iOS 9 will know when to ditch weak Wi-Fi signal

Rather than connecting to the closest Wi-Fi network available, Apple’s next update will switch back to cellular data if the signal speeds are too slow

Craig Federighi, Apple senior vice president of Software Engineering, speaks about iOS 9 during Apple WWDC on June 8, 2015 in San Francisco, California (Getty Images)

iOS 9 will finally fix an issue plaguing iPhone users for years.

For those tired of their Apple devices switching to the nearest Wi-Fi network – regardless of the signal strength or speed – Apple’s upcoming update iOS 9 will bring a new Wi-Fi Assist feature that ignores weak Wi-Fi and instead opts to use cellular data.

With the distribution of 4G on the rise across all the major UK networks, this should be welcome news to iPhone owners whose phones seem all too eager to hook up to hotspots that are often barely within range.

For those who are data-conscious or on uncapped data tariffs, Apple has introduced a warning prompt which sees the Wi-Fi symbol grey out before switching to cellular data, while also including an option to turn off Wi-Fi assist altogether.

The feature surfaced in the latest release of the iOS 9 beta which is currently only available to developers. Wi-Fi Assist joins the growing list of new software features that includes a special photo album for selfies and screenshots, the Apple News app and the option for high quality streaming in Apple Music.

iOS 9 is set for release alongside the next iteration of the iPhone which is rumoured to hit stores this September. iPhones from the 4S range onwards will be eligible for the latest update.