Option to disable the "Select Internet connection" popup
asked 2014-08-11 18:08:27 +0300
Please consider adding the option to disable the "Select Internet connection" popup, the popup that is used when an application is requesting an Internet connection.
Reason: The popup is unnecessary.
UPDATE Aug 3rd 2017 : 1.1.2.16 doesnt address the following scenario and the popup still shows, i believe a setting manual option to not open the popup (that option also exists in iOS on new WiFi hotspot found). Two sim cards inserted, no WiFI connected but WiFi networks in range and mobile data disconnect from primary source due to network down error. The popup will show network select at top of the screen.
A manual setting should allow override so select network popup never shows automatically.
Why this is important? Because on some commuting routes the network always comes down in the same geographic location and will always recover 5min later. A popup is simply distracting and not needed. The network down message is sufficient!
The SFOS update does address the popup and limits the times it shows based on the following scenario : the user has a data plan then a connection to the Internet is always expected to exist, so no popup is needed. If a known Wifi access point is available then Wifi will be automatically be used instead, so no popup is needed.
If the user does not have a data plan, then they will be using an Internet connection in one of the known Wifi access points in their area (home, work...). Since the access point is known it will be automatically used, so no popup is needed.
If a user with no data plan is using an application that requests Internet access (a GPS sport tracker, a video game that uploads statistics...) and the user is not in a location with a known Wifi access point, then the "Select Internet connection" popup will appear and show the options to use a data plan (which the user doesn't have) and a list of Wifi access points that are almost always unusable (requiring passwords or the user is on the road...), which means the popup is almost always not needed. If the user needs to add a new Wifi access point, then it can be selected from the "Settings" application. The user will need to know the name of the access point and the password for any encryption, which means it will be a pre-planned action and not something that needs to be presented to the user. In other words, the user should be in control of when to setup an Internet connection and not the application.
The reason for making the change to disable the "Select Internet connection" popup only an option (and not the default) is because:
- Mobile data plans are quite common, so this in not an issue for many users.
- Showing a popup is the expected behaviour when compared to other mobile phones.
- It is more user-friendly for new users.
Thank you!
EDIT: I've been trying to figure out a way to implement this, even as an unofficial hack. The more I think about it the more confused I get: The popup appears when an application requests Internet access... But the "Connect to Internet" pulley menu item in the "Settings" application uses the same code that the other applications use (including the "Connect to Internet" shortcut application I have installed). So that means that if the popup is disabled at its very source then NO application will be able to load the popup. Oops. :P Does anyone have any ideas for a way to implement this?
EDIT: This seems to be show up on far less occasions after Update 11 (1.1.2.16). Additional info: According to the release notes, it now won't "pop up ConnectionSelector more often than once in 10 sec". I'm not quite sure what this means, but I just did a quick test (on Update 12... Oops, I mean 11) and the application that used to load the Internet connection popup the most hasn't done it at all in the past 20 minutes. :)
And when you have wifi disabled and you lose mobile connection, it popups the select internet connection with the wlan option. I travel by train to work every morning and that stupid popup comes 5-6 times in 40 minute period. I have wlan disabled, why does it even ask if I want to connect to wlan?Frustrating!
cahva ( 2014-08-12 08:20:33 +0300 )editI usually disable wlan/mobile internet when not needed (to save battery). Being asked to select an internet connection after disabeling it is completely unnecessary.
feodoran ( 2014-08-12 09:53:13 +0300 )editPersonally I like this popup. "The popup is unnecessary" for you, maybe, but not everyone is using his Jolla like an iPhone, where you basically have everything switched on all the time. I like my battery to last at least 2 days so:
Also, you simply forget that data plans are not necessarily unlimited. There are plans with 50/100MB data, just to browse maps or get mails once in a while.
If you don't have access to Internet, simply don't open an app that requires Internet, no?
There is just one exception: games with adds. For this case, yes, I agree that the popup is annoying and that's why in the end, I'm totally ok to have an option for that, but not for the reasons you mention! ;)
Sthocs ( 2014-08-12 11:30:43 +0300 )editYou like it, but I dont like it. So it should be optional. Connection should be transparent in certain situations. It really is irritating to read website article or ebook when this giant popup disturbs you with connect to internet and wlan is the only option and there is no free wi-fi available (and as I said, I've switched it off).
cahva ( 2014-08-12 13:36:14 +0300 )edit@Sthocs - Thank you very much for your response! :) Everything you said about your use case is entirely valid so, yes, it should only be an option to disable the popup. The place I see the popup the most often is when I use running / cycling tracker applications. They always try to connect to the Internet to show me a map of where I am (both on the N900 and on the Jolla), but the GPS tracking works just fine without it.
Also, thank you for the tip about disabling Wifi to preserve battery. I will try that at work today. :)
drcouzelis ( 2014-08-12 16:03:59 +0300 )edit