New App Turns Bluetooth On and Off With One Touch

[MacRumors]

A frequent complaint amongst some iPhone power users is the number of steps it takes to toggle Bluetooth on and off. It takes the user four steps -- Settings/General/Bluetooth/Toggle -- to turn it on or off. However, a just-launched app aims to make the task much simpler.

Bluetooth OnOff launched last night and enables the toggling of Bluetooth with just a tap -- or even, via a blank toggle, simply by launching the app. To do this, head to the app's settings panel in Settings and toggle the unlabeled switch there, kill the app through the multitasking tray and relaunch it.

It's a universal app, for iPhone and iPad -- however, this sort of direct control of Bluetooth is prohibited by Apple's iOS app guidelines and it's unclear how long Apple will allow the app to remain on the App Store.

Bluetooth OnOff is $0.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: New App Turns Bluetooth On and Off With One Touch

[guspasho]

I would love this for Wi-Fi! I can't count the number of times I've gotten stuck on a Wi-Fi network that isn't working right, either the signal is too low, or it's bogged down with users, or has no Internet access.

[troop231]

Wow, how did this even get approved?

If Apple pulls the app, will they still pay the developer?

[iDisk]

You can please some of the people ....some of the time.

[Exhale]

Originally Posted by troop231

Wow, how did this even get approved?

Its not exactly a secret many apps make it through without proper validation.

Remember the Pokemon Yellow incident a while back?

[RoboCop001]

Originally Posted by iDisk

You can please some of the people ....some of the time.

Or none of them all of the time

Technically you're affecting more people by pleasing no one........

[WiiDSmoker]

Or just JB and use SBSettings.

This really shows how dumb it is to toggle certain things in iOS.

[Zimmy68]

Fool me once.

This might not get pulled, just circumvented in an OS update.

I paid for Flashlaunch that direct linked straight to the wifi/bluetooth settings.
Worked just like I wanted.
Until the last iOS update.

No updates and it doesn't work anymore.

So, as much as I want this app, I am not paying a cent for it unless they guarantee future support, which I doubt would happen.

[UnseenLlama]

This guy is gonna make a fortune!

[troop231]

Originally Posted by Exhale

Its not exactly a secret many apps make it through without proper validation.

Remember the Pokemon Yellow incident a while back?

Is it still fair that the dev who made this Bluetooth app gets paid for directly violating the guidelines? Just wondering, as it's not fair to the other developers who could make these kind of apps, but not get approved.

[djdino]

it's called jailbreaking.

[troop231]

Originally Posted by UnseenLlama

This guy is gonna make a fortune!

How do you think that? He's in violation.

[Zimmy68]

Originally Posted by troop231

Is it still fair that the dev who made this Bluetooth app gets paid for directly violating the guidelines? Just wondering, as it's not fair to the other developers who could make these kind of apps, but not get approved.

There should be a clause that if an app gets pulled for violation after, everyone that bought it gets a refund, whether that is full or less Apple's 30%, I don't care.

I bought Comic Book Mobi when the first iPad came out for like $15.
The dev circumvented Apple rules by allowing USB loading (which oddly, is allowed today).
Apple took his app down.
I had to fight and scream to get my money back.
To me, part of the purchase price is future support.

[Hellhammer]

Now a similar app for WiFi, please.

[rorschach]

Download it now, even if you don't think you'll use it. It'll be gone by the end of the day, imo.

I bought the HandyLight app for tethering even though I had no use for tethering at the time, but it ended up being very useful a few times.

[Brandino147]

Originally Posted by Hellhammer

Now a similar app for WiFi, please.

Agreed

[n64kps]

I've been able to do this on my Android device for years...and it's legit.

[UnseenLlama]

Originally Posted by troop231

How do you think that? He's in violation.

If the app would be allowed to stay in the App store, he/she probably will make some money.

It fills an important functional need, at least for me.

[Bodycalming]

This Bluetooth On/Off feature should be built into SIRI, not as a paid App. Shame on you Apple for allowing it to be sold.

[diazj3]

Originally Posted by UnseenLlama

It fills an important functional need

I agree. Too bad it will probably be pulled by Apple.

I also wish there was a direct access app to the music EQ... same story.

[ThunderSkunk]

What I don't get is how it takes Apple months and months to evaluate and approve one app, and then something like this gets through as if no one ever laid eyes on it.

Very weird.

[rorschach]

Originally Posted by Zimmy68

There should be a clause that if an app gets pulled for violation after, everyone that bought it gets a refund, whether that is full or less Apple's 30%, I don't care.

I bought Comic Book Mobi when the first iPad came out for like $15.
The dev circumvented Apple rules by allowing USB loading (which oddly, is allowed today).
Apple took his app down.
I had to fight and scream to get my money back.
To me, part of the purchase price is future support.

Similar story, sort of. I bought the MLB At-Bat 2010 app at the beginning of that season. And it worked fine all year, even after the season ended. However, a few months into 2011 it just stopped working completely. It would just show an error when I opened it. The app hadn't been updated; one day it just stopped working.

Well, I had actually found it useful for looking up games from the season (you can only access the games for the season the app was released for) and videos from those games. I checked and double-checked everywhere to see if there was some fine print about the app "expiring", but I found nothing. I emailed Apple and told them the app I had purchased was broken and non-functional and requested a refund. I got the run-around with Apple telling me to contact MLB and MLB telling me to contact Apple.

It wasn't a huge deal, but I was curious to know if developers were actually allowed to intentionally cripple/break their apps that people had paid for. It was kind of shady.

[troop231]

Originally Posted by UnseenLlama

If the app would be allowed to stay in the App store, he/she probably will make some money.

It fills an important functional need, at least for me.

The problem is that it won't be allowed to stay, as it uses system level private APIs to accomplish the function, which is a major no-no. If Apple did let it stay, it would be a punch in the face to developers who actually follow the guidelines.

[Tsuius]

This is much to do about nothing!
The reason the bluetooth setting is buried is because it is supposed to stay ON so it is available when YOU need it.

I want a bluetooth connection when I get in my car or when I get home or when I use my bluetooth headset. There is no point to be fiddling with settings just so I can save .00000001 watts of power.

Just my $.99 opinion ;-)

[phyzics101]

about time. Now we need a app for one button mobile hot spot.