Instant Tethering Feature Built In To Play Services 10.2

[DroidModderX]

Now that most everyone is on some sort of tiered data plan tethering is included. This means if you have a few tablets laying around you can share the data you payed for in your plan with those devices. The only downside is that it takes a bit of setup to get your hotspot going, and every time you need it you have to go into settings and enable it.

Google is rolling out a feature in Google Play Services 10.2 which will notify you to turn on tethering if it notices one of your devices has a poor connection or drops the connection. It will make the necessary connection through bluetooth. The feature will also show you the battery life on devices that connect to your hotspot. This all happens server side so you won't see this happening right away. You will know if you have the feature by going to your phone's setting menu, and opening your Google menu. If the update has been applied to your device you will see an option for Instant Tethering. The feature is rolling out first to Nexus and Pixel devices running Android 7.1.1 Nougat. This seems to be a pretty useful feature.

via +Google

 

[Drootz]

I am sure Verizon is already working on a plan to block this from their phones and those of us still on unlimited data plans.

 

[akhenax]

Wouldn't I know if my "device" needs another connection, and my phone can fit the bill? Plus, it looks like this isn't compatible with Chromebooks, Windows, Mac OS, etc. This feature looks to only work with Android tablets or devices that are using the same ID.

Weird.