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wifi assist - sneaky buggers
- Thread starter vexorg
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Love the mass hysteria.
First it should be noted this is a "feture" Windows and Android have had for years. Vanilla Android refers to this feature as "Avoid poor connections" found under wifi > adanced wifi. It's never caused excessive data usage.
Second, it's not something that activates secretly. You'll see LTE/3G at the top. If it says you are on wifi, you are.
Third, there is criteria that must be met. The data transfer rate, reception to wifi, among other things. This is to avoid iOS's obnoxious tendency to hold onto a dead wifi signal. Like I mentioned this is nothing new or innovative which is the reason the default is on (at least on all my devices).
And if you are concerned for some reason then you can just turn it off.
Also if you are concerned you can test it out yourself with the app "wifi sweetspots". Activate the app and SLOWLY start walking away from your router. I was able to still get an unusable wifi before it switched over.
In my opinion it's not sensitive enough since there is still a spot I can get no data.
First it should be noted this is a "feture" Windows and Android have had for years. Vanilla Android refers to this feature as "Avoid poor connections" found under wifi > adanced wifi. It's never caused excessive data usage.
Second, it's not something that activates secretly. You'll see LTE/3G at the top. If it says you are on wifi, you are.
Third, there is criteria that must be met. The data transfer rate, reception to wifi, among other things. This is to avoid iOS's obnoxious tendency to hold onto a dead wifi signal. Like I mentioned this is nothing new or innovative which is the reason the default is on (at least on all my devices).
And if you are concerned for some reason then you can just turn it off.
Also if you are concerned you can test it out yourself with the app "wifi sweetspots". Activate the app and SLOWLY start walking away from your router. I was able to still get an unusable wifi before it switched over.
In my opinion it's not sensitive enough since there is still a spot I can get no data.
Well, I disagree about mass hysteria, no one is hysterical. I also disagree about the LTE showing. Telus and I were trouble shooting this, I was looking at my cellular data, navigating in safari and then going back to cellular usage and safari was increasing even though my phone clearly showed that it was on wifi.
Well I'm not here to debate your experience just to say how it works.
However I'd like to point out for cell data to be used WHILE connected to wifi would imply multipath tcp. Only Siri is capable of handling that at this time. Safari specifically is not since the data can only be pulled from specific Apple servers.
Next time you see that occur hop over to wifi settings. If there is a check mark next to a wifi network then data cellular data use is coming directly from Apple.
damn. i just checked and i've used 1gb of mobile data in the last 6 days. i'm kinda worried that the feature is over zealous, because i thought i was mostly on decent wifi, and wasn't even doing anything too data intensive. literally the only way for me to be using that much is if it is ignoring wifi connections almost 100% of the time.
I dont think it's being pushed as "mass hysteria", simply a warning to those that may have limited data. I for one have a very limited data plan because I don't need it. I choose not to use data apps beyond email outside of wifi.
The setting should be easier to find, and should have been off with a question if they want to enable it when first running IOS9. A bit like do you want to log into iTunes, or use location services. That would have been the fair and sensible thing to do.
My daughter has unlimited mobile data, and she can use many Gb per day streaming movies. I'm sure that is not so unusual with those that watch movies on their iPhone or iPad.
And 4G can be faster than wifi, so how do you define a poorer wifi connection now?
it doesnt care about the throughput of wifi, it cares about signal quality with the router & that the wifi has internet access & not just local
This is a real problem for a lot of users especially non-technical people who are used to 1gb or less per month in data usage and have the data plans to match... I hope apple listens to the feedback and makes it more obvious when this feature is being used, and ask for an opt-in from users...
I'm not sure if I buy into the hysteria that is surrounding this issue, but I do agree that it is something that should not have been turned on by default. At the very least it should have been a question asked during initial setup, like location services.
If you're on a limited data plan why the hell do people have apps such as YouTube, Spotify, App Store etc available to access cellular data to begin with?
Assuming it's working properly as I can't get it to malfunction but I also can't speak for every iDevice there should be no difference in data usage. It's simply designed to let go of a dead wifi signal. For example when you are around the corner from the Starbucks hotspot you were using. You wouldn't assume you are still on Starbucks wifi a block away...so instead of having no data an algorithm flips it to cellular.
Like I mentioned this is a feature other mobile manufactures have been using for YEARS and the default is on for them too. Yet because they worded the feature differently it seems less evasive.
From my personal experience it works well. Although it still happens on occasion I generally don't need to turn my wifi off when I'm in my works parking lot sitting in my vehicle.
It's not just looking for connection speed but more a useable connection. Have you ever noticed its harder to get on wifi then to get off of it? Like if you get home and check your phone you aren't on wifi in your driveway. But if you are leaving your home you might still have wifi in your driveway. It has a join on reception and a drop on reception. The problem with that is reception effects data speed. But they can't just increase the reception threshold because reception is too temperamental, the only thing that would do is effect it's range. So they make an algorithm that takes a few things into account like connection capacity, latency, reception, and even wake function and I'm sure a ton of other things to provide a better user experience.
Like I mentioned IF it's working properly there shouldn't be anymore data use UNLESS you are trying to squeeze that .001mbs out of a wifi network. And for those people Apple gave the ability to turn it off. However most people want whatever data they are trying to access.
Btw that's the hysteria I was referring too.
iPhone was the last mobile device to get this feature now it's a problem? Hmm ok.
It could be a problem if there's a bug there somewhere or it's not implemented well in some way. But, nothing specifically indicates that any of those things are happening, aside from supposition of people thinking it might be connected to higher data usage (which some people generally have after new updates or new devices, and some people don't really actually have and are perhaps misinterpreting some numbers in different places, etc.)
More hysteria: http://www.liftable.com/ryantofil/h...-setting-thats-sending-your-bill-to-the-moon/
I like the feature. Very annoying when iOS isn't getting a worthwhile wifi signal and the only way to drop it is to disable wifi.
I agree though - it should be more clear when it is and isn't being used.
i dont think wifi sweetspots is supported anymore by the dev, use cloudcheck, same dev, got wifi sweetspots integrated + additional other stuff & the dev seems to have moved to that app now
What's wrong with a pop up message saying "Poor wifi connection, do you want to change to mobile/cellular data?"
Give the user the choice each time, and the setting could be to automatically use mobile data that don't care about usage and don't want the message up.
It's typical narrow-minded software engineer approach that assumes everyone lives life as they do. And if you do something different then you are doing it wrong.
Give the user the choice each time, and the setting could be to automatically use mobile data that don't care about usage and don't want the message up.
It's typical narrow-minded software engineer approach that assumes everyone lives life as they do. And if you do something different then you are doing it wrong.
Have you noticed this new feature at the bottom of settings/mobile data.
What a dangerous thing apple have added. It's on by default and they have not told us about it.
So with this on, you're on holiday abroad and on the hotel wifi. If the wifi signal becomes weak it will use your cellular data and your bill could be horrendous.
What a dangerous thing apple have added. It's on by default and they have not told us about it.
So with this on, you're on holiday abroad and on the hotel wifi. If the wifi signal becomes weak it will use your cellular data and your bill could be horrendous.
I have unlimited data so wifi assist has been left on and I use my phone a lot without being careful about wifi/data connections. After reviewing my daily data usage on the AT&T site, before and after updating to iOS 9, there has been no significant change.
I don't think there is a significant affect.
I don't think there is a significant affect.
On the other side of this, you will be able to use your device with less hassle because the phone will use the best signal to keep the connection going. Maybe not what everyone wants but the idea behind it is nice for my personal use. Really good if you're a user with unlimited data plan. (not me but it would be nice)
Most unlimited data plans don't apply to roaming.
That's where the problem arises. You think you are using the hotel wifi when potentially you're not.