Automatically switch to network data when wi-fi is slow?

[pavinder]

I have had an annoying problem since I first bought my iPhone 12 Mini. Wondering if there’s a setting I can change to get around it.

Whenever I login to a wi-fi network (especially public wi-fi), it is generally a lot slower than my mobile network speed. It's fine for browsing the internet, sending email etc. but if I’m trying to watch a video, download a podcast etc. things grind to a halt but Wi-Fi-Assist doesn't seem to activate. I have to manually turn off wi-fi to let the video load over my mobile network. And then once the video is loaded I have to manually switch wi-fi on again to use the free public network again. It’s a real hassle.

It seems that once I have a wi-fi connection, the phone will ONLY use this (regardless of how slow it is) and ignores my paid - and fast - mobile data connection. I have Wi-fi Assist switched on. I thought this is what Wi-Fi Assist was meant to do: to default to wi-fi but if it’s slow, then switch to my mobile data instead - without me having to manually intervene all the time. But it's clearly not doing it properly.

Is there some kind of setting for the speed threshold or timeout of Wi-Fi Assist to get it actually working?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[MacInWin]

WiFi assist goes the other direction--using WiFi for what normally is cellular traffic (voice, messages), until a stronger cellular signal is received. So it's working against what you want. Turn it off.

 

[pavinder]

This is from Apple's support page: "For example, if you're using Safari with a poor Wi-Fi connection and a webpage doesn't load, Wi-Fi Assist will activate and automatically switch to cellular so that the webpage continues to load."

This is exactly what I want to happen. Default to Wi-Fi but switch to cellular if the Wi-Fi is slow.
My problem is that my phone is staying on the slow Wi-Fi and doesn't switch to the fast cellular signal (even though Wi-Fi Assist is switched on in the settings).

Have I misunderstood something?

 

[krs]

Have I misunderstood something?

I don't think you misunderstood anything, but there are some exceptions where WiFi Assist does not activate, like Data Roaming for instance. Make sure none of those apply

About Wi-Fi Assist - Apple Support (CA)

With iOS 9 and later, you can use Wi-Fi Assist to automatically switch to cellular when you have a poor Wi-Fi connection.

support.apple.com

 

[Marrk]

If your streaming jams, you should skip WiFi Assist and use Forward Assist. Hit it hard and it should do the trick.




Just kidding! Just kidding! Please don't ban me!

 

[MacInWin]

This is from Apple's support page: "For example, if you're using Safari with a poor Wi-Fi connection and a webpage doesn't load, Wi-Fi Assist will activate and automatically switch to cellular so that the webpage continues to load."

This is exactly what I want to happen. Default to Wi-Fi but switch to cellular if the Wi-Fi is slow.
My problem is that my phone is staying on the slow Wi-Fi and doesn't switch to the fast cellular signal (even though Wi-Fi Assist is switched on in the settings).

Have I misunderstood something?

My bad, I was thinking of Wi-Fi Calling. About the only way I have found to force Cellular use is to turn off WiFi.

 

[chscag]

I do not use "WiFi Assist" and keep it off. When I'm at home or sitting in a Starbucks Coffee Shop the WiFi signal is strong. When I'm out and about, it's easier to just use cellular all the time. Of course our carrier plan includes unlimited talk, text, and data.

@pavinder: If your carrier plan includes unlimited like so many plans offer nowadays, just turn off WiFi Assist. Also since the iPhone 12 series is 5G capable you may find that your phone will vary at times from LTE to 5G depending on where you are.