Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Aren't Fully Disabled When Toggled Off in Control Center on iOS 11

[strategicthinke]

People want the option to quickly disable both, for reasons of saving power and for security. Is that so hard to understand? It is not a mistake. I want both WiFi and Bluetooth completely off while I use my phone's GPS, which is a glutton for energy, when I hike for instance.

Ok, I’ll try to make it simple: disabling WiFi uses more energy. Your WiFi is used for location service instead of GPS. Even when you’re not on WiFi, triangulation with other WiFi routers makes it much less battery-draining to set your location instead of relying on GPS all the time. If you turn WiFi completely off, your GPS will be used in every single instance that location is required. So, no, it won’t save you energy, it will actually drain more of your battery.
As of Bluetooth, it USED to use a lot of energy. Since Low Energy Bluetooth was adopted, less than 2% of battery is drained by keeping it on at all times. Also, many of the perks of Apple’s ecosystem (namely, Continuity, Hand-off, Apple Watch, AirPods, AirPlay, Apple Pay, Apple Pencil, password sharing, HomePod activation, Apple TV Remote prompt) rely on Bluetooth. So, no, Apple should NOT make it easy to disable it - lest people will complain that ”Continuity doesn’t work”. You can’t have a tight ecosystem and allow people to easily disable part of its functionality and still have it “just working”. Apple is right, with the decision to just disable WiFi and Bluetooth instead of turning them completely off.

 

[VulchR]

Ok, I’ll try to make it simple: disabling WiFi uses more energy. Your WiFi is used for location service instead of GPS. Even when you’re not on WiFi, triangulation if other routers makes it much less battery-draining to set your location instead of relying on GPS all the time. If yoinked WiFi off, your GPS will be used in every single instance that location is required. So, no, it won’t save you energy, it will actually drain more of your battery.
As of Bluetooth, it USED to use a lot of energy. Since Low Energy Bluetooth was adopted, less than 2% of battery is drained by keeping it on at all times. Also, many of the perks of Apple’s ecosystem (namely, Continuity, Hand-off, Apple Watch, AirPods, AirPlay, Apple Pay, Apple Pencil, password sharing, HomePod activation, Apple TV Remote prompt) rely on Bluetooth. So, no, Apple should NOT make it easy to disable it - lest people will complain that ”Continuity doesn’t work”. You can’t have a tight ecosystem and allow people to easily disable part of its functionality and still have it “just working”. Apple is right here.

Oh for heaven's sake. Once GPS has established a good guess for your location it can work from that without reference to WiFi. Yes, it takes a few minutes to establish GPS coordinates in the absence of WiFi or cellular signals, but it ain't exactly like there are WiFi routers (or cellular signals) located on the peaks of the Scottish mountains... As for Bluetooth, I have only one Bluetooth device (a fitness tracking/watch). If I download data from the watch/fitness tracker manually rather than leaving it connected, I get an extra day before I have to recharge it. This is helpful in the context which I described (walking/camping in wild nature areas far from WiFi, cellular signals or power outlets). Indeed I have wondered why Apple has missed the trick of providing a ruggedised version of the iPhone with a large battery and better GPS antennae dedicated for outdoor use. I guess that just isn't flash enough in terms of style.

I am very well educated in technology thank you very much, and I have legitimate, technically sound reasons for wanting WiFi and Bluetooth fully OFF. The problem with the people at Apple is that sometimes they assume, rather arrogantly, maximum ignorance on the part of the user. There is a difference between being user-friendly and user-patronizing.

 

[Playfoot]

Recently I was forced to upgrade my iPad to the current 13. I am new to this, and in reading, it seems I have to accept the reduced efficiency. Is there no way to return to the functionality of simply toggling to turn off all the WiFi and the Bluetooth? You know, the easy efficient way it used be done before OS13, or who knows when the change was made....?

To be clear, I do not want to use Siri and send free data to Apple for which I will be charged for later in life . . .

 

[zorinlynx]

Recently I was forced to upgrade my iPad to the current 13. I am new to this, and in reading, it seems I have to accept the reduced efficiency. Is there no way to return to the functionality of simply toggling to turn off all the WiFi and the Bluetooth? You know, the easy efficient way it used be done before OS13, or who knows when the change was made....?

To be clear, I do not want to use Siri and send free data to Apple for which I will be charged for later in life . . .

Long-touch the settings app and tap Bluetooth or Wi-Fi respectively, and switch them off.

Yes, it's an extra couple of taps, but how often do you have to turn them completely off? Disconnecting devices in control center does a sufficient job for me in 99.9% of cases and I can't remember the last time I had to toggle them completely off.

 

[Playfoot]

Long-touch the settings app and tap Bluetooth or Wi-Fi respectively, and switch them off.

Yes, it's an extra couple of taps, but how often do you have to turn them completely off? Disconnecting devices in control center does a sufficient job for me in 99.9% of cases and I can't remember the last time I had to toggle them completely off.

Good morning. Thank you for your kind reply.

However, I am one of those people who like to have things turned off, when I turn them off. I also despise the fact that Apple, and not me, decides when I want to turn either WiFi or BT back on at 0500hrs.

And while I am not given to flights of conspiracy, it seems every time I completely turn off BT, the apple device forgets the device, so that next time I turn on BT, I am told that Apple no longer remembers the device, that I must delete the profile and then re-pair. ONLY Apple does this.....

I shall continue to search for a solution.

 

[travelsheep]

I shall continue to search for a solution.

I'm searching for better solutions ever since the iPhone 6S got replace by the 7. Still on the 6S, still searching. New iPhone models in 2020, that's my next hope, will the search end there?

 

[Playfoot]

I'm searching for better solutions ever since the iPhone 6S got replace by the 7. Still on the 6S, still searching. New iPhone models in 2020, that's my next hope, will the search end there?

Yes, it seems, and this is only my opinion, that Apple has stumbled more and more. From OS issues, poor keyboard, screen connector issues on the MacBook Pro, etc. to removing control from the user.

With respect to the above noted issue, why not allow the user to turn off all as before, allow the user to control the time, etc.?