Apple has filed a patent for a feature that would allow the iPhone to check nearby public Wi-Fi networks and automatically recommend the most reliable ones.
Apple has been warning users for a while to be careful when using public Wi-Fi points. They can be good and reliable, like at a café, but they can also be rogue Wi-Fi points, or networks that are very slow. Apple now seems to be working on a way to give users of at least iPhones and iPads more information in advance about the public networks in the area.
A patent application found by The Mac Observerdescribes a feature in which Apple devices automatically gather information about nearby Wi-Fi networks without providing identifying information about the user or their environment. Apple is said to want to use this information to “improve the efficiency of interactions between user devices and the detected access points.”
In other words: how many stars?
The description may sound a bit vague, but it actually comes down to a kind of star rating for the Wi-Fi networks in the area. Now you only see which networks offer the strongest connection, but that doesn’t really say much. With the proposed system, Apple can put labels next to public Wi-Fi networks: ‘high quality’, ‘popular’, or ‘suspicious’, as can be seen in images with the patent application.
It is also possible that the iPhone will automatically recommend the network with the best rating. It is not clear whether users will also be able to leave a rating in the system.
In any case, it is not known if and when this function will be added to Apple devices. The company patents a lot of functions and features, sometimes just to be sure or for the distant future.
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Source: www.bright.nl
