The Wi-Fi Speed labels on Android 8.1 Oreo will help decipher connection speeds for open Wi-Fi networks. Connection speeds of public Wi-Fi networks are categorised in four categories - Slow, Ok, Fast, Very Fast.
Google has started rolling out Speed labels for open Wi-Fi networks on Android 8.1 Oreo. Google Pixel and Nexus devices updated to Android 8.1 should start receiving the update soon.
Speed labels on Android 8.1 Oreo help determine the connection speeds of open or public Wi-Fi networks. Apart from displaying signal strength, the new feature categorises an open Wi-Fi connection’s speed in four different categories – Slow, Ok, Fast, Very Fast.
A ‘Slow’ speed label will show up for open Wi-Fi connections with speeds between 0 – 1 Mbps. The ‘Ok’ speed label is for Wi-Fi speeds between 1 – 5 Mbps. A ‘Fast’ label will be displayed for connection speeds that range between 5 – 20 Mbps, while the ‘Very Fast’ label is for 20 Mbps and above connection speeds.
Google’s support page also highlights how these varying speed labels affect performance. Google describes the four speed labels as follows:
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Slow: If you can use Wi-Fi calling, you can make phone calls and send texts.
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OK: You can read webpages, use social media, and stream music.
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Fast: You can stream most videos.
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Very Fast: You can stream very high-quality videos.
These new speed labels on Android 8.1 Oreo are designed to function only with public/open Wi-Fi networks which are traditionally slow. The labels will help users better determine which open network they should connect to when multiple options are available in a particular location.
Users also have an option of turning off Wi-Fi Speed labels on their Pixel and Nexus devices updated to Android 8.1 Oreo.
To disable Speed labels, users can head to the Settings app >>>Network & Internet>> Wi-Fi>> Wi-Fi Preferences>> Advanced Network rating provider>> None.
Google officially started rolling out the Android 8.1 Oreo update for Nexus and Pixel devices back in December. The Android 8.1 Oreo update activates the Google Pixel 2 smartphone’s Visual Core which is the company's custom-designed image processor with machine learning. After the update was rolled out, some Google Pixel and Nexus device users reported a lock screen swiping issue, which the company acknowledged as well. You can read about it here.
Header image courtesy: Android Police
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