New iOS/iPadOS 15 development tools prioritize 5G over Wi-Fi

August 12 news Apple today released a new developer tool designed to force devices running iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to prioritize 5G connections over WiFi connections when using unsecured WiFi networks or slow WiFi speeds.

Apple says developers who want to prioritize 5G on their devices can do so by running Beta 4 of iOS 15/iPadOS 15 or later and downloading the 5G Preferred Over WiFi profile.

The tool provides an option "Prioritize 5G over Wi-Fi profiles" that automatically prioritizes 5G connections over Wi-Fi.

"When your WiFi network is slow, or when you force a connection or connect to an unsecured WiFi network, 5G devices running iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 can automatically prioritize connecting via 5G instead of WiFi," Apple officially explained.

Apple previously introduced an upcoming feature on the iOS 15 Preview website that will automatically prioritize 5G in certain situations.

While Apple didn’t reveal the threshold at which devices switch from Wi-Fi to 5G, the new developer tools are thought to set a more aggressive metric than the features built into iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.

Install the 5G Preferred Over Wi-Fi profile (“Profile”) on devices running iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 Beta 4 or later to significantly increase the likelihood of seeing 5G prioritized over Wi-Fi connections and ensure that your network path logic is optimized for situations where 5G is preferred.