Vertical handover

Have you ever played with two different toys at the same time? Maybe you were playing with a toy car on the floor, but then your mom called you for dinner and you had to leave the toy car behind and pick up your fork and spoon to eat. That's a bit like what happens when your phone or tablet needs to switch between different types of internet connections.

Sometimes your phone or tablet uses a type of internet connection called Wi-Fi to connect to the internet. That's like playing with the toy car on the floor. But sometimes, you might need to leave your Wi-Fi connection (like when you leave the house) and use a different type of internet connection called cellular data (like when you're playing at the park). That's like leaving the toy car behind and picking up your fork and spoon.

When your device makes this switch from Wi-Fi to cellular data, or from cellular data back to Wi-Fi, it's called a "vertical handover". Just like how you put down the toy car and pick up the fork and spoon, your device "hands over" the internet connection from one type to another.

This vertical handover can happen automatically on your device, without you even realizing it. But it's important for your device to be able to make this switch smoothly so that you can stay connected to the internet no matter where you are!