One of the biggest hassles while traveling is the hunt for a decent internet connection, and then getting it to work across all your devices. The conundrum is now mainstream across hotels, lodges, and coffee shops — essentially all the establishments a person is supposed to spend a few hours of their day, but needs to fill a web form first before they can get internet access.
Apple will soon put an end to those Wi-Fi registration struggles. According to Bloomberg, the company is working on “a system that can synchronize captive Wi-Fi access details across the iPhone, iPad and Mac.”
Why does it matter?
A lot of people these days prefer to work from coffee shops or libraries. Over time, these establishments have shifted from offering unlimited Wi-Fi to a limited data packet per customer, one that works after registering your phone number or email address in order to get an OTP before you get access.
The situation gets even more complicated with hotel chains and hostels, where you are required to fill in more details. The higher you go on the premium accommodation scale, the more frustrating it gets, thanks in no small part to the lengthy customer forms that require filling out across all devices.
These Wi-Fi portals also have a high rate of failure, so I don’t even bother with my other devices and simply go with the initial registration on my phone. For the rest of my devices, a mobile data hotspot handles my work, even though it reflects on my inflated carrier bills each month.
How is Apple fixing the situation?
With the upcoming feature, Apple will save the user’s details when they fill out a captive Wi-Fi form and sync it across all their devices. Think of it as your web browser saving all your details, such as name, address, and even preferred payment mode, so that you don’t have to fill it all in again.
Of course, it’s an opt-in system, but it saves a lot of time. Instead of taking a web-based approach, Apple is implementing the convenience across hardware. “This new feature will let you enter that information on one device and have it sync to your other products,” says the Bloomberg report.
It seems this feature could arrive with the upcoming iOS 19 update, which is going to be unveiled at Apple’s WWDC event in June. The Wi-Fi detail syncing tool is quite useful, though not entirely surprising.
Apple has built a robust cross-device syncing ecosystem with tools such as Universal Control, Handoff, cross-device clipboard, and more — all of which are tied to a single account.
In addition to Wi-Fi form syncing, Apple is also said to be prepping a desktop mode system for iPhones. For its tablets, the company is hoping to bring a more macOS-like makeover to iPadOS.
