Most internet calling apps for iPhone connect calls over both Wi-Fi and 3G connections, allowing users to stay in contact with those who matter most even in areas of poor coverage. But what happens when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network that is anything but stable and your calls get disconnected every single time the Wi-Fi network goes down? Or the well-known problem of the iPhone hopping on the first Wi-Fi signal it happens upon, regardless of its signal strength?
It’s true that disabling Wi-Fi or making the handset “forget” the connection is an interim solution, but is by no means a quick fix to these scenarios, which happen often in the real world.
Fortunately, Apple looks to be fixing this problem once and for all with iOS 6; AppleInsider reports the latest beta of iOS 6 contains a new “Wi-Fi Plus Cellular” networking option that will allow apps to automatically fall back to a 3G connection if Wi-Fi proves unresponsive.
Such a feature will keep things running smoothly if your iPhone happens to latch onto a congested or otherwise non-functional hotspot signal and should keep you connected to your VoIP App conversation. Toggles beneath the setting suggest users will have the ability to individually select which applications can fetch data over cellular.
Whether this helpful addition makes it into the public release of Apple’s latest mobile OS (and whether it will actually keep VoIP calls connected) is still up in the air, but it definitely looks promising.