Remove Stored Wi-Fi Networks (Android)
Every network your phone has joined is stored, and network names map to street addresses in public databases. The path moved, and the one in most older guides is Samsung's, not Android's.
Your phone stores every Wi-Fi network it has joined so it can rejoin automatically. That stored list is a location history, and network names are not private: public wardriving databases such as Wigle.net map millions of access point names to physical coordinates. A saved network name is often a street address.
Stock Android
Settings → Network & internet → Internet → touch and hold a saved network → Forget.
Repeat for each network you do not need. Saved networks appear below the ones currently in range, so scroll past the live list.
Samsung and other manufacturer skins
Samsung's One UI uses different wording, and this is worth stating plainly because most older guides, including the previous version of this one, gave Samsung's path as though it were standard Android.
On Samsung: Settings → Connections → Wi-Fi → the three-dot menu → Manage networks, then select a saved network and choose Forget.
If neither path matches your device, open Settings and search for saved networks. Manufacturers move this menu regularly, and the search box is more reliable than any written path.
Clearing everything at once
Most Android devices offer a network reset under Settings → System → Reset options → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth. It clears saved networks, cellular settings and paired Bluetooth devices without touching your data. On Samsung it is under General management → Reset.
Stopping the list rebuilding
Turn off Auto-connect on networks you only need once, and turn off Wi-Fi scanning when Wi-Fi is off, usually under Wi-Fi preferences or Location services, since scanning continues in the background otherwise. Forgetting networks is worth doing; not accumulating them is worth more.
Verified against Google Android support documentation on 17 August 2026. Menu names vary by OS version and by manufacturer skin, so if a step does not match your device, search Settings for the bolded term rather than following the path blind.