Apple plans to simplify public WLAN login with upcoming synchronization features
Currently, logging into public Wi-Fi networks on the iPhone can be annoying: each device has to log in individually. iOS 19 and macOS 16 help.
WLAN logo: Different portals can interfere with public access.
(Image: dpa, Jan Woitas/ZB/dpa)
Using public Wi-Fi networks is not always easy: each has its own "captive" portal and requires different types of registration. Some are subject to a fee, some require – for example in the hotel – the number of the customer card, for others only the acceptance of the legal conditions is sufficient to be allowed to surf. If you have several devices, you also have to log in individually with each computer, smartphone or tablet. Apple is now planning to make the use of Wi-Fi hotspots more user-friendly by next fall. This is reported by the financial news agency Bloomberg.
iCloud account distributes captive WLAN access
The new feature is set to become part of iOS 19, iPadOS 19 and macOS 16, and presumably also watchOS 12. It is therefore a system that can distribute Wi-Fi access data for public hotspots across all personal Apple devices that use the same iCloud account, i.e. the same Apple account. Once the web form required for Wi-Fi access has been completed, the information is also sent to the other devices. These then apparently complete the login in the background so that the Wi-Fi is immediately available.
It is still unclear whether this actually applies to all Wi-Fi hotspots or whether Apple will initially only support certain providers – such as mobile phone companies, hotel chains or large airports. Although the captive portals mentioned are standardized in terms of how they are accessed, the type of access management is not. It also remains unclear whether iOS 19 & Co. can also distribute paid Wi-Fi access to other devices. Airplane Wi-Fi, for example, usually only supports one device at a time; if you want to use more than one, this costs extra.
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iOS and co. already help with private Wi-Fi
Apple operating systems have been able to distribute passwords to private Wi-Fi networks (or simple routers in companies) across devices for several years now, and this is offered automatically. It is also possible to transfer existing access data to friends' devices so that they do not have to be typed in manually.
iOS 19, iPadOS 19 and macOS 16 will be presented at the WWDC developer conference in June – and then made available as a developer beta. The final versions of the operating systems are expected to be released in September.
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