“Apple is facing a $5m lawsuit over a feature in the new version of iOS which uses mobile data when Wi-Fi connectivity is weak,” Alex Hern reports for The Guardian.
“The feature, named ‘Wi-Fi assist,’ senses when there are problems with the wireless network the phone is connected to, and instead routes the device over mobile data,” Hern reports. “Controversially, the feature is enabled by default in the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 9, and it isn’t always clear when it is active (the only explicit acknowledgement is that the Wi-Fi logo in the top-right of the phone’s screen becomes greyed out). As a result, users have reported accidentally running up large bills for mobile-data usage when they used their phones while believing they were on their home Wi-Fi.”
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“In the complaint, plaintiffs William Scott Phillips and Suzanne Schmidt Phillips allege that because of costs related to Wi-Fi Assist, the ‘overall amount in controversy exceeds’ $5 million,” Neil Hughes reports for AppleInsider. “Filed in a U.S. District Court in San Jose on Friday, the suit was first discovered by AppleInsider.”
“Some who don’t understand how Wi-Fi Assist works, or even that it exists, have alleged that the new feature has caused them to use more cellular data than anticipated,” Hughes reports. “But the new class-action suit alleges it should be Apple who should reimburse customers for any overages.”
Hughes reports, “The complaint asserts that Apple did not properly explain Wi-Fi Assist on its website until only after a ‘flood of articles’ were written about unintended cellular data use. For the plaintiffs, that addition to the website was too little, too late.”
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MacDailyNews Note: To shut off Wi-Fi Assist in iOS 9: Settings>Cellular, toggle Wi-Fi Assist off.