Android 8.1 now shows you how fast public Wi-Fi networks are
Although Android
8.1 has been out for a few weeks now, Google interestingly hasn't stopped
adding new features to its latest software release. Case in point: speed labels
for public (open) Wi-Fi networks.
This functionality
has started rolling out today. Once you get it, you will see an estimation of
how fast each nearby public Wi-Fi network is, as portrayed in the screenshot to
the left. The levels are Very Fast (20+ Mbps), Fast (5-20Mbps), OK (1-5Mbps),
and Slow (0-1Mbps). These labels should help you quickly decide whether it's
worth connecting to such a network, hopefully saving you some time when you
encounter a slow one - time otherwise spent waiting and waiting for things to
load.
Unfortunately, this
doesn't work for password-protected networks. If for some reason you don't like
the speed labels you can turn them off by going to Settings > Network &
Internet > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi preferences > Advanced > Network rating
provider and choosing None instead of Google.
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