foxfi android permission connectivity internal

The FoxFi developers have not updated their app in over a year, and perhaps the problem is with FoxFi itself? Had Verizon intentionally thrown up a block to FoxFi at the network level?īlocking an app like this would potentially be in violation of the FCC-mandated rules for the cellular spectrum that Verizon controls, so if it is Verizon doing this - was it done by mistake? Unlike past FoxFi outages - this did not seem to be triggered by a new OS update or security patch, and it was impacting way more than just a few phone models. FoxFi Is Down - Who Is To Blame?īeginning November 20th, Verizon customers using FoxFi found themselves unable to share their connection - and online forums began to fill with complaints and outrage.

But in general it worked well - and many people relied on it. In particular - the grandfathered Unlimited Data plans charged an extra $30/mo to activate personal hotspot and USB tethering support.Īny attempt to activate the built in connection sharing on a phone with these older plans without paying to activate this feature would just pop up an alert to contact Verizon to enable the feature.Ĭustomers sophisticated enough to Jailbreak an iPhone or purchase a 'rooted' Android device could re-enable the tethering capabilities built into their operating system with ease, but a much simpler option for Android customers has been the extremely popular application FoxFi, which is easily available directly from the Google Play store.įoxFi provided its own interface for sharing a cellular data connection over a Wi-Fi hotspot, making it the easiest way for most people on these older plans to enable tethering while avoiding the fee.įoxFi required jumping through some hoops, did not support all phones (see here for a list), and often broke when security patches or OS updates were released.

All current Verizon phone plans include access to the Personal Hotspot feature built into iOS and Android to create a local Wi-Fi hotspot to share your cellular connection.īut on older plans from before the days of shared data buckets, this feature cost extra to activate and add to your plan.

Foxfi android permission connectivity internal