iOS 9.3 Displays Exact Wi-Fi Assist Data Usage Numbers

[mw360]

Nice feature providing transparency, but why not additionally set the default to deactivated? What's the problem here?

The problem might be that Apple knows this feature doesn't and can't use masses of cellular data, and people are just freaking out over an imaginary panic, as they sometimes will do. Hence providing information to calm nerves without giving in to misinformation and turning it off (and probably nobody would ever turn it back on).

Only a theory. Time will tell.

 

[JonneyGee]

I think people have the wrong idea about this feature. In the past (prior to this setting) it was natural for the phone to move from WiFi to LTE and back to WiFi as a normal operation. What this setting does is tell your device not to move but to wait for the Wifi to be gone and gone for a while prior to using LTE. (in the off mode) Its not that it now turns off WiFi for no reason and uses LTE randomly. Its that you have told it (by turning this off) to stay as long as possible before using LTE.

That's inaccurate. WiFi Assist allows the phone to connect to wifi and cellular simultaneously so the cellular connection can supplement a weak wifi connection. Turning it off allows the phone to function as it did before WiFi Assist was created.

 

[Tech198]

I guess uses now knowing how much data wi-fi assist will eat by display that info will be batter than none at all.

Imagine if Apple never detailed in iOS how much cellular data uses were consuming. We'd all be freaking out.

 

[Sirious]

9.3 is quite feature rich. Imagine if they release it along side the 4" iPhone in March?

 

[Aldaris]

Has anyone on the public beta been able to get the update yet? My devices still aren't showing an update available.

Hasn't been seeded to public beta testers yet.

 

[gsmornot]

That's inaccurate. WiFi Assist allows the phone to connect to wifi and cellular simultaneously so the cellular connection can supplement a weak wifi connection. Turning it off allows the phone to function as it did before WiFi Assist was created.

Interesting. Thanks for the correction.

 

[C DM]

Has anyone on the public beta been able to get the update yet? My devices still aren't showing an update available.

No public beta yet.
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Not sure why this feature it turned on by default. I know Apple wants users to have the best experience, but I'd rather wait for my wifi to load while I'm 50 feet away from my router instead of burning through my data plan.

While many others might be getting frustrated in situations like that and get upset that their device isn't working properly.
[doublepost=1452643125][/doublepost]

Nice feature providing transparency, but why not additionally set the default to deactivated? What's the problem here?

Discoverability and actual use probably--many won't ever really discover it or actually enable it to use it and thus might not get the benefit of it. I think Apple meant for it to be just something in the background that helps when help is really needed without it being of much impact on the user. It doesn't seem like it's meant to use much data and just basically something helpful for people that want to use their device but might be in a situation where the WiFi they are using is having issues.

The problem might be that Apple knows this feature doesn't and can't use masses of cellular data, and people are just freaking out over an imaginary panic, as they sometimes will do. Hence providing information to calm nerves without giving in to misinformation and turning it off (and probably nobody would ever turn it back on).

Only a theory. Time will tell.

There's certainly that as well.

 

[mcdawg]

And yet as I drive away from WiFi and my phone pretends to still be connected, the data activity indicator just goes round and round and nothing loads until the phone finally accepts defeat and switches to cellular.

I'm with you. Wi-Fi assist never seems to ever work for me as it is supposed to. In my driveway, on the edges of the Wi-Fi signal where the phone shows Wi-Fi, I get zero connectivity. I have to manually turn off Wi-Fi, or drive down to the bottom of the driveway and wait for it to leisurely switch to LTE.

At home, when my Mac has hijacked my entire download bandwidth while uploading my iCloud Photo Library (seems odd, but it's a fairly widely reported issue with Photos/iCPL, likely related to ISP throttling but also very poorly managed by Photos... and likely a problem for me for several more months (!) due to the bizarrely slow iCPL uploads and a 500+ GB photo library. Anyways...) cellular *never* kicks in. I and my wife, both with phones running iOS 9, have to manually turn off Wi-Fi on our phones to even so much as download an email message.

I've got unlimited data and fast LTE, so I'm not really clamoring for this usage data, aside from my curiosity about whether this feature *ever* works. Because in my experience, Wi-Fi Assist doesn't work *at all*.

 

[pat500000]

Blah just remove it. No need for nauseated wifi if it's gonna cost us data problem.

 

[jonnysods]

Nice feature providing transparency, but why not additionally set the default to deactivated? What's the problem here?

Totally. 99% of consumers don't know about it because they aren't on sites like this one. And not everyone has huge data plans.

 

[Robert.Walter]

This feature cost me a bundle. I was an iOS pub beta tester and wasn't even aware that it was even added to the software.

I think the addition of the meter is avoid idea but insufficiently developed. I would like to see a simulation meter that would show how much bandwidth would be used if the feature were turned. Such would go a long way to giving users the confidence to turn this feature on.

 

[opfreak]

Wifi assist should have been turned off by default and this whole thing could have been avoided.

this

 

[ThatGuyInLa]

No. No. No.

1. OFF BY DEFAULT
2. Wifi indicator is a different color to let you know you're on data.

 

[C DM]

No. No. No.

1. OFF BY DEFAULT
2. Wifi indicator is a different color to let you know you're on data.

WiFi disappears and changes to cellular (as is the case when there is no WiFi basically), so there's really no mistaking that you aren't on WiFi anymore.

 

[iCloudStrife]

I thought Wi-Fi assist was when my Mom calls me because she can't connect to the internet with her iPad ...

"The piece of pie is empty. What does that mean?"

 

[Liebo]

I don't think this ever works correctly. Phone thinks it is connected to wifi but nothing will load meaning I can't load anything without manually turning back on. Conversely, i have had wifi disconnect when I have no service on cellular so I have to turn wifi off and on again to get it reconnect. All is fine if wifi assist is off however.

 

[KnighsTalker]

iOS is like fine wine. It just gets better with age.

 

[AlexisV]

Grrr! I've been trying for weeks to figure out why we apparently have such a poor wifi signal.

This is the stupidest setting ever and it's hidden right at the bottom of the settings screen.

Turned it off on our iPhones and iPad. Our iPad data is capped so this has cost us for going over.

 

[kirky29]

Where is this feature? Is it US Only?

 

[gsmornot]

Where is this feature? Is it US Only?

Settings-Cellular-scroll to the very bottom.

 

[kirky29]

Settings-Cellular-scroll to the very bottom.

Ahh it's called/under Mobile Data on mine, didn't think to scroll all the way to the bottom! Thanks.

 

[Gaprofitt]

Blah... "The only thing that has changed is not much"

 

[Sandstorm]

I have different question - why these statistics are still so extremely basic? I'm sure almost everyone forgets to reset them and they are pretty useless. There should be a dedicated statistics page with all of the usage metrics, that you could sort and conveniently overview by week, month etc.

PS - not that I personally need it so much, I live in a country with EUR 10/month unlimited LTE data for phone and EUR 15/month 400MBit/s fiber at home.

 

[D-Dave]

The problem might be that Apple knows this feature doesn't and can't use masses of cellular data, and people are just freaking out over an imaginary panic, as they sometimes will do. Hence providing information to calm nerves without giving in to misinformation and turning it off (and probably nobody would ever turn it back on).

Only a theory. Time will tell.

Well, I have to dismiss that theory...when I did a fresh install after updating to iOS9 on my iP6 I had no idea that this new "feature" existed and more importantly was activated by default...as a result downloading my music chewed up my month data within a few minutes (and more importantly, without ever changing from the wifi symbol to LTE)...to me this setting being turned on is just as unacceptable as data roaming would be as it has the potential to cause MASSIVE cost to the informed but unaware user...just imagine the outrage if they did the same with the latter option...

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Wifi Assist is great for anyone in an urban environment with lots of weak or transient Wifi signals (like when you are on a bus or train) - rather than trying to connect for 30 seconds to an unusable wifi signal - your phone stays on cellular/LTE

This.
Recently I turned wifi assist off for a week and every time I walk a busy shopping area I would get disconnected from the internet because the phone is busy pairing with random public networks.