Now it says Cleartext HTTP traffic not permitted. Why?

The connection works, and Android blocks plain http by default. For local development allow cleartext to your dev host in a debug-only network security config, and use https in release.

It works on the iOS Simulator with localhost. Why not Android?

The iOS Simulator shares your Mac’s network, so localhost reaches the Mac. The Android emulator is a separate virtual device with its own loopback.

Can you fix it for me?

If one bug is the whole problem, the App Fix Ticket covers it: a written diagnosis first, then the fix. If the app has more going on, the Launch Check is a written check of the whole app. Each issue found is rated critical, high, medium or low, with where it is and how it was confirmed. No issues worth fixing, no charge. If the Launch Check finds nothing rated medium or higher, Simon refunds the full $450. You keep the report either way. This applies to the first 10 Launch Checks bought after October 30, 2026.

Flutter “SocketException: Connection Refused”: Fix

Flutter networking errorFlutter: “SocketException: OS Error: Connection refused, errno = 111”

An HTTP call from the Android emulator or a phone fails with SocketException: OS Error: Connection refused, errno = 111, while the same URL works in your desktop browser. The app reached a machine, but nothing there accepted the connection. Almost always the URL says localhost or 127.0.0.1, which on the emulator or phone means the device itself, not your computer.

Short answer

First check the server is running and the port matches by opening the URL in your computer’s browser. On the Android emulator, replace localhost with 10.0.2.2 (http://10.0.2.2:8000). On a real phone, use your computer’s Wi-Fi IP address on the same network, or run adb reverse tcp:8000 tcp:8000 and keep localhost. Start the server on 0.0.0.0, not 127.0.0.1, so it accepts outside connections.

Why the connection is refused, and the fix

01
localhost on the Android emulator
“To access services running on your development machine loopback interface, use the special address 10.0.2.2 instead.” Android Developers, Emulator networking address space
Inside the emulator, 127.0.0.1 is the emulator. Your computer is at a special address. Keep the base URL in one place so it is easy to switch per target.
```
const baseUrl = String.fromEnvironment(
  'API_URL',
  defaultValue: 'http://10.0.2.2:8000', // Android emulator -> your computer
);

// flutter run --dart-define=API_URL=http://192.168.1.20:8000
```
02
A real phone
“The pre-allocated addresses of an emulated device are specific to the Android Emulator and are likely to be different on real devices” Android Developers, Emulator networking address space
10.0.2.2 only exists in the emulator. On a phone, use your computer’s IP address on the shared Wi-Fi, or forward the port over USB with adb reverse so localhost on the phone reaches your computer.
```
adb reverse tcp:8000 tcp:8000   # USB-connected Android device or emulator
# or find your computer’s IP:
ipconfig getifaddr en0          # macOS
```
03
The server only listens on 127.0.0.1
Dev servers often bind to loopback, so connections from the phone’s IP are refused. Start it on all interfaces, and for Django add the host to ALLOWED_HOSTS.
```
python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000   # Django
app.listen(8000, '0.0.0.0')            // Node and Express
uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
```

Checked against the vendor’s docs on November 8, 2026: Android Developers: Emulator networking address space.

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Flutter networking errorFlutter: “SocketException: OS Error: Connection refused, errno = 111”

Why the connection is refused, and the fix

localhost on the Android emulator

A real phone

The server only listens on 127.0.0.1

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