Latest iOS 6 beta adds ‘Wi-Fi Plus Cellular’ option to keep data flowing around weak hotspots

iPhone users are likely familiar with the handset’s annoying tendency to hop on an open Wi-Fi connection, regardless of how strong or weak the signal may be. It can often result in data speeds grinding to a halt until a user either temporarily disables Wi-Fi or “forgets” the network at issue. Thankfully it seems Apple itself has now grown tired of this problem: AppleInsider reports the latest beta of iOS 6 contains a new “Wi-Fi Plus Cellular” networking option that will allow apps to automatically fall back to a 3G connection if Wi-Fi proves unresponsive.

Ideally, such a feature will keep things running smoothly if your iPhone happens to latch onto a congested or otherwise non-functional hotspot signal. Toggles beneath the setting suggest users will have the ability to individually select which applications can fetch data over cellular. Whether this helpful addition makes it into the public release of Apple’s latest mobile OS is anyone’s guess, but we should find out in just over a month.