Samsung devices won’t get Android’s new Instant hotspot feature

Android is getting a new ‘Instant hotspot’ feature that should make it more seamless to connect an Android tablet or Chromebook to your phone’s data connection. However, Samsung devices won’t get the feature.

Instant hotspot will roll out as part of the recent Android feature drop and will allow people to easily and quickly share their Android phone’s hotspot with tablets or Chromebooks. The feature will save people time by skipping steps like turning on the hotspot on your phone or entering a password on your Wi-Fi-only device.

However, Android Authority spotted fine print on an image of the feature saying it’s “not available on Samsung devices.” It’s not immediately clear why, but the publication speculates Samsung might have opted out of Instant hotspot since it already offers its own version of the feature, but exclusively for Samsung phones and tablets.

Samsung’s hotspot feature, coupled with the fact that Chromebooks already have an ‘Instant Tether’ feature for easily connecting to a phone’s hotspot, means not getting Instant hotspot won’t be a huge loss for Samsung users.

Still, it’s a bit odd that the feature isn’t coming to Samsung devices since it’s part of Google Play Services, which is available on all Android devices certified by Google.

Distributed also on: Android Authority