Verify WLAN Password in SoftAP mode?

[patrickmurphy]

When my ESP32 is in SoftAP mode, a mobile device can send an HTTP request to the ESP32 with an SSID and password for the desired WLAN.

What I do now is save the SSID and password to the ESP32's non-volatile memory and restart the ESP32. When it boots up, it connects to the WLAN.

A problem is when the supplied password is incorrect. I'd rather respond to the initial request (described in the first paragraph above) telling the client the password is incorrect. Then the user can try again.

Can the ESP32 be I'm SoftAP mode and attempt to connect to a WLAN?

Is there a different approach I should take?

[patrickmurphy]

Anyone? Help!

[jcsbanks]

Use APSTA. When the ESP32 channel hops to connect as STA, connection to AP may be interrupted briefly. Same with scanning, so I display "Wait 5s" in the button the user clicked and then reload the page for both operations as found it a smoother user experience.