--- description: With Apple's upcoming iOS 9 update, the phone will automatically switch to cellular data when the WiFi connection's weak. title: Apple's About to Fix One of the Worst Things About iPhones image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70f18c75a49edb74/69885e602dce01e8779e4f9b/gettyimages-94970131.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Apple Is About to Fix One of the Worst Things About the iPhone by [Benjamin Snyder/Fortune](/author/benjamin-snyderfortune/) ## Benjamin Snyder/Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 7, 2015 5:13 PM CUT  UNITED STATES - JULY 23: Customers look over iPhone 3GS handsets inside an AT&T store in New York, U.S, on Thursday, July 23, 2009\. AT&T Inc., the largest U.S. phone company, posted second-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates after customers spent more to check e-mail and surf the Web on mobile phones. (Photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images) UNITED STATES - JULY 23: Customers look over iPhone 3GS handsets inside an AT&T store in New York, U.S, on Thursday, July 23, 2009\. AT&T Inc., the largest U.S. phone company, posted second-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates after customers spent more to check e-mail and surf the Web on mobile phones. (Photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Benjamin Snyder/Fortune](/author/benjamin-snyderfortune/) ## Benjamin Snyder/Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 7, 2015 5:13 PM CUT Here’s something new that’s coming with Apple’s iOS 9: your device will automatically switch from WiFi to cellular data when the WiFi connection just doesn’t quite cut it. TechCrunch [reported](http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/06/ios-9-wifi/ "undefined") this is the first time the feature has been implemented by Apple, although certain Samsung devices powered by Android could make the switch. Currently, the function is only available on iOS 9 beta, which is for developers only. But expect iOS 9 to be released in the next few days, according to the publication. 9to5Mac first discovered the “WiFi Assist” feature among a treasure trove of other benefits coming with the [software update](http://9to5mac.com/2015/08/06/ios-9-beta-5-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3989167/ios-9-wifi-apple-problem/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3989167/ios-9-wifi-apple-problem/"},"headline":"Apple Is About to Fix One of the Worst Things About the iPhone","datePublished":"2015-08-07T17:13:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:06:19.254Z","description":"It will make your phone way more useful","url":"https://time.com/3989167/ios-9-wifi-apple-problem/","keywords":["Tech","Apple","iPhone","WiFi","pubdesk","iOS 9"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70f18c75a49edb74/69885e602dce01e8779e4f9b/gettyimages-94970131.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Benjamin Snyder/Fortune","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/benjamin-snyderfortune/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70f18c75a49edb74/69885e602dce01e8779e4f9b/gettyimages-94970131.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Customers look over iPhone 3GS handsets inside an AT&T store","caption":"Customers look over iPhone 3GS handsets inside an AT&T store","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3989167/ios-9-wifi-apple-problem/","name":"Apple Is About to Fix One of the Worst Things About the iPhone"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The evolution of the iPhone","description":"Since Apple released the iPhone in 2007, there have been 8 versions of the now-iconic smartphone. 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