleep, then it reconnects to the iPad when it wakes up.

In the other hand, when I use my iPhone, it tends to disconnect from my LAN whenever it feels like it. I suspect that is a “feature” by the service provider. It drops the LAN even though it sees the Internet.  It switches to phone data. 

[Stephen]

Mine usually warns me about the WiFi not having internet access - if I see the warning, it says I can ignore it or something else. If you hit the option to ignore it (not whatever the other option is), it will keep you connected to the camera's WiFi with no Internet coming from the WiFi because the camera doesn't supply its own Internet - your phone's Internet wil fall back to your mobile data (cellular) plan, but keep the WiFi active since you told it you don't care that the WiFi doesn't have Internet (it's just transferring images and videos as fast as possible from your camera to your phone). 

Whatever you do, don't turn *off* the WiFi or Bluetooth. The camera and phone need both - the bluetooth initiates the quick handshake telling the phone and the camera that you are who you say you are and that you are allowed to transfer the data between the devices. It then creates the faster WiFi connection. 

After you do it once, it *should* work from then on. If not, give support a call during the week, and they'll help you clear everything out and get it setup for good! They're at 1-800-OK-CANON (800-652-2666).

[HarryNE]

Yes, this is how I see it as well. I actually don't mind if the WiFi is not connected to the internet.
I will check tomorrow with another phone (without cell service) to see whether the situation remains.