A security researcher from F-Secure has discovered that toggling WiFi and Bluetooth in the iOS Control Centre doesn’t actually turn the radios off. Aside from being completely counter-intuitive, it means the device’s threat surface remains broader than users realise.
While toggling the buttons on an off will disconnect you from networks and devices, the radios stay on in order to maintain connectivity with services like Handoff and AirDrop, and comms with an Apple Watch. Turning off the Bluetooth and WiFi radios completely now requires a trip to Settings and locating the appropriate settings there.
PSA: Turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in iOS 11’s Control Center doesn’t actually turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth https://t.co/IM3E71p5Lo pic.twitter.com/MTBBjuKTJs
— Motherboard (@motherboard) September 20, 2017
This seems to be one of those new “features” that is actually quite important but is given scant attention by Apple.
To turn off WiFi
- Open Settings
- Tap on WiFI
- Toggle the switch to the Off position (the green dot will disappear).
To turn off Bluetooth
- Open Settings
- Tap on Bluetooth
- Toggle the switch to the Off position (the green dot will disappear).
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