Do you use Bluetooth ?

[dno67]

Do you have Bluetooth enabled on your smartphone at all times ?
The covid19 app has me curious as to how many use it daily.
I never use it myself, as l see it as a drain on battery and an added security risk.
Please cast your vote, in the poll above. It may be of help to others, possibly deciding to download the app.

 

[Warby]

Yup - I have it on pretty much all the time. I have a smart watch (Garmin Instinct) paired to my phone via Bluetooth. I also use it for the speaker in my home gym; audio in the mrs' car (I use android auto in mine - plugged in); bluetooth headphones when walking the dog; etc.

Sometimes I do turn it off if I leave the bluetooth speaker turned on and CBF going out to the garage to turn it off, but thats about it.

 

[RDM]

I have it on all the time but it isn't visible to other devices unless I authorise it. I use it to connect to my smart watch, car radio headphones ect.

 

[boobook]

dno, Bluetooth uses 2/5 of FA power.

If you leave it on, it will drain your battery down about 10 seconds quicker per day. Literally

 

[Choook]

I use it but don't have it on all the time. I turn it on for music to my speaker in shed, headphone when mowing the lawn or sound bar in the house. I think it is supposed to make things that use locations more accurate but don't really care much about that stuff being accurate. Or is that Wifi?

 

[CTL]

It is wifi

 

[Triton14]

Bluetooth & wifi only use a minimal amount of power when they are actively paired to a device, like if the phone is paired to headphones or being used as a wifi hotspot, still it is minimal.
If they are not active then they basically don't use any power

The phone will use way more power if you have your screen brightness up, have your cpu running at full power & apps running in the background

Most phones will let you adjust/manage all those things through say setting in device care under battery/storage etc & the optimisation key.

As far as security goes I have Norton security on my phone which controls everything, I mean its not really to different to a computer & you wouldnt not have security on a computer right?

 

[cam04]

Ranger px1 driver. BT is on all the time for hands free phone etc.
Cooking a roast, drinking red wine and playing a Spotify list through one of the kids speakers as I type this.

 

[Albynsw]

BT and WiFi on nearly all the time

 

[soupkingmax]

Nope. It drains my battery more so I don't. I only turn it on if I would connect it to my speakers.

 

[dno67]

It is wifi

Are you saying the app, is wifi ?

 

[peterfermtech]

On all the time for car handsfree.

 

[peterfermtech]

How Secure is Bluetooth? A Full Guide to Bluetooth Safety

Wireless technology makes life easier, but how secure is Bluetooth? Read about Bluetooth's common risks and tips to stay safe when using it.

vpnoverview.com

 

[Triton14]

Ranger px1 driver. BT is on all the time for hands free phone etc.
Cooking a roast, drinking red wine and playing a Spotify list through one of the kids speakers as I type this.

Yeh its getting pretty full on as what you can control & do now with apps.

If only it helped give humans more common sense

How Secure is Bluetooth? A Full Guide to Bluetooth Safety

Wireless technology makes life easier, but how secure is Bluetooth? Read about Bluetooth's common risks and tips to stay safe when using it.

vpnoverview.com

One thing to be wary of is free wifi connections!
once you give permission even at somewhere like McDonalds your phone could be hackable!

That's why I don't use free wifi!

 

[Choook]

Are you saying the app, is wifi ?

No the app is not wifi. Wifi enhances you location accuracy for apps, I thought it may have been BT but it is not.

 

[waynedeane]

I now have Bluetooth on all the time. I have hearing aids paired to my phone which enable me to use them for phone calls. I hear the other person through the hearing aids and the microphone in them pick up my voice when talking instead of the phones speaker and microphone. I can also stream music and listen to videos through them , same as what Bluetooth earbuds do, and the hearing aids are much smaller.
I haven't noticed any difference in battery performance since Ive had my new hearing aids, and Bluetooth on all the time.

 

[JonKabir]

Bluetooth & wifi only use a minimal amount of power when they are actively paired to a device, like if the phone is paired to a headphones or being used as a wifi hotspot, still it is minimal.
If they are not active then they basically don't use any power

The phone will use way more power if you have your screen brightness up, have your cpu running at full power & apps running in the background

Most phones will let you adjust/manage all those things through say setting in device care under battery/storage etc & the optimisation key.

As far as security goes I have Norton security on my phone which controls everything, I mean its not really to different to a computer & you wouldnt not have security on a computer right?

One thing to be careful about is complimentary wireless internet associations!
That is the reason I don't utilize wireless internet!

 

[mikehzz]

I can't believe how many people are so worried about nothing. I see people getting hacked and scammed all the time, most of them losing thousands of dollars, and so far it's never been because they left their bluetooth or wifi on, and every one of them had security software installed. They've all been hacked or scammed because they were tricked into giving access to their device. An email or a phone call looks legitimate, they click a link or get talked into allowing a stranger on the phone to take control of their computer. Either way, the software or person finds something wrong and charges them to install software that will milk them dry. I've lost count of how many times I've seen this. A personal favourite is where Microsoft calls them to warn them that the Microsoft monitoring software has detected a security breach of the computer. WTF! As if Microsoft gives a rat's arse about the state of your computer and they have teams of concerned techs waiting to call you. Have you ever tried to call Microsoft support? To be completely fair, sometimes these emails or phone calls happen at just the right moment and coincide with legitimate events already in play. You're far more likely to click the link or accept the phone call if it seems connected to recent events that you know are ok. I often wonder if the scammers are being fed information from corrupt employees? Anyway, here are some home truths -
The vast majority of hackers and scammers have been invited in past the firewalls and security software.
The overwhelming number of people whose computer gets a virus, have up to date antivirus software. Antivirus software is reactive and can't really predict the future. A new virus has to be caught by a lot of people before a patch for it is developed and released.
Protect yourself and your sensitive information with 2 factor authentication. Set it up so that any login needs an sms code to proceed, especially email. Then if your sensitive account details are compromised, nobody can use them without your phone as well.
Don't send sensitive information in en email. Even if you are savvy, the person you sent it to may not be. It seems to me that email scavenging via virus infection is a source of future scam and hack attempts.
Carefully look at the actual link details on any link you are tempted to click. If you hover over the link then the raw address will be displayed. To tell if it is ok, the very first part should be recognisable as the company website it is claiming to be. For example, a Microsoft link should have https:://something.microsoft.com near the very start before the first single / or ? symbols. There can be a lot of mumbo jumbo after that but it needs to have the proper domain near the start. Scam links are pretty easy to spot once you know what to look for. If in doubt, don't.
Hang up on random phone calls claiming......well, anything really. They want your money.
Stop worrying about secret bogey men trying to steal your information. The real crooks enter by the front door.

 

[mikehzz]

I forgot to add, my bluetooth and wifi are on all the time.

 

[CTL]

I can't believe how many people are so worried about nothing. I see people getting hacked and scammed all the time, most of them losing thousands of dollars, and so far it's never been because they left their bluetooth or wifi on, and every one of them had security software installed. They've all been hacked or scammed because they were tricked into giving access to their device. An email or a phone call looks legitimate, they click a link or get talked into allowing a stranger on the phone to take control of their computer. Either way, the software or person finds something wrong and charges them to install software that will milk them dry. I've lost count of how many times I've seen this. A personal favourite is where Microsoft calls them to warn them that the Microsoft monitoring software has detected a security breach of the computer. WTF! As if Microsoft gives a rat's arse about the state of your computer and they have teams of concerned techs waiting to call you. Have you ever tried to call Microsoft support? To be completely fair, sometimes these emails or phone calls happen at just the right moment and coincide with legitimate events already in play. You're far more likely to click the link or accept the phone call if it seems connected to recent events that you know are ok. I often wonder if the scammers are being fed information from corrupt employees? Anyway, here are some home truths -
The vast majority of hackers and scammers have been invited in past the firewalls and security software.
The overwhelming number of people whose computer gets a virus, have up to date antivirus software. Antivirus software is reactive and can't really predict the future. A new virus has to be caught by a lot of people before a patch for it is developed and released.
Protect yourself and your sensitive information with 2 factor authentication. Set it up so that any login needs an sms code to proceed, especially email. Then if your sensitive account details are compromised, nobody can use them without your phone as well.
Don't send sensitive information in en email. Even if you are savvy, the person you sent it to may not be. It seems to me that email scavenging via virus infection is a source of future scam and hack attempts.
Carefully look at the actual link details on any link you are tempted to click. If you hover over the link then the raw address will be displayed. To tell if it is ok, the very first part should be recognisable as the company website it is claiming to be. For example, a Microsoft link should have https:://something.microsoft.com near the very start before the first single / or ? symbols. There can be a lot of mumbo jumbo after that but it needs to have the proper domain near the start. Scam links are pretty easy to spot once you know what to look for. If in doubt, don't.
Hang up on random phone calls claiming......well, anything really. They want your money.
Stop worrying about secret bogey men trying to steal your information. The real crooks enter by the front door.

Everybody should read this, then read it again. Excellent information.

I will add. You also need “strong” passwords and need to change them regularly.