14 DAY TRIAL // Apple's iOS 9 is already running on more than 60 percent of the world's iPhones, so more than one in two iFans out there can now use the new features that are part of this version. Including Wi-Fi Assist, that is.
For those who didn't know (and it turns out that there are lot of people who really don't know) how Wi-Fi Assist works, it's a feature that automatically switches you to your mobile data connection when the Wi-Fi signal is too weak to keep you online.
But in the case of some users, this wasn't clear enough, so they decided to start legal action against Apple after discovering that the costs generated by this feature due to switching to cellular data might have already exceeded $5 million (€4.2 million).
Just disable Wi-Fi Assist
AppleInsider writes that plaintiffs William Scott Phillips and Suzanne Schmidt Phillips filed the lawsuit in a US District Court in San Jose on Friday, claiming that Apple didn't properly explain how Wi-Fi Assist works and only provided more information about it when users started complaining about getting charged for exceeding their mobile data plans.
"Reasonable and average consumers use their iPhones for streaming of music, videos, and running various applications - all of which can use significant data. Defendant's corrective statement does not disclose any basis for its conclusion that an average consumer would not see much increase in cellular usage,” the suit reads, according to the aforementioned source.
The plaintiffs claim Apple was infringing California's Unfair Competition Law, the state's False Advertising Law, while also accusing the company of negligent misrepresentation.
Obviously, you don't have to be a rocket science engineer to know how to disable Wi-Fi Assist on your phone and prevent exceeding mobile data plans. To do this, you can always go to Settings > Cellular > scroll down and tap on Wi-Fi Assist, so it all takes just three taps on the screen.
But it's always easier to sue and seek damages because America.