“We noted way back in July that toggling Bluetooth and wifi off in the iOS 11 control center doesn’t do quite what you might expect. Rather than disabling the functionality, it merely disconnects from currently-connected devices and cancels the auto-join feature to stop it immediately reconnecting,” Ben Lovejoy reports for 9to5Mac. “But not everyone got the memo, so the issue is getting some fresh attention.”
“Security researcher Andrea Barisani tweeted about the issue yesterday, and that’s since been picked up by a range of sites. Motherboard spoke with Barisani, who said that it was not obvious to users what the toggles did, and it was good practice to disable both forms of wireless connectivity when not using them,” Lovejoy reports. “Other security researchers agreed that Apple’s approach is too counter-intuitive for users to understand what is happening.”
“You can of course switch off both forms of connectivity in Settings, or toggle on Airplane Mode if you also want to disable mobile service,” Lovejoy reports. “There is one other oddity: even if you switch off in Settings, Apple switches both radio systems back on at 5am. This is likely because people forget they’ve switched it off and then can’t understand why a device won’t connect the next day.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Via Apple’s support document regarding using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in Control Center with iOS 11:
In iOS 11 and later, when you toggle the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth buttons in Control Center, your device will immediately disconnect from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth accessories. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will continue to be available, so you can use these important features:
• AirDrop
• AirPlay
• Apple Pencil
• Apple Watch
• Continuity features, like Handoff and Instant Hotspot
• Instant Hotspot
• Location ServicesDisconnect from Wi-Fi networks
Open Control Center and tap . The icon will dim and your device will disconnect from any network that you’re connected to.
While Wi-Fi is disabled, auto-join for any nearby Wi-Fi networks will also be disabled until:
• You turn on Wi-Fi in Control Center.
• You connect to a Wi-Fi network in Settings > Wi-Fi.
• You walk or drive to a new location.
• It’s 5 AM local time.
• You restart your device.Disconnect from Bluetooth accessories
Open Control Center and tap . The icon will dim and your device will disconnect from any accessory it’s connected to, except for Apple Watch, Instant Hotspot, Apple Pencil, and Continuity features, like Handoff.
If Bluetooth is turned off, you won’t be able to connect your iOS device to your Bluetooth accessories until:
• You turn on Bluetooth in Control Center.
• You connect to a Bluetooth accessory in Settings > Bluetooth.
• It’s 5 AM local time.
• You restart your device.Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• If you want to completely disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for all networks and devices, follow these steps:
• To turn off Wi-Fi, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and turn off Wi-Fi.
• To turn off Bluetooth, go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn off Bluetooth.
• For the best experience on your iOS device, try to keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.