PSA: Always switch off the Bluetooth from your phone if you don’t use it

Modern smartphones have many different functions to connect to other devices. These not only include Wi-Fi and mobile data, but also Bluetooth and GPS.

However, constant connectivity also comes with a price. Bluetooth in particular can easily be abused and also completes the battery of your device. Nevertheless, many people always leave the function switched on, even if it is not used, in case they want to listen quickly to a podcast or a speech message via earplugs while traveling.

Here we explain why there are good reasons to eliminate Bluetooth and why German Testing Stiftung Warentest is currently warning about it.

Bluetooth costs battery power

If you travel a lot and do not have a brand new phone, you can quickly encounter problems with the battery of your device such as apps and functions such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth are constantly activated.

Although the lifespan of the battery that is consumed by Bluetooth is not too high, it all comes up, especially if you travel for a long time. If wireless headphones or a speaker are connected, the consumption is higher.

In addition, the battery consumption of Bluetooth compounds increases, depending on how far the connected device of your smartphone is, although more modern versions help to limit its impact.

So if you have problems with the battery life of your device, it is worth eliminating unnecessary functions such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. But that is not the main reason to eliminate Bluetooth …

Bluetooth is a security risk

If you do not always switch off Bluetooth when it is not used, you will also take a security risk. This is because there are always vulnerabilities that can be used by attackers to take over devices with Bluetooth-compatible devices.

There are various methods that attackers can use Bluetooth to harm you. These include:

• Bluejacking: This includes sending requests to devices in the neighborhood with Bluetooth enabled. You will receive a push message that can be used to send spam or start phishing attacks.
• Bluesnarfing: Attackers can use this to gain access to sensitive data from devices that have activated Bluetooth and do not use special protection mechanisms such as pass key. In the worst case, personal or company data can be stolen to commit identity fraud.
• Bluebugging: In these types of attacks, attackers take direct control over a device that uses Bluetooth. Once connected to the smartphone, they can call, send messages and transfer data themselves.
• Man-in-the-middle (MitM): In this method, an attacker gets between the Bluetooth transmission of two devices and intercepts it. This can also be used to intercept sensitive data, and advanced MITM methods can also manipulate data and transmissions completely.
• Blueborne -attacks: This uses vulnerabilities in the Bluetooth protocol itself, which is why attackers do not even have to connect directly to your device to intercept data or inject malware. Very dangerous because it often goes unnoticed.
• Bluetooth -imitation attack (bias): Attackers mislead your smartphone to believe it can connect to a trusted Bluetooth source and then take over the communication on the device. Access takes place without an extra request.

But that’s not all. App providers themselves can also follow users via Bluetooth by making matching “fingerprints”. Tracking often takes place in apps and is used for advertising purposes, as a study from 2018 revealed.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices are used that can send and identify data, even if they are not actively linked to a device or app. BLE refers to low power consumption and mainly concerns sensors that are used in some Smart Home devices and applications.

How to protect yourself when you use Bluetooth

The easiest way to protect yourself against the risks of Bluetooth is to switch off The function when you need Bluetooth. Just make sure that the corresponding symbol is deactivated on your smartphone and watch out for options such as ‘Switch on automatically’ tomorrow. On iOS, when you switch off Bluetooth via the control center, it will be back next time.

You should too Never accept requests from Bluetooth devices that you cannot clearly identify. In addition, always check all devices in combination with Bluetooth and to delete Everything you don’t recognize or that you no longer need, similar to stored WLAN connections.

If you use your mobile device as a personal hotspot, you should also Sharing and sending the Bluetooth name. This allows strangers to see the name of your device as soon as they are within reach. And of course you should do that switch off the hotspot As soon as you no longer use it – if only to store electricity and data.

If you have a smartwatch, you must check whether it should remain connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth at any time. Many functions, such as the clock and many fitness functions, do not require an active Bluetooth connection. However, if you call, receive messages or transfer data, you cannot prevent you from using Bluetooth.