Probably one of the most misunderstood and controversial features that came with iOS 9, Wi-Fi Assist could turn out to be one of the coolest features on your phone.
What exactly does it do?
Basically, your Wi-Fi Assist notifies your phone that the Wi-Fi signal that it’s connected to is getting weaker and immediately asks it to switch over to cellular data. This way, the transition is seamless and you don’t have to keep hanging until the very last second that the Wi-Fi signal drops.
So if you’ve endlessly been complaining about losing precious connection as you drive away from your home or when you’re walking your dog and you’re getting too far to connect to your home Wi-Fi, the seamless transition between Wi-Fi and cellular data makes you feel like you never lost the connection and you can continue browsing, streaming, or Facetiming people regardless of the strength of the Wi-Fi signal.
How to Enable or Disable It
So how do you turn this nifty feature on?
1. Go to Settings, then proceed to Cellular.
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for Wi-Fi Assist.
3. Toggle the switch to turn it on or off.
Usually, the Wi-Fi Assist feature is turned on by default. If you find that it’s not however, the steps to switch it on are simple.
What Haters are Saying about It
Of course, as with almost any other feature that comes with any huge upgrade or install, there are always going to be a few haters coming out. A few users have experienced their data charges soaring to ridiculous amounts, and they all blame Wi-Fi Assist for it.
All this mostly came from a tech journalist’s negative experience, saying that he has used 4GB so far the entire time he has been using iOS 9 (he’s been using it for barely a month), when his usual monthly data usage was just around 3GB.
Of course, he also says that he is not exactly sure if it’s Wi-Fi Assist that’s directly affecting their data usage and costs, but seeing that it’s one of the most significant changes that came with the iOS 9, it’s obviously very easy to lay blame on it.
Since then, a number of other users have also complained of their data charges skyrocketing, although a lot of them have been told that it’s not their Wi-Fi Assist that’s causing it. A user for example, claimed that the soaring data usage on her iPhone 4S was caused by Wi-Fi Assist, only to be told later on that the feature actually doesn’t appear in the iPhone 4S. It is only available in newer units.
Bottom line is, the Wi-Fi Assist can definitely be a very useful tool for those who are always on the go but would very much like to stay connected regardless of the means. The important thing here is that the public knows exactly what the Wi-Fi Assist is for so that they can turn it off in case they don’t really need it.
Cesar is a Product Manager at Gadget Salvation, a leader in the refurbished electronics industry. An avid technology enthusiast, he’s always on top of the latest tech trends and applies that knowledge to drive product innovation.
