Facebook appears to be testing a feature to help users find nearby free and public Wi-Fi hot spots, according to news reports.
TheNextWeb spotted the new Wi-Fi finder option in the Apple iOS app and Facebook confirmed its existence to VentureBeat, but availability appears to be spotty and possibly limited to iOS and not Android. If the option is available, users can find it via the main app menu under an option labeled “Enable Find Wi-Fi.” VentureBeat said users are encouraged to share their location data and the feature shows nearby free Wi-Fi options along with positioning information such as how long it will take to get there.
Why nudge users toward the nearest Wi-Fi? Perhaps to help users find better offload options – after all, Cisco’s Visual Networking Index research found mobile offload via Wi-Fi or femtocells exceeded cellular traffic for the first time last year, and offload from “4G” services is even higher than from 3G because even though devices support high-bandwidth apps, smartphone plans still have data caps.
Bryan Clark at TheNextWeb speculated the Wi-Fi finder feature is meant to boost the use of Facebook Live by nudging users toward Wi-Fi connections with more stability and capacity than the cellular network.
It’s also worth noting Facebook already has a Facebook Wi-Fi offering designed for businesses to facilitate free Wi-Fi usage for people who check in at their location. In 2013, Facebook ran a joint trial with Cisco of the service, which is aimed at boosting customer engagement at retail locations. At the time, Cisco noted in a blog entry “consumers have come to expect free Wi-Fi on-the-go and half … of consumers use mobile phones when shopping to compare prices and to use promotions/coupons.”
The new Facebook free Wi-Fi finding feature is popping up just a few days before Black Friday and the holiday shopping season.
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