Bluetooth & Wi-Fi can't be fully disabled via iOS 11 Control Center, Apple says

Posted:
in iPhone
Contrary to intuition, toggling off Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi in the iOS 11 Control Center won't completely disable those radios, according to a new Apple support document.




The only way to completely disable network connections is to toggle them in the iOS Settings app, the document says. Instead the Control Center options simply disconnect any accessories apart from the Apple Watch and the Apple Pencil, so that those first-party products and some iOS functions -- namely AirDrop, AirPlay, Continuity, Instant Hotspot, and Location Services -- will continue to work.

After toggling off Wi-Fi, network auto-join is disabled as well until Wi-Fi is manually restarted, a person walks or drives to a new place, or it's 5 a.m. local time. Bluetooth accessory connections will resume under the same circumstances, minus the location trigger.

The scheme could be confusing or inconvenient for some users worried about battery life, security, or signal pollution.

Apple made the change during the iOS 11 beta. The support document codifies and explains it however, now that iOS 11 is available to the general public.

A redesigned Control Center is one of the focal points of iOS 11. The panel now takes up the entire display, showing more controls at once. Users can also add and remove items, customize their order, and control new functions like screen recording or Do Not Disturb While Driving.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 42
    So?
  • Reply 2 of 42
    This seems completely counterintuitive without some sort of note to the end user in Control Center. "Disconnects Non-Apple Devices" or something.
    cecil444dysamoriaGrimzahnGeorgeBMacMuntzlondon11ktappe
  • Reply 3 of 42
    :\ I asked you guys to write about this months ago
    cecil444doozydozendysamoriaSpamSandwichmike54dasanman69
  • Reply 4 of 42
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    "After toggling off Wi-Fi, network auto-join is disabled as well until Wi-Fi is manually restarted, a person walks or drives to a new place, or it's 5 a.m. local time. Bluetooth accessory connections will resume under the same circumstances, minus the location trigger."

    Really?! This sounds incredibly silly and certainly makes it less convenient. If I'm toggling off WiFi, it's because I don't want it on. Period. At least three use cases that affect me personally...

    1. I'm driving and the phone wants to connect to some public wifi signal that I may have used in the past. But now, all it will do is slow down the phone because it's not connecting to LTE. On a typical commute, I may pass through dozens of wifi networks.

    2. I'm running errands and don't want my phone to connect to every public or store wifi signal I may pass through. Most of them suck and I prefer to use my phone data.

    3. I do not connect to my company's wifi network with my phone as they block most non-work related sites. No personal e-mail, no score updates etc. So, I again turn off the wifi. Don't want it turning on again when I go into a different building.

    Shouldn't have to go into Settings to turn it off thereby negating the benefit of Control Center. Not like Apple to make things less convenient.
    cecil444doozydozendysamoriaGrimzahnMuntzslprescottlondon11oseamecaliTomE
  • Reply 5 of 42
    The more I read about these quirks of iOS 11, the less interested I am in upgrading to it. Apple software has historically been intuitive, but this behavior is the opposite. Disappointing.
    dysamoriabaconstangktappe
  • Reply 6 of 42
    Apple is rewriting the expectations for how wifi and bluetooth should work, and is essentially trying to improve the core experience of connecting with wifi/fi bluetooth. As an IT services provider working with mostly an older clientele I have seen times when long term problems were caused from turning wifi/bluetooth off accidentally (and in many cases didn't know how to access control center to easily get it back on). This self-healing process may make managing iPhone easier for many people.
    doozydozenmagman1979StrangeDayswillcropoint
  • Reply 7 of 42
    I think the key term here is ‘fully’. Because 999 out of 1000 cases, they work as intended.
    edited September 2017 doozydozenwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 42
    This is just completely baffling why they would do this. What’s the point of even putting this in control center. Questionable decisions by Apple lately in many different areas. This is not Steve Jobs Apple anymore. Although I really like iOS 11 immensely, this decision is just confusing in my opinion.
    dysamorialondon11baconstang
  • Reply 9 of 42
    This is just completely baffling why they would do this. What’s the point of even putting this in control center. Questionable decisions by Apple lately in many different areas. This is not Steve Jobs Apple anymore. Although I really like iOS 11 immensely, this decision is just confusing in my opinion.
    Maybe they do this, so you have a higher chance of getting a geo location of your device if it was lost/stolen and you happen to have your control center not disabled from a locked screen, for example.
    tobiwanwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 42
    This is idiotic. Why have them in the control center at all? The primary use for these is to conserve battery. I don't want to waste battery keeping a Bluetooth radio on when I rarely use Bluetooth. I also don't want my Apple Pencil to wake and connect to my iPad when it gets bumped, wasting its battery.
    Grimzahnlondon11pscooter63baconstang
  • Reply 11 of 42
    I can see both use cases. I frequently am near a work router that is local traffic only and stops me from getting mail so I toggle wifi off just to stop from connecting to the router, but I also need to be on that network to use an app occasionally. Perhaps a toggle in settings that controls the behavior of the control center toggle between the new and old behaviors?
  • Reply 12 of 42
    mike1 said:
    "After toggling off Wi-Fi, network auto-join is disabled as well until Wi-Fi is manually restarted, a person walks or drives to a new place, or it's 5 a.m. local time. Bluetooth accessory connections will resume under the same circumstances, minus the location trigger."

    Really?! This sounds incredibly silly and certainly makes it less convenient. If I'm toggling off WiFi, it's because I don't want it on. Period. At least three use cases that affect me personally...

    1. I'm driving and the phone wants to connect to some public wifi signal that I may have used in the past. But now, all it will do is slow down the phone because it's not connecting to LTE. On a typical commute, I may pass through dozens of wifi networks.

    2. I'm running errands and don't want my phone to connect to every public or store wifi signal I may pass through. Most of them suck and I prefer to use my phone data.

    3. I do not connect to my company's wifi network with my phone as they block most non-work related sites. No personal e-mail, no score updates etc. So, I again turn off the wifi. Don't want it turning on again when I go into a different building.

    Shouldn't have to go into Settings to turn it off thereby negating the benefit of Control Center. Not like Apple to make things less convenient.
    Conversely, a non-particularly-computer-literate friend found out his WiFi had been turned off after receiving an incredibly huge cell phone bill (he wouldn't tell me how much it was).
  • Reply 13 of 42
    My question is: If you activate Airplane Mode and then turn on BT, does Wifi stay off completely or does it come on in the degraded mode? The same goes for the effect on BT if you turn on Wifi after Airplane Mode is activated.
  • Reply 14 of 42
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    The bluetooth change I actually like - I've been saying for a long time that Apple needs to better design bluetooth connectivity. Especially if they're going to claim that 3.5 mm plugs are 'outdated.' We routinely have issues with devices staying connected to bluetooth accessories and causing interference, or missed calls. Since disconnecting an individual device involves going to the bluetooth section of settings I've generally resorted to disabling bluetooth form the control center.

    The wi-fi is just baffling. It seems like they spent a whole lot of time programming something to be counter intuitive and harder to use than it was before.

     Seems like a better option would be to have 3 settings - on; 'limited connectivity' and off.
    edited September 2017
  • Reply 15 of 42
    Mike, re-read the article please!  Toggling WiFi turns OFF auto-join!  Only AirDrop, Continuity, and a couple of Apple accessories remain connected.  Doesn't that cover all three "horrendous" cases you brought up?!!

    "After toggling off Wi-Fi, network auto-join is disabled as well until Wi-Fi is manually restarted, a person walks or drives to a new place, or it's 5 a.m. local time. Bluetooth accessory connections will resume under the same circumstances, minus the location trigger."
  • Reply 16 of 42
    Don’t know why Apple didn’t use 3D Touch touch to either invoke options or simply open the appropriate settings app. 
    mike54lolliver
  • Reply 17 of 42
    I remember reporting this as a bug - still makes no sense at all. You now have to go in the settings to switch off wifi.
  • Reply 18 of 42
    london11 said:
    I remember reporting this as a bug - still makes no sense at all. You now have to go in the settings to switch off wifi.
    But the "wifi" was off, what's the nitpicking for?
  • Reply 19 of 42
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,035member
    That 5 AM thing is strange to me (along with the other stuff here too). Based on the support document the time is not configurable. For the population that doesn't follow typical rise early around dawn and go to sleep in the evening (not sure if there's a term, non-circadian or nocturnal?) that specific time is a bit arbitrary and might not occur at a desired time.
  • Reply 20 of 42
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Utterly stupid.  Why even have a control then?  Also, thanks for burying the auto brightness toggle under Accessibility instead of in Display and Brightness.  Zero sense.  Had to look that up today.  
    baconstangwaverboylondon11ben20anton zuykov
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