@capacitor/network - Network.getStatus() returns connected: false on Android 8 (API 26-27) with airplane mode + WiFi #2518

Bug Report

Plugin(s)

@capacitor/network - 7.0.3

Capacitor Version

Latest Dependencies:

  @capacitor/cli: 8.3.1
  @capacitor/core: 8.3.1
  @capacitor/android: 8.3.1
  @capacitor/ios: 8.3.1

Installed Dependencies:

  @capacitor/cli: 7.4.5
  @capacitor/core: 7.4.5
  @capacitor/ios: 7.4.5
  @capacitor/android: 7.4.5

Platform(s)

Android

Current Behavior

Network.getStatus() returns connected: false on Android 8 (API 26-27) with airplane mode + WiFi.

Expected Behavior

If connected to the internet (eg. using WiFI), connected should return true.

Code Reproduction

Use Android 8 emulator/device, airplane mode ON, WiFi ON, call Network.getStatus():

    Network.getStatus().then((status: ConnectionStatus) => {
      this.networkType = status.connectionType;
      if (status.connected == true) {
        this.networkStatus = ConnectionStatusEnum.Online;
      } else {
        // HERE - on Android 8 we always land here even though device is connected to internet (WiFi)
        this.networkStatus = ConnectionStatusEnum.Offline;
      }
    }).catch((err) => {
      console.log('Failed to get initial network status: ', err);
    });

Other Technical Details

Additional Context

Possible cause: NET_CAPABILITY_VALIDATED is not set by Android 8 when WiFi reconnects in airplane mode, and getActiveNetwork() can return null.
On Android 8 (API 26) with airplane mode + WiFi, the system often fails to set the VALIDATED flag even though WiFi is fully connected and working. This was a known Android 8 quirk — the validation probe doesn't run properly when airplane mode is active. On newer Android versions (API 28+), this was fixed and the re-validation after WiFi reconnects in airplane mode works correctly.

Affected code: [Network.java#getNetworkStatus()] lines 93-113.