Nowadays, smartphone owners spend a lot of time on the internet, and nobody wants the connection to drop in the middle of a conversation or download. Google will make sure that your device will always stay connected, as Android 7 Nougat will turn it into an always-on internet hotspot.
Instant tethering feature is great for those who have problems with dropped internet connections, but users should know that there’s a catch. Thanks to Android Nougat, any smartphone that runs on the latest operating system will be turned into a personal internet router and it will share cellular data connection through Wi-Fi. The only problem is that for now, tethering is available only to Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and Nexus 6 devices, which will act like a host that shares their data. The Pixel C and Nexus 9 can’t be hosts because they run on Marshmallow, but the will use the shared data connections.
In order to benefit from this feature, users must download Google Account. Play Services 10.2.98 or later and to sign into the same Google Account on both devices. Then, they will head to the Settings menu, select Personal, tap Google > Instant Tethering and finally, select “Provide data connection”. After setting up a host device, users will follow the same steps and they’ll set up a non-host phone/tablet by selecting “Get data connection”.
Whenever these secondary devices detect a host phone nearby, they will automatically connect to it. However, users should know that if they set up their phone as a hotspot and share cellular data connection with another device, their monthly data allowance will be consumed. But there won’t be any problem as long as they have an unlimited data plan, because this way, they won’t wake up with a huge data bill at the end of the month. Another downside of tethering feature is that it drains the battery pretty fast.
Google hasn’t announced when this feature will be available to other Android devices, but users won’t need to wait for too long.
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