Android Pie introduced Wi-Fi scan throttling, but a fix of sorts is coming

Android Pie brought plenty of new additions, but one of the more polarizing decisions was the move to disable Wi-Fi scan throttling.

This move limits how often apps can scan Wi-Fi, be it for an integral system feature, to improve connectivity, or to save battery life. The throttling means foreground apps can only run four Wi-Fi scans every two minutes, while background apps are only allowed to run a scan once every 30 minutes.

Now, Google has confirmed on its Issue Tracker website (h/t: Android Police) that it’s working on a fix. Just don’t expect this solution to be very straightforward for the average user though.

“A new developer option to toggle scan throttling off will be available from Q Beta 5 onwards,” a Google representative noted on the website. This suggests that you’ll need to activate developer options and then find the toggle here, rather than finding it in the settings menu or making it a permission.

This solution is still better than nothing, and there are indeed plenty of apps that will benefit from this move. Some of the more prominent apps that should benefit include indoor navigation apps and networking testing tools.

Are there any other legacy Android features you’d like to see in a future version of Android? Let us know in the comments section!

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