The FCC has announced that its speed test app is now available for iOS devices and may be downloaded from the iTunes App Store. The app is part of an expansion of the FCC’s Measuring Broadband America program, which is an ongoing performance study of broadband service in the U.S. Data collected from consumers’ use of the speed test app will provide valuable information on the deployment of mobile broadband networks across the U.S. The speed test app for iOS devices is similar to the app that was released for Android devices in November 2013, but the iOS version cannot run periodically in the background. Users must manually run the app to test their cellular and Wi-Fi network performance. Test results show upload and download speeds, latency, and packet loss. The app does not collect users’ personal or uniquely identifiable information. Additionally, the app will store test results, allowing the user to track network performance over time.
