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Comment by yread | Hacker News Reader

Would be nice if they added a switch to disable connecting to open wifi networks. Or at least to realize that the wifi is connected but its waiting for a sign in so internet traffic should still be routed through 4g.

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My Android 7 device is pretty good with realizing when the wifi doesn't actually give Internet access, and it then routes data through the 4g/mobile connection instead. Nexus 6, stock Android 7.1.1.

Yup this has been the case since KitKat.

That's great it works for you. I have to stare at "Could not connect to server", wifi icon with a cross and a notification asking me to sign in to some telco's hotspot. Only thing that gets me back online is switching the wifi off

Do you have this enabled? http://imgur.com/a/LAjDL

This "WiFi assist" feature exists on iPhone, but there were quite a few complaints from unexpected cellular data charges, including a class action lawsuit [1].

[1] https://9to5mac.com/2015/10/24/apple-wi-fi-assist-lawsuit/

Used to be that Android distinguished between connected wifi and a internet connection by trying to reach a Google server or something.

At least my 4.x tablet used to have a 3-state wifi icon, off (not present), connected (gray), internet (blue).

I would love to have something like this. When I call an Uber/Lyft as I am walking out of my apartment, it always takes forever for the WiFi to disconnect, long after it has lost internet connection. So I constantly get the "Unable to Connect to Network" error, and I have to turn off WiFi and restart the app to actually call a ride.

If anyone knows of a solution to this problem on a Galaxy S8 I would love to hear it.

What you're experiencing is different. The WiFi still has internet access, your signals aren't reaching the AP. The phone has no way of remedying this without switching to LTE very aggressively. I'd assume that would cause unnecessary battery drain and unneeded switches for many people.

That said, I haven't needed to restart the uber app to fix this. I just disable WiFi from the notification toggle and the app connects in about a second after that.

It has that switch.

System Settings > Wi-Fi > Gear Icon > "Use open Wi-Fi automatically"

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