Apple also mentions that Wi-Fi Assist works with most (but presumably not all) apps including Safari, Apple Music, and Maps, which can potentially be data heavy.
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Wi-Fi Assist helps your phone use the best connection possible.
However, to negate reports, the company discreetly added a support page that explains how the new feature works; and it turns out Wi-Fi Assist is actually not that bad. For iOS 9’s part, it allows Touch ID to read fingerprints faster than ever and it’s new Apple Wallet app now supports loyalty cards.
One of the less talked about new features introduced in iOS 9 last month is called “Wi-Fi Assist”, which automatically switches a user’s iPhone to a cellular data connection when the local Wi-Fi isn’t reliable. Now if you were anxious about that, fret not because Apple has since clarified the issue with a support document on its website.
As both picture-in-picture view and split screen functionality are limited to iPad, these features will not be available on the iPhone. Meant to remedy those times when your iPhone gets stuck trying to load data on a weak Wi-Fi connection due to range or other issues, Wi-Fi Assist raised a concern for many iPhone users on tiered data plans after iOS 9 was released.
Apple claims the new WiFi Assist feature in iOS 9 should be increasing data usage only by a “small percentage” for most people. It shuts off for a few unidentified third-party apps that stream audio or video, as well as a few email apps, since they might download large attachments. Pipes also ships with a clever Recommendation Engine that recommends interests, articles, and other data “that is curated just for you”.
At any rate, WiFi Assist could eat into your data while you’re connected to WiFi, but it’s probably not using up as much as you feared. Otherwise, it’s off and data is not being consumed.
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This feature is handy in two scenarios: your iPhone’s Home button is broken or you simply want easy access to a few shortcuts for actions you perform regularly.
