iOS 7 Found To Have MultiPath TCP

When it comes to the iPhone, Apple does not usually divulge all of the device’s features off the bat and it seems that one of the more interesting features found in iOS 7would be the implementation of “multipath TCP” (or MCTCP for short). Basically what this does, for those unfamiliar with the term, is that it allows your iPhone device to connect to WiFi, 3G, or LTE connections simultaneously, basically allowing each connection to act as a fallback in case one connection decides to drop, presumably with WiFi acting as the priority and preferred connection at all times.

So if you were at home and your device is connected via WiFi, and you decide to head out but you are streaming a song/video halfway, instead of the connection dropping while you wait for the phone to hook onto a 3G/LTE connection, the video/song should continue playing without any interruptions. Given that this feature does not require new hardware, technically all iOS devices that can install iOS 7 should be able to make use of this function. If you’re still unclear of what MCTCP does, you can check out the video above in which researchers demonstrate the technology in action where a session is uninterrupted despite one of the connections being turned off.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones
Tags: iOS 7