How Google’s upcoming ‘Instant Tethering’ Play Services update will work

Google’s working on a new Play Services (version 10.2) feature that will make it much easier to utilize the mobile hotspot functionality on your device. Known as ‘Instant Tethering’, this feature will link all your devices that are registered under the same Google account and make it much easier for you to stay online when a connection drops. If one of your devices loses connection, you’ll be asked whether you want to tether to the other device. The functionality uses Bluetooth to mitigate the connection. In addition, you’ll be able to view the battery level of the other device. This feature makes, even more, sense if you have a tablet connecting to a smartphone, but it should work with any other device for that matter.But how will Google manage to pull this off?There’s little details available right now regarding how the company will manage to pull this off technologically. We currently don’t even know what devices the update might work on. However, rumor has it that the Nexus and Pixel smartphones running Nougat 7.1.1 will be the first group of devices to be able to take advantage of Instant Tethering. The same rumors suggest that the Pixel C and Nexus 9 devices will be supported as clients that can connect to any compatible phone, even those running marshmallow. Devices like the Pixel XL will work as hotspots.Google will most definitely make a launch announcement once this feature is available on a variety of devices. You can check whether your device has ‘Instant Tethering’ by navigating to your main system's settings, then open the Google Menu. If available, Instant Tethering should be listed there. Based on tests conducted by Android Police, there appears to be a server-side component to how this technology will work. Thus, you might not get it to work even after you install the latest version of Play Services.

Source: Android Police

Image Source: Android Pit