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Android 8.1 Phones Gain Public WiFi Speedometer

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Jan 22, 2018, 5:29 PM by Eric M. Zeman

Google is giving Android devices a new tool to help users decide whether or not to connect to public WiFi networks. "Public Wi-Fi can be spotty," explained Google in a Tweet. "For the first time, Android Oreo 8.1 lets you take out the guesswork and see the speed of networks before you hit connect." Visible networks will reveal both strength and speed. Signal strength will be indicated by the WiFi icon, with a fuller icon meaning a stronger signal. Speed will be labeled explicitly: slow, OK, fast, or very fast. Google says slow connections are good enough for WiFi calling and messaging while OK connections can handle social networks and streaming music. Fast connections should permit streaming most video, while very fast connections will offer high-quality streaming across the board. Users can turn the tool off if they wish. The update is being made available to devices running Android 8.1, which for now is limited to the Nexus 5x, Nexus 6P, and Pixel series.

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