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iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

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Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#42
This has been easily the most obnoxious change of iOS 11. It is super annoying to have to dismiss the list of available WiFi networks every single time I open my phone while walking around the city, no matter how many times I turn my WiFi off.

Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#43
post #6

> In an attempt to keep you connected to Apple devices and services, iOS 11 compromises users' security. No. It is in an attempt to resolve the real loss of money experienced by everyday users who turn off WiFi when it’s flakey and then forget to turn it back on, costing them cash on their cellular data plan. (And the very real frustration when things don’t work they expect to work, and they don’t know why.) Meanwhil…

> resolve the real loss of money experienced by everyday users who turn off WiFi

The way I've run every smartphone I've owned is to turn off mobile data, WiFi, and Bluetooth and only turn them on as and when I need them. I prefer it to work that way.

The way this works in iOS 11 is now inconsistent and confusing. I can turn mobile data on and off via Control Centre. But, while I can turn WiFi on in Control Centre, I can't turn it off again. The mobile data icon in Control Centre has two states: highlighted for on and non-highlighted for off. The WiFi icon in Control Centre has three states: highlighted for on, non-highlighted for disconnected, and non-highlighted with a line through it for off. For consistency the mobile data icon should also have a line through it.

I can turn WiFi off via Settings, but doing it this way is slower and clumsier than it used to be in iOS 10. As a workaround, I've added Settings to my phone's taskbar. Force pressing the Settings icon pops up a menu which lets you get to the WiFi settings directly.

Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#44
post #39

In general, iOS isn’t very friendly to users who favour 3G/4G over WiFi. I’ve got unlimited data on my LTE plan but very shaky WiFi at home. I can’t start an iCloud backup without WiFi and can’t download apps or updates over a certain size. And now WiFi miraculously turns itself back on after I turn it off in Control Center (as I’ve done for some time). If I want it off I’ve got to dig through Settings. Changing defa…

I'm on unlimited data plan too, I was constantly running into the device refusing to do what I wanted because it was trying to protect me from imaginary "unexpected charges".

Strangely enough it was actually much nicer using my Android phone as the hotspot for my MacBook instead of the iPhone, because (recognizing the iPhone) it refused to auto-connect (probably those "charges" again eh?), and it would turn off the hotspot whenever the last person disconnected (so I'd have to keep my phone on all night, or be woken early by data-hungry housemates), probably for power saving.

I do understand these are sensible defaults for most people. But it stops being sensible when the defaults are inappropriate, get in the way constantly, and cannot be changed.

I guess their philosophy is something like, "Make 80% of people happy and totally disregard everyone else."

Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#45
post #23

I hate this. I have a ton of wifi hotspots setup in the city, some of them require authentication, some of them don't. I leave work, mount my phone on my bike, "turn off" WiFi and cycle before realizing that nothing (like maps) is updating because I connected to a wifi point that needs authentication, or a point that is now far away because I already cycled by. While cycling, I reach to my phone and switch it "off" a…

The workaround I use is to add Settings to the taskbar. If you force-press Settings it pops up a menu which allows you to get to the WiFi section directly. Turning off WiFi in Settings turns it off (you'll see the WiFi icon has a line through it in Control Centre).

Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#46
post #6

> In an attempt to keep you connected to Apple devices and services, iOS 11 compromises users' security. No. It is in an attempt to resolve the real loss of money experienced by everyday users who turn off WiFi when it’s flakey and then forget to turn it back on, costing them cash on their cellular data plan. (And the very real frustration when things don’t work they expect to work, and they don’t know why.) Meanwhil…

> resolve the real loss of money experienced by everyday users who turn off WiFi The way I've run every smartphone I've owned is to turn off mobile data, WiFi, and Bluetooth and only turn them on as and when I need them. I prefer it to work that way. The way this works in iOS 11 is now inconsistent and confusing. I can turn mobile data on and off via Control Centre. But, while I can turn WiFi on in Control Centre, I…

>The way I've run every smartphone I've owned is to turn off mobile data, WiFi, and Bluetooth and only turn them on as and when I need them

Okay, but you have to accept that this is a ridiculously small minority use case.

Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#47
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No. Yes. It's not just because people forget to turn Wi-Fi back on. Radios are "off-ish" because they remain on for other Apple devices and services, but off for other uses. What actually happens in iOS 11 when you toggle your quick settings to "off" is that the phone will disconnect from Wi-Fi networks and some devices, but remain on for Apple services. Location Services is still enabled, Apple devices (like Apple…

I disconnect from Bluetooth daily because my TV soundbar or wife’s car in the driveway picks up my audio output. I’ve never intended that action to disconnect my Apple Watch. iOS 11 is an improvement for me in that regard.

Since it turns back on automatically at 5am, I have to remember to hard turn it off, otherwise it connects my alarm to my living room bluetooth speaker. Took me a couple days to figure out what was happening. Frustrating for me.

Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#48
post #6

> In an attempt to keep you connected to Apple devices and services, iOS 11 compromises users' security. No. It is in an attempt to resolve the real loss of money experienced by everyday users who turn off WiFi when it’s flakey and then forget to turn it back on, costing them cash on their cellular data plan. (And the very real frustration when things don’t work they expect to work, and they don’t know why.) Meanwhil…

> resolve the real loss of money experienced by everyday users who turn off WiFi The way I've run every smartphone I've owned is to turn off mobile data, WiFi, and Bluetooth and only turn them on as and when I need them. I prefer it to work that way. The way this works in iOS 11 is now inconsistent and confusing. I can turn mobile data on and off via Control Centre. But, while I can turn WiFi on in Control Centre, I…

Ya, so accept that Apple decided your hyper aware use case doesn't need to be the default. Seems like you know what is up, so they are working to prevent unnecessary charges to the far larger, far less aware segment of the population. All seems good, no?

Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#49
post #6

> In an attempt to keep you connected to Apple devices and services, iOS 11 compromises users' security. No. It is in an attempt to resolve the real loss of money experienced by everyday users who turn off WiFi when it’s flakey and then forget to turn it back on, costing them cash on their cellular data plan. (And the very real frustration when things don’t work they expect to work, and they don’t know why.) Meanwhil…

I don't understand why they don't just fix that specific problem.

Re: iOS 11's Misleading "Off-Ish" Setting for Radios Is Bad for User Security

#50
post #6

> In an attempt to keep you connected to Apple devices and services, iOS 11 compromises users' security. No. It is in an attempt to resolve the real loss of money experienced by everyday users who turn off WiFi when it’s flakey and then forget to turn it back on, costing them cash on their cellular data plan. (And the very real frustration when things don’t work they expect to work, and they don’t know why.) Meanwhil…

> No. It is in an attempt to resolve the real loss of money...

Naked apologism. So unthoughtful, and delivered with such a righteous tone.

If this was their intention, they could have implemented the feature honestly, informing users about what was happening, and offering a clear choice, such as an immediate popup, between "turn off for this location" and "turn off completely." That would have been fine.

But the existence of this "pro" to the deceptive and confusing behavior does not justify it.

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