Airplane Mode remembers if you want WiFi and Bluetooth enabled

When iOS 11 dropped, one point of discussion was Control Center and the way that the WiFi and Bluetooth buttons were handled. Here’s a link to our explainer.

At its core was the issue of the Bluetooth and WiFi radios not being turned off when the Control Center radios were tapped. Instead, the current connections were dropped, but the radios were left on.

Here’s another wrinkle:

When you tap the Airplane Mode button, iOS remembers your last Bluetooth and WiFi settings and will leave those radios on if they were on last time you were in Airplane Mode.

Note that iOS will not turn on one of the radios if they are off when you enable Airplane Mode.

Give this a try:

  • Open Control Center, tap to turn on WiFi and Bluetooth
  • Tap the Airplane Mode button to enable it
  • Tap WiFi to turn it off
  • Tap Airplane Mode button to disable it
  • Tap WiFi to turn it back on

OK, now WiFi is enabled, but Airplane Mode remembers that you want it off. Let’s test that:

  • Tap to turn on Airplane Mode

Your WiFi radio should shut off, but your Bluetooth radio should stay on.

Here’s the official Apple Knowledge Base article about this. [H/T Paul Collins]