Apple Watch connected to U.K. The Cloud public wifi

[Recognition]

In the U.K. and around London we have a free public wifi network called 'The Cloud'.
To use it you need to sign up for a free account and login in each time you connect via a webpage (Shown in pic).
My iPhone is setup as a device as well as my MBA.
I'm currently at Kings college London and noticed when I'm out of range of my phone or switch my Bluetooth off, my Watch connects to a wifi hotspot.
I know the Watch can connect to known wifi networks that are logged in via the wifi settings page. But I didn't think it could login to a wifi network that required you to login via a webpage?
Is this an addition to WatchOS 3? Don't remember reading anything about it so far?
Nonetheless very happy it works on a public wifi network now! Can wonder around the campus and still send/receive texts etc

 

[matrix07]

Really love to test this with watchOS 2 but I can't find a way to have watch out of range of iPhone.

 

[Recognition]

Really love to test this with watchOS 2 but I can't find a way to have watch out of range of iPhone.

Just turn off the bluetooth on the phone, or put the phone into airplane mode.
I'd like to know which wifi network its connected to as theres no way (that I know of) to see from the watch.

Hopefully this isn't a fluke and we'll be able to connect to other public wifi hotspots that have been logged in via webpage on the phone first.

 

[matrix07]

Just turn off the bluetooth on the phone, or put the phone into airplane mode.
I'd like to know which wifi network its connected to as theres no way (that I know of) to see from the watch.

OK. Will test it when going out.
[doublepost=1473849236][/doublepost]Just got back. OS2 definitely can't do it.

 

[ttforever]

Mine won't connect to the cloud on OS3 either!

 

[Recognition]

yea thats strange, I'll try at other The Cloud locations and see if it works there. Maybe its because this a University hosted The Cloud hot spot?

 

[ttforever]

yea thats strange, I'll try at other The Cloud locations and see if it works there. Maybe its because this a University hosted The Cloud hot spot?

So's mine here, tried it in a normal cloud too, and nothing!

 

[Recognition]

So's mine here, tried it in a normal cloud too, and nothing!

Sorry, just to clarify:
Yours does work in one 'The Cloud' location, but not another?

 

[ttforever]

Sorry, just to clarify:
Yours does work in one 'The Cloud' location, but not another?

No mine doesn't work in either

 

[matrix07]

Just turn off the bluetooth on the phone, or put the phone into airplane mode.
I'd like to know which wifi network its connected to as theres no way (that I know of) to see from the watch.

I got back to the same place again. This time the difference is my phone on iOS 10 and watch on OS 3. Here it is:

Yes, it connected. I can check weather on all 5 cities in the app and it's real time.

What I noticed is when I was there yesterday I had to log-in on webpage on iOS 9. Today my iPhone just connected automatically. It's already connected when I went to Settings. When I turn off Bluetooth the watch disconnected for about half a minute then re-connected. Yesterday the watch just stayed disconnected.

 

[Recognition]

Yes! I thought I was going mad for a while there!

Yea my phone now logs in automatically but occasionally when on safari it will go to the webpage login but just say 'click to continue'.

This is great news!
I wonder if it will login at all 'The Cloud' hotspots now or will we have to 'forget' the network and login in again on ios10 so the details get sent over to the watch?

Well this is giving to be a busy lunch break for me today lol!

 

[ttforever]

I wonder if I need to do that, forget the cloud and then connect again to get it to my watch! Will try that now!

 

[matrix07]

In the next few days when I got back to same place again, I'll turn off Bluetooth before I got to the hotspot to check if the watch can connect on its own.

 

[ttforever]

Weird, I haven't got an option to forget the cloud one on ios10, but have on every other wifi!
[doublepost=1473933729][/doublepost]

Weird, I haven't got an option to forget the cloud one on ios10, but have on every other wifi!

I just wonder if its because I'm using the sky unlimited profile to join the cloud rather than logging in directly?

 

[Recognition]

Just tried it in a Pret near Euston Station and it worked first time!
iPhone connected to The Cloud automatically, put airplane mode on, watch disconnected, few seconds later the watch connects to wifi!
Very happy with this seeing as The Cloud is virtue everywhere in London!

 

[matrix07]

Yes! I thought I was going mad for a while there!

Today I got back to the same spot to test for the last time. This time I turned on Airplane mode on iPhone way before I got into the range.
When I was there I checked my Apple Watch and saw its Airplane Mode also turned on since I was mirroring the iPhone so I turned it off on the watch. I checked the phone. It's still in Airplane mode.

I checked Wi-Fi. It was off.

So I checked my watch. It's connected!

So the watch definitely can connect to known Wi-Fi on its own.

 

[Recognition]

Sweet! I tried this on the underground using Virgins wifi hotspot and Wifi extra but no luck yet.

I wonder how they've gone about making the Watch login? And why we've not seen (that I know of) any official notes about this?

This may persuade those who think the Watch needs to be untethered from the phone, as it appears (in London at least) we can get by just using public wifi now!

Maybe we should create a list of known public wifi hotspots that the Watch can connect to when in London? Could be helpful?

 

[matrix07]

Sweet! I tried this on the underground using Virgins wifi hotspot and Wifi extra but no luck yet.

I wonder how they've gone about making the Watch login? And why we've not seen (that I know of) any official notes about this?

Agree they should mention it. I don't even believe it will work but it does.

Maybe we should create a list of known public wifi hotspots that the Watch can connect to when in London? Could be helpful?

That's great but I'm not in London. Really love if others keep investigating. One thing for sure, going to the gym will be much more convenient.

 

[Recognition]

2 more locations, london Cannon Street Pret and Finsbury Circus Pret the watch connects by its self.
I think its safe to say 'The Cloud' wifi hotspots are compatible with Apple Watches Wifi!

 

[frumpy16]

OK. Will test it when going out.
[doublepost=1473849236][/doublepost]Just got back. OS2 definitely can't do it.

Yes it can. My watch has been doing it in my office for a year.

 

[matrix07]

Yes it can. My watch has been doing it in my office for a year.

Not on my test. Completely disconnected when iPhone in Airplane mode (OS 2 and iOS 9).

 

[nicho]

Yes it can. My watch has been doing it in my office for a year.

Your office has a "The Cloud" public wifi hotspot? And no other networks?

 

[Recognition]

Yes it can. My watch has been doing it in my office for a year.

I know the Watch can connect to known wifi hotspots that have been entered directly into the wifi settings page on the iPhone.
But this is a public network that requires a login via an account/login page on the web. Something Apple said itself shouldn't work.
It's only started to work since the release of Watch OS3.
Another member has tested it on OS2 and it didn't work, updating to OS3 allowed them to connect to the public network even with the phone in airplane mode.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204562

 

[frumpy16]

Your office has a "The Cloud" public wifi hotspot? And no other networks?

It's a network with a registration page you have to authenticate against before it lets you on the network.
[doublepost=1474112178][/doublepost]

Not on my test. Completely disconnected when iPhone in Airplane mode (OS 2 and iOS 9).

Your test does not invalidate my real world results. But it's a data point.

 

[matrix07]

Your test does not invalidate my real world results. But it's a data point.

Could you prove it? Show it to us how it works.

The Apple support page has made it very clear: "No public Wi-Fi that require logins, subscription or profiles." and my test confirmed that.