Google has added a feature to its Pixel and Nexus handsets that it hopes will help ease the process of using phones as mobile hotspots.
Instant Tethering, as the feature is called, works because both the phone and secondary device (like a tablet) rely on the same Google account and can talk to one another via Bluetooth.
“When you unlock a tablet such as the Pixel C, it will notice if there is no internet connection available, and will ask your Pixel phone if it has internet and battery life,” explained Pixel Project Manager Omri Amarilio in a blog post. “If it does, we will give you an option to enable a secure hotspot and pair automagically, without even taking your phone out of your pocket.”
Once you stop using the tablet and lock the screen, Instant Tethering is smart enough to realize the hotspot is no longer needed and will turn it off on the phone in order to save battery life. Instant Tethering is limited to Google devices and works with the Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P smartphones and the Nexus 9 and Pixel C tablets.
