A new feature for speed conscious users on Android 8.1 is going live at the moment with the speed of Wifi networks now displaying in your settings before you connect to them.
Google has announced the update on Twitter, showing off how the setting looks once it’s live in their GIF attached to the Tweet.
Public Wi-Fi can be spotty. For the first time, #AndroidOreo 8.1 lets you take out the guesswork & see the speed of networks before you hit connect. Rolling out now: https://t.co/lSzvCFgNk7 pic.twitter.com/60EmoPxUX4
— Android (@Android) January 22, 2018
Within your WiFi Settings (Settings > Network & Internet > WiFi) you’ll now see a description of how fast the Wifi network you’re about to connect to is. It’s not really a good description with the speed limited to Slow, OK, Fast, or Very Fast and as Google notes in their support page ‘Speed can change with signal strength’. Google has broken down what you can expect from each :
- Slow: If you can use Wi-Fi calling, you can make phone calls and send texts.
- OK: You can read webpages, use social media and stream music.
- Fast: You can stream most videos.
- Very Fast: You can stream very high-quality videos.
Of course if you don’t want to see the speed of Wifi networks you can turn it off by going into Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi Preferences and then Advanced and then Network rating provider and choose None.
Not a bad little bonus for those on Android 8.1 – although that’s only a fairly minor 0.2% of the Android population at this stage. Still, it’s a nice bonus for anyone who sees it, and it will be available on more devices as they’re announced this year.
