The iPhone’s Control Centre no longer properly disables Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

A SUBTLE tweak in the iPhone’s Control Centre menu in the new iOS 11 has Apple fans upset — and you should probably be aware of it.

APPLE’S new operating system came out yesterday and people are pretty perturbed by one slight change.

The new iOS 11 comes with a bunch of useful and cool new features but there’s a subtle change in the functionality of the control centre menu which some people aren’t happy about.

Plenty of users have noticed that when you turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in the control centre — the shortcut menu which appears when you swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen — it doesn’t actually fully disable them.

It sounds like a bug but it’s not. It means AirDrop, AirPlay and Location Services will still work even if you tap Bluetooth or Wi-Fi off. Your phone or tablet will also stay connected to Apple Pencil or Apple Watch and be able to use continuity features like Handoff and Instant Hotspot.

“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,” Apple says on its website.

So if you’re using non-Apple wireless headphones, for example, they will still be disconnected.

The change in functionality featured throughout the beta version of iOS 11 but has now rankled some Apple fans since appearing in the official version.

Turning off your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you’re not using them is a good security practice and at the very least might stop you from getting unsolicited dick pics sent to your phone by strangers on public transport.

No doubt some users who routinely use other Apple connected devices might find the change useful but others have been critical on social media.

One user responded to Apple’s VP of Software Engineering on Twitter calling it “a real step backwards” while another said it was “so stupid”.

Collin Mulliner is a security researcher who’s studied Bluetooth for years and he seems to agree.

“It is stupid,” he told Motherboard over Twitter. “It is not clear for the user.”

It’s only a minor change but users should be aware.

So if you really want to turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi properly, you’ll have to remember to do it through the Settings app.

PSA: iOS 11 new control center WiFi and Bluetooth toggles don’t actually turn off their respective radios.

— Andrea Barisani (@AndreaBarisani) September 20, 2017

If you toggle wifi or bluetooth off in Control Centre it actually is still on unless you switch it off in settings. Really??? #Apple #iOS11

— Caspar ter Horst (@casparterhorst) September 20, 2017

So in #iOS11 when you turn off WiFi and Bluetooth from the control centre it doesn’t actually turn ‘off’ ?? just disconnects if. So stupid!!

— Labilé (@CruzerM68) September 20, 2017

Craig please bring back the abibity to disable wifi & bluetooth from control centre. It’s a real step backwards in an otherwise great OS!!

— Garth 🇿🇦🇳🇱🇺🇸 (@1_John3_23) September 20, 2017

Please fix #ios11 so that turning off Bluetooth & WiFi actually turns them off! Worst change in iOS 11. @pschiller #ios #apple #iphone

— Adrian Hawkins (@adrianhawkins) September 20, 2017

today’s a good day to accidentally airdrop someone a dick pic

— Jason Eveleth (@aignorantslut) September 20, 2017

Originally published as The iPhone’s Control Centre no longer properly disables Wi-Fi or Bluetooth