Ondrej Holzman One of the new features in iOS 9 is the so-called Wi-Fi Assistant, which, however, met with a mixed response. Some users blamed the function, which switches to the mobile network if the Wi-Fi connection is weak, for exhausting their data limits. Therefore, Apple has now decided to explain the operation of Wi-Fi Assistant.
If Wi-Fi Assistant is turned on (Settings > Mobile data > Wi-Fi Assistant), it means that you will stay connected to the Internet even if the current Wi-Fi connection is bad. "For example, when you're using Safari on a weak Wi-Fi connection and a page won't load, Wi-Fi Assistant will activate and automatically switch to the mobile network to load the page," explains in a new Apple document.
Once Wi-Fi Assistant is active, a cellular icon will appear in the status bar to keep you informed. At the same time, Apple points out what many users have complained about - that if you have the assistant on, you may use more data.
Apple also revealed three key points that reveal how Wi-Fi Assistant actually works.
- Wi-Fi Assistant does not automatically switch to a mobile network if you are using data roaming.
- Wi-Fi Assistant only works in active apps in the foreground and doesn't activate in the background where an app is downloading content.
- Some third-party apps that stream audio or video or download attachments, such as email apps, don't activate Wi-Fi Assistant because they might use a lot of data.
Many users, especially those with a larger data limit, will surely like to use the Wi-Fi assistant, because almost every owner of an iPhone or iPad has already had a full Wi-Fi signal, but the connection did not work. On the other hand, it is possible that this feature may have increased mobile internet costs for some users, which is undesirable.
Therefore, it would certainly be better if this feature was turned off by default in iOS 9, which is currently not the case. Wi-Fi Assistant can be turned off in Settings under Mobile data, where you can find it at the very end.
Tomas: I wonder why the iPhone is not able to automatically switch between the 2 wifi I have at home on different floors... depending on the signal strength. He will stick to one wifi until the last moment and then he would rather jump to Edge instead of using an alternative wifi...
You probably have the wrong SSID set
You need to set the SSID on both wifis in the same way and you won't have a problem between the two wifis!
Easy to criticize if you don't understand wifi behavior.
I really don't need to understand the behavior of the SSID... I can expect the smart behavior of the smartphone. I have 2 known wifi sites, so why shouldn't the phone give priority to the old Edge technology ... it's a coincidence that both wifi are mine ... but it doesn't have to be, one can belong to a neighbor and so on ... and thus I don't have to be authorized to configure them
Maybe you shouldn't post here. I think your answer should have been THANK YOU for your help.
Thanks for the help :-), but I didn't even look here, because I still can't change the SSID... I just wanted to comment that the file does not have a function where Apple disconnects my Wifi, I would like a function where I disconnect my WiFi with a bad signal and connect another enabled one WiFi :-)
Even so thank you
So you have to find the person who set up your router. He will definitely be able to type the same name on the keyboard on multiple devices. :-)
Maybe a good idea for an article. How to set up the correct Wi-Fi at home so that our machines switch like clockwork... I'm not an expert, and I'm also struggling with this because I have three Wi-Fis at home - downstairs, upstairs, garden. I would be grateful for an article on how to set it up so that it switches itself to a stronger signal, and I'm sure I won't be alone.
Study the concept of wifi roaming!
Thank you, this was exhausting and it helped me a lot
Tomas, I don't know if you mean it ironically.
If you want to have more transmitters and you want it to work smarter, so that it transfers you to wifi with a stronger signal, you have to use smarter wifi transmitters that support the aforementioned roaming. This should be supported by the Zyxel NWA-1100N in BDSSID mode. Or you can use open-mesh. These transmitters communicate with each other and if you move away from one and lose the signal, it will hand you over to the other one with a stronger signal. The solution is, of course, more financially demanding, but it will no longer dull the drive like it used to be in the case of a controller or CISCO solution...
Thank you, I currently have an Airport Time capsule on one floor and an extender from TP link on the other (via a plug), unfortunately I lost the password somewhere, so I can't edit the extender, so the Wifi has a different name than the Airport Time Capsule and behaves differently, etc. it also complicates the connection with two apple TVs, which I don't really want to cooperate with the second wifi. I don't feel like throwing myself into a new system... this is not exactly my strong point :-(
Of course, you can reset the extender and find out the password.
But if you use apple airport instead, the wizard will show you how to set it up so that it works well. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202056
Even when I turned off the wi-fi assistant, even now with iOS 9, it often happens to me that my devices (there are several of them) disconnect from wi-fi and consume practically the entire FUP.
Even when I turned off the wi-fi assistant, I still find myself on iOS 9 very often disconnecting devices at home (there are several of them) from wi-fi and then consuming practically the entire FUP without warning. There is no way to tell - the status of the Wi-Fi or operator connection is sometimes hidden behind the button back to the previous application or in the fullscreen video. Apple didn't catch this.
And I thought that Apple users are not socks with the lowest data plan...
No, I certainly don't have the lowest tariffs, but phones have theirs, tablets have theirs, and try to calculate how much such unlimited tariffs for the whole family would cost. You will be careful about it yourself, but there is no point in constantly explaining it to the children. Still, I won't be mad at them because of someone else's technical problems. It's a piece of cake for them to simply suck up some giga, and I've come to terms with that.
Well, I downloaded a 2GB movie to my phone like this and suddenly found that it was going through mobile data... So even though I have a big data limit, this is a bummer for me. Thanks to that, I disabled the feature.
just buy additional data
Yeah, you're definitely one of those people who buys up data every day, right? :D
No, I'm a Lamborghini Aventador owner who complains that gas is expensive ;)