Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), implemented in iOS for iPhone and iPad a system that automatically decides which Wi-Fi network to connect to, if there are several networks available around us. We're talking here about Wi-Fi networks we've connected to in the past, not networks we've never connected to before, and if you're wondering how it all works, well, it's pretty simple.
iOS does not work the same as macOS, which connects to the last Wi-Fi network used, Apple being aware that things are different in the case of mobile terminals. The same functionality is also intended for iPad tablets, so everything you see below for the iPhone is also valid for the tablets from Cupertino.
iPhone: How iOS Automatically Chooses the Wi-Fi Network to Connect to
Here's how iOS automatically chooses the Wi-Fi network to connect iPhone and iPad to:
- Favorite Wi-Fi network – that is, the Wi-Fi network that we use most often, and here there can be several, depending on the location of use, whether it is the one at home, or the one at work/school .
- Recently accessed private Wi-Fi network: If your favorite network is not available, then iOS will try to access the most recent private Wi-Fi network we have connected to in the past.
- A private Wi-Fi network: Here we are talking about a private Wi-Fi network that we have accessed at some point in the past, and which is available in our area.
- A public network: here we include any kind of public Wi-Fi network we have ever connected to, these being the last ones chosen by iOS due to the total lack of security they offer.
“When auto-connecting, iOS starts with the preferred network, followed by private networks and public networks. Known networks are "scored" based on your actions. If you manually switch to the SSID, the score increases. If you manually disconnect from the SSID, the score goes down. "Favorite" networks have the highest scores."
Exceptions to this detail are the public Wi-Fi networks of mobile phone operators, whether they are private or not, they have special treatment in iOS. For example, although I have never connected the phone to any Orange Wi-Fi HotSpot, it always automatically connects to them if I have the Wi-Fi turned on through a mall, and the attempt to block their access is useless.
Having said that, now you know how iOS controls automatic connection to Wi-Fi networks.
