Google Wi-Fi Assistant Expanded To All Nexus Smartphones

It was previously exclusive to Project Fi customers, but now Google is opening up WiFi Assistant for everyone to enjoy.

Google Nexus device owners can get a little taste of Google’s experimental Project Fi service without dumping their current wireless carrier.

Google says Wi-Fi Assistant is rolling out to “all Nexus users in the United States, Canada, Mexico, UK, and Nordic countries” in the next few weeks.

Wi-Fi Assistant is off by default, but you can turn it on by going to Settings Google Networking. Called Wi-Fi Assistant, the feature lets your device automatically connect to millions of open and free Wi-Fi hotspots in an effort to cut down on data use and optimize mobile data speeds. Upon successful connection to a public hot spot, it sets up a virtual private network connection – an encrypted layer of connectivity that hides the content of your device’s data transfer from would-be snoops. From screenshots, it appears that an update is coming to the app that provides more Advanced settings as well as dedicated controls that are independent of the system Wi-Fi settings. The advantage of using Wi-Fi Assistant is that the user doesn’t have to do anything except enable it one time. This allows anyone with a Nexus device to conserve their monthly cellular data by offloading their usage to Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi Assistant is a way for Google to help users stay connected without having to deal with a bad cellular connection and also avoid racking up data usage every month. “And we saw this as an opportunity through our Nexus product line to bring it to even more users”.