Nexus 5x, Nexus 6P, Nexus 10, Nexus 9, Nexus 7, Nexus 6, Nexus 5, Nexus 4 to get Wi-Fi Assistant Feature (Photo : YouTube/ Google Nexus)
If reports are anything to go by, Nexus 5x, Nexus 6P, Nexus 10, Nexus 9, Nexus 7, Nexus 6, Nexus 5 and Nexus 4 will get Wi-Fi Assistant Feature.
Nexus has announced in a Google Plus post that Wi-Fi assistant will be extended to users of Nexus device within the United States, the United Kingdom, Nordic countries, Mexico and Canada. For owners of Nexus handsets who like to take advantage of this feature, a subscription to Project Fi is not required.
Nexus said that Wi-Fi Assistant enables people to securely and automatically connect to over free open Wi-Fi hotspots, The Verge reported. When connected to Wi-Fi hotspots, users are not charged for usage of data.
The search giant Google said that it has verified over 1 million reliable and fast public wireless hotspots that were initially leveraged for Project Fi. Also, the search giant provides data security via encryption when people are connected to an open hotspot.
The Google Nexus product line lists the Nexus 10, Nexus 9, Nexus 7, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5x, Nexus 6, Nexus 5 and Nexus 4. The Wi-Fi Assistant covers the gadgets as long they are running on newer Android versions or Android 5.1. However, Project Fi is restricted to the Nexus 6, Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X.
Users can find the Wi-Fi Assistant's on/off switch by accessing the device's Settings app that will bring up a list of tabs. Tapping the Google tab will disclose the Networking panel in which the switch is situated. The device's notification bar will display a virtual private network key icon when connected successfully.
However, the feature has its limitations. The Wi-Fi Assistant will not connect to networks that the company has not certified as reliable and fast. Also, it is not able to connect to networks that need extra steps such as logging in. The company recommends for users to connect manually in both cases.
In addition, the Wi-Fi Assistant refuses to connect automatically to networks that people have connected to manually. First, the device requires to "Forget" the network before the feature can proceed.
Meanwhile, Google has released Android 7.0 Nougat and it has been unofficially ported to the Nexus 4. A few days ago, Google Nexus 7 2013 received an unofficial Nougat ROM.
