Optionally avoid metered networks when "only on wifi" is set

Mobile access point used for auto update when "wifi only" is set

• Device OS and version: android 6.0.1
• Device model/manufacturer: Samsung Galaxy Note 4
• F-Droid version (in the About screen): 0.100

What did you do? (clear steps if possible)

Have an internet via wifi access point, marked in system settings as "mobile access point". Check "wifi only update" in fdoid app settings.

What did you expect to see?

Fdoid should newer automatically download repo updates via this access point

What did you see instead?

It downloads repo update automaticaly.

A mobile access point is a wi-fi access point like any other. How is an app supposed to know which is which?

Also, the setting never said "only on broadband" or anything like that. It says wifi, which a mobile hotspot is.

Common sense tells me that "mobile access point" property of a wifi access point in android smecially created to mean for all apps "yes, technically it's wifi, but real life it uses mobile data, then, please, not threat that connection as a wifi". If not - why this property added to system at all.

Two ideas:

• add a only use these Wi-Fi networks multi SSID check selector
• add a skip metered connections option (assuming that hot-spots/metered connections advertise themselves as so)

add a only use these Wi-Fi networks multi SSID check selector

That's definitely overkill.

add a skip metered connections option

Sounds fair. This was only added in 4.0 though, so it will only be available on newer devices.

A patch adding that option is fine by me.

Changed title: Mobile access point used for auto update when "wifi only" is set → Optionally avoid metered networks when "only on wifi" is set

Also, it seems like this depends on the AP broadcasting this extra info:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/23877476/android-why-connectivitymanager-isactivenetworkmetered-always-returning-true

So whoever implements this should test it with e.g. other Android devices with tethering on, because it might not work at all.

Yes, that's a problem, since implementations might not say they're metered, that's where the Wi-Fi selector helps.

@iav1 Get NetGuard from F-Droid, in Settings->Tech info while connected to that hot-spot does it say Metered TRUE or FALSE?

A wi-fi selector is still way too overkill imo. If Android doesn't provide a reliable way to filter this, we shouldn't reinvent the wheel.

At least Syncthing and NetGuard filter behaviour with such a selector.

Is there a library to do this? What I want to avoid here is having hundreds of lines of Java for a very niche feature such as this.

Not really, just plain:

• list (known) SSIDs
• multiplecheckbox
• currentssidallowed() { if (ssidallowedlist.contains(currentssid)) {return true} }
• if (activeNetwork.getType() != ConnectivityManager.TYPE_WIFI && Preferences.get().isUpdateOnlyOnWifi() && currentssidallowed() {...} around here

Not sure if it will be hundreds of lines though. :)

If it would be simple code, and if the metered method doesn't work with android/iphone access points, then a patch would be welcome.

Milestone changed to %0.102

Reassigned to @eighthave

Status changed to closed by merge request !415 (merged)