Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 9, came out September 16th with a slew of new features and upgrades including improved Siri, Apple Maps, and expanded Apple Pay. Along with the upgrades came a few hidden features aimed at optimizing battery life and phone performance. One of the gems they slid into iOS 9 is the new “Wi-Fi Assist” feature designed to help stabilize your connection when on a wireless network. This option is turned on by default in the new iOS and allows your phone to silently switch over to your data plan if the wi-fi signal you’re on or near is less than stellar. If you have an unlimited data plan, this option really isn’t a problem and can be left alone. However, for the majority of us without unlimited data plans, having this feature on can quickly eat through our allocated data plan. Scroll down for instructions on how to disable “Wi-Fi Assist” on your mobile device in iOS 9.
- Go to Settings
- Choose the Cellular menu (usually the 4th option – see Screen Shot #1 above)
- Scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN to the bottom of that menu, past the Cellular Data, Enable LTE, Roaming, SIM, etc., past all the applications listing cellular data use, to the very bottom of the page. It should look like Screen Shot #2 below. (And now you also know I’m addicted to Yatzy.)
- Listed under the list of apps is the “Wi-Fi Assist” option.
- Slide the button next to “Wi-Fi Assist” to turn it off – it should turn grey (from green) when you do, indicating it is off.
BONUS TIP: This is also a good place to review the apps listed above the “Wi-Fi Assist” button to see which ones are data hogs for your phone. If you consistently run out of or over your data plan, consider accessing some of those apps via their full sites on a computer (if applicable) or deleting them all together if not needed.
I hope this helps some of you and feel free to submit any #TechTuesdays question you’d like answered to sherri (at) yougotrossed (dot) com. Happy Tuesday!