Facebook Testing Feature That Helps You Find Free Public WiFi

Looking for free public WiFi can be tricky. Most of the time public WiFi services tend to require users to sign up, and even then their service is spotty. You could always try your luck at a cafe, but those tend to be password protected, and unless there’s a Starbucks nearby, you might have to end up tethering your phone.

That being said, it seems that Facebook is testing out a feature that helps users locate free public WiFi. This was initially discovered by The Next Web’s head of content and director of social media, Matt Navarra. The feature was later confirmed to be in testing, according to a Facebook spokesperson who shared the news with VentureBeat.

According to the spokesperson, “To help people stay connected to the friends and experiences they care about, we are rolling out a new feature that surfaces open Wi-Fi networks associated with nearby places.” VentureBeat speculates that this feature could also appeal to users in emerging markets where mobile data is slow or expensive, so WiFi would be a more appealing alternative.

At the moment the feature is being tested out in select markets and is only available through its iOS app. We’re not sure when the feature will be made available to all users, but it could be a nifty feature worth looking forward to.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Apps, Facebook, iOS