Technology advances very fast. One consequence of this is that the advice or truths we thought we knew about certain technology, are no longer as true as they were a few years ago. Some time ago we saw it with some tips to extend the battery of your smartphone. Tips that sometimes we have been dragging from the time when batteries were different. The same goes for another common tip, which recommends turning off Bluetooth to reduce battery usage.
Actually, the confusion about turn off bluetooth or not It has its reason for being for various reasons that end up being confused over time. But let’s unravel that thread with the help of recommendations made by the smartphone manufacturers themselves and based on an analysis they have made in the specialized media Android Authority. His conclusions apply to both Android phones and iPhone devices.
And it is that turning off Bluetooth is useful for something, but not always for what people usually recommend. Let’s see the conclusions of the test on battery use and turning off Bluetooth or not, the difference between having it off, on or in usewhere the confusion comes from and why you should turn off or not the Bluetooth on your smartphone.
Battery usage and turn off Bluetooth or not
We said that in Android Authority they have put to the test five smartphones Android of 2020 to check what battery use Bluetooth technology makes, very popular lately thanks to wireless headphones, smart watches and bracelets or wireless game controllers. Is the Bluetooth the cause of the battery of your phone last a few hours? The devices used in the test are Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, Huawei P40 Pro, ZTE Axon 11, Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro Y Realme X3 Superzoom.
The first test or test consisted of three loading cycles. First, 90 minutes of web browsing, 90 minutes of rest, and another 90 minutes of web browsing. They then let the phones sit for 16 hours. And, finally, they repeated the first cycle. The second test consisted of playing video for 4 hours. With Bluetooth off, on but not in use, and finally with Bluetooth in use. And to avoid disparities, they put the brightness at 200 nits on all devices, disabled mobile data and NFC and they only kept the WiFi for the first test.
The results? In the first test, saving on battery usage it was 1.8%. That is, with Bluetooth turned off, the phones consumed 49.4% of the battery while browsing the internet. With Bluetooth on but not in use, consumption was 51.2%. Let’s go, 10 or 15 more minutes of life useful on your phone if you are going to turn off Bluetooth. It may seem little or a lot, it depends on each one.
And with him bluetooth in use? In the test of playing four hours of video, with Bluetooth turned off, 22.6% of the battery was consumed. With Bluetooth on but not in use, 24.2%. And with Bluetooth in use, 22.8%. In this test, those responsible say that each phone gave different results. That is each manufacturer brings its own improvements to the use of Bluetooth through Android.
Regarding the explanation of why Bluetooth consumption is so low in smartphones, the answer is that the worst part is taken by the connected device, be it a bracelet, a watch or a pair of headphones. In addition, today, smartphones and other devices often use Bluetooth Low Energy or Bluetooth low energy. It is precisely designed to consume less battery while maintaining the same coverage.
The confusion of turning off Bluetooth
At this point. dowhy it is recommended turn off bluetooth to save battery? Although the analysis we have seen has its pluses and minuses, it is quite reliable. And we can be left with the conclusion that yes, there is a minimal savings in battery usagebut hardly noticeable. In the test, the saving is 10 to 15 minutes on a device that can spend 5 hours with the screen on. If it’s okay with you, go ahead. Or better yet, let’s see when to turn it off and/or when to keep it on.
reasons for keep bluetooth on:
- You have Bluetooth devices connected to your smartphone.
- In addition to being connected, you are using them.
- You usually use them daily, although not always.
- Geolocation and sport devices consume less battery.
At this last point, if you use smart bracelets or watches, the battery of these lasts less when you deactivate the Bluetooth of your smartphone. Apple, for example, says this on its official website: “If you turn off Bluetooth on the iPhone, Apple Watch uses more battery. For communication between the two devices to be as efficient as possible, keep Bluetooth turned on on iPhone.”
reasons for turn off bluetooth:
- You do not have Bluetooth devices connected to your phone.
- You won’t be using Bluetooth devices anytime soon.
One explanation as to why we think turning off Bluetooth saves battery life is because this tip yes it is useful in the case of WiFi and mobile data. Almost all manufacturers recommend that you turn off the WiFi connection if you are not going to use it. And that you disconnect the mobile data if the coverage is bad. Precisely, these two technologies are the ones that drain the battery the most next to the screen. And since Bluetooth technology is technically very similar to WiFi, hence the confusion.
So should we turn it off or not?
Now we know what happens to battery usage when turning off Bluetooth. We also know where the myth comes from and at what times we should turn Bluetooth on or off. But there is One more reason to not have this wireless technology activated. And it has to do with security.
The US FCC, the agency in charge of regulate communications of cable, radio, television, satellite, internet and other wireless technologies, has a series of recommendations on the use of WiFi and Bluetooth from the point of view of security. In concrete, the FCC recommends turning off Bluetooth if you are not going to use The reason is that this technology can be used to scan connected devices or get information from the phone if it is able to connect via Bluetooth.
Another recommendation from the FCC is that we use Bluetooth in stealth mode instead of the usual visible mode. In the second case, the device can be detected by strangers. And although Bluetooth technology and your phone have security measures, all precaution is little.