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Why does Apple Enable Bluetooth after Updates

-BigMac-

-BigMac-

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Apr 15, 2011
2,503
2,925
Melbourne, Australia
Hi guys.

After each update (as far as I know) Apple is enabling Bluetooth. I can't figure out why this is the case. If I have it turned off, it's because I did it manually and clearly don't need it right?

Anyone else have any ideas why this could be the case? It's not a hustle to turn it right off again, but I find it interesting, they don't turn on rotation lock, or put it into silent mode, so why do they force Bluetooth to be on.

Thanks :)
 
-BigMac- said:
Hi guys.

After each update (as far as I know) Apple is enabling Bluetooth. I can't figure out why this is the case. If I have it turned off, it's because I did it manually and clearly don't need it right?

Anyone else have any ideas why this could be the case? It's not a hustle to turn it right off again, but I find it interesting, they don't turn on rotation lock, or put it into silent mode, so why do they force Bluetooth to be on.

Thanks :)
Click to expand...


HAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH, i don't know why i found it funny at all, but i guess it has some sync function?
 
airdrop is turned on during the update process for some reason, turning on bluetooth. I can't remember but I feel like it didn't do this after one of the 7.1 beta's.
 
swordfish5736 said:
airdrop is turned on during the update process for some reason, turning on bluetooth. I can't remember but I feel like it didn't do this after one of the 7.1 beta's.
Click to expand...
I've been similarly thinking that it might be related to AirDrop in some way.
 
swordfish5736 said:
airdrop is turned on during the update process for some reason, turning on bluetooth. I can't remember but I feel like it didn't do this after one of the 7.1 beta's.
Click to expand...

So you think it could have been a bug since it doesnt do it since the new betas?

C DM said:
I've been similarly thinking that it might be related to AirDrop in some way.
Click to expand...

What are some uses of Airdrop right after an upgrade? :)
 
-BigMac- said:
So you think it could have been a bug since it doesnt do it since the new betas?



What are some uses of Airdrop right after an upgrade? :)
Click to expand...
I don't think it's necessarily so much about any particular uses, as it is to have it available to the user right away (sort of like Apple enabling it by default as a feature to perhaps promote its discoverability or at least make it easier for people to come across it if they don't even know about it).
 
It's turned on by default when you buy the phone, too. Apple thinks you should have it on, probably so that new users can connect devices and use AirDrop without tinkering with Control Center too much.
 
musika said:
It's turned on by default when you buy the phone, too. Apple thinks you should have it on, probably so that new users can connect devices and use AirDrop without tinkering with Control Center too much.
Click to expand...
In some sense this probably similarly applies to WiFi which is similarly on by default and after upgrades (or is it?).
 
Back when we were on iOS 4.0, with our state of the art iPhone 4's I remember turning off Bluetooth would give you a nice increase in battery life. Since it was BT 2.1.

Now with the 5s and BT 4.0 and all of this "Extreme low power", how does it look now?
 
Nyy8 said:
Back when we were on iOS 4.0, with our state of the art iPhone 4's I remember turning off Bluetooth would give you a nice increase in battery life. Since it was BT 2.1.

Now with the 5s and BT 4.0 and all of this "Extreme low power", how does it look now?
Click to expand...

Mine looks turned off to give me a nice increase in battery life. :D
 
Default has always been on and tbh when you have a bt enabled car it's easier to have it on all the time.

As for the battery difference on a 5s? Honestly I don't notice extra drain.
 
Gav2k said:
Default has always been on and tbh when you have a bt enabled car it's easier to have it on all the time.

As for the battery difference on a 5s? Honestly I don't notice extra drain.
Click to expand...

Me neither. I have my Bluetooth on 24/7 (connected to my pebble watch) plus a pedometer app using the m7 processor all day, and my phone still has more than enough juice to last the day.
 
Nyy8 said:
Back when we were on iOS 4.0, with our state of the art iPhone 4's I remember turning off Bluetooth would give you a nice increase in battery life. Since it was BT 2.1.



Now with the 5s and BT 4.0 and all of this "Extreme low power", how does it look now?
Click to expand...


The longest battery usage I ever had was with Bluetooth on. With BT 4.0 it makes little to no difference.
 
It is just to promote AirDrop.

If somebody is updating from iOS 6, Apple wants to enable AirDrop by default so they can discover the feature.

If you are already on iOS 7, it doesn't have a check for the version so it will still enable it after each update.
 
It might be for error checking. After the update it applied it probably cycles the radios to ensure they are working properly so when it sends the update report back to Apple it probably lets them know if people are encountering critical issues.

This is my best guess.
 
The drain is so insignificant, that they can just leave it turned on. Also, as others have mentioned earlier, for AirDrop.
 
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