By default, Android activates hotspots on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands and skips the 6 GHz slice that powers shinier Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 gear. That made sense when hardly anything used 6 GHz, and when US regulators banned phones from using it for hotspots.

Things are shifting as more gadgets now handle 6 GHz Wi-Fi, and US rules have relaxed. Google has already pushed an update to Pixel phones that unlocks 6 GHz hotspot support. Pixel owners can tick the 6 GHz box by heading to settings, then network and internet, then hotspot and tethering, then Wi-Fi hotspot, then speed and compatibility, and selecting 6 GHz as the preferred frequency.

The 6 GHz band delivers rapid speeds with wider channels, though its higher-frequency waves have the reach of a soggy paper dart and are easily blocked. Older kit cannot use it, so anyone picking the 6 GHz setting has to live with shorter range and the fact that some devices will not connect.

Google’s new wheeze is a hotspot mode that blends the far-reaching 2.4 GHz band with the faster 6 GHz band. The latest Android canary release now shows a 2.4 and 6 GHz choice in the speed and compatibility settings. This dual-band mode promises the fastest speeds of the 6 GHz-only setting while keeping legacy devices happily talking on 2.4 GHz and filling the awkward gap between the default 2.4 and 5 GHz options and the fussy 6 GHz-only setup.

The canary release now offers three options. It lists 2.4 and 5 GHz for fast speeds compatible with most devices, then 6 GHz for the fastest speeds but compatible with few devices, and finally 2.4 and 6 GHz, which it describes as the fastest speeds compatible with most devices.

Since the option is already live in canary it should wander into the beta channel soon and will probably appear in an Android 16 QPR3 beta. When the feature rolls out more widely, you can expect Android users to poke at it and see if Google finally sorted the hotspot story.