Apple has recently had an iPhone patent approved that could rank public Wi-Fi networks on different criteria, such as strength, security, and popularity.
A patent called ‘CROWD Sourced Privacy Preserving Access Point Mapping’ was filed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office back in March 2023 and granted on July 16. On page 28, the patent explains how Apple devices of the future could label Wi-Fi networks by safely collecting data without storing a user’s information. “The access point data reports can be delivered without identifying the user devices, or users thereof, and their exact locations. Based on the access point data reports, the server device can map locations of access points and relationships between access points to generate network topologies, network locations, network quality scores, and various other characteristics of networks and/or access points.” The patent then explains how an Apple device could use this information. “The generated access point data can be served to user devices so that these can improve the efficiency of the interactions between user devices and the detected access points and/or networks.”
Essentially, this could mean that the Wi-Fi section in the Settings app of the best iPhones, iPads, and Macs, could show a lot more helpful information someday. For example, if you’re at a new coffee shop and you want to connect to its public Wi-Fi, the app could show plenty of useful information to let you know whether the Wi-Fi is safe, has a strong connection, and more. It’s important to note, however, that patents do not guarantee a feature is coming to iPhone in the near future, or even at all.
Nevertheless, the patent offers a glimpse into how we could one day judge unknown Wi-Fi networks, so we’re hoping that it will turn into a real feature someday.
How could this patent be useful as an iPhone feature?
A more comprehensive Wi-Fi selection screen could be fantastic news for people who rely on Wi-Fi when they're out and about on their iPhones. While the patent points to indicators that could recommend networks positively because they're strong, fast, or reliable, a more pertinent use case seems to be preventing users from joining dodgy networks out in public. Gathered data could ensure that you're not joining networks with questionable security, or ones that require you to surrender lots of personal information just to join up, a welcome iPhone upgrade in anyone's book.
