Facebook, the world’s biggest website and App that just celebrated reaching the landmark of 2 billion users is clearly gunning for more. Not content with its stupendous numbers, the firm knows that its growth from here on linked to the growth of digital access. Enter “Find Wifi”.
Last year in November, Facebook had begun testing a feature for finding free and public hotspots nearby. This feature was rolled-out for iOS devices in selected countries only.
Facebook has now expanded this “Find WiFi” feature on both iOS and Android devices globally. This feature is useful for those who are in the areas where cellular data is poor.
According to a report by IANS, Alex Himal, Engineering Director at Facebook wrote in a blogpost, “We’re beginning to roll out ‘Find Wi-Fi’ everywhere in the world on iPhone and Android. We launched it in a handful of countries last year and found it’s not only helpful for people who are travelling or on-the-go, but especially useful in areas where cellular data is scarce.” Further the post reads, “Wherever you are, you can easily map the closest connections when your data connection is weak.
This feature is directly integrated on the Facebook app, and can be located under the ‘More’ tab which is placed just next to the notification icon. On clicking that, scroll down and you should see the ‘Find Wi-Fi’ feature. Tapping on it will open up your map which requires you to turn on the ‘Always’ location access on Facebook. The location settings can be on the Facebook app itself later. With the Facebook page linked, you can get more information on the places with public WiFi hotpots like what are they about, and their timings. Additionally, you can also get directions to these places.
The ‘Find Wi-Fi’ feature is currently available for iOS devices in India, and the update should hit Android users soon.