Android Oreo was a solid upgrade from Nougat, but Google is still rolling out features for the popular mobile OS. One of the bigger features in the new 8.1 is the ability to tell users just how strong the local public Wi-Fi connections are.
Now, users will get a Wi-Fi symbol to show strength as well as a ranking of Slow, OK, Fast, or Very Fast. While that might now be incredibly descriptive, Google did offer a simple little primer to go with the announcement:
- 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.
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
Connections that are password protected will only show a lock symbol, as you likely wouldn"t be able to connect to them anyway.
The Wi-Fi Assistant is a nice little bonus for Android 8.1, unless of course, you think proper cheeseburger and beer emojis or the activation of the Pixel Visual Core chip are more important.