Bluetooth Icon Missing in iOS 12: What to Do?

After updating to iOS 12, the Bluetooth icon on iPhone, iPod and iPad has disappeared. Where is the Bluetooth icon after updating to iOS 12?

iPhone software update

Did you miss the Bluetooth icon from the status bar once you installed the new iOS 12 operating system, released just last night?

Do not worry, you’re not the only one and it’s not a problem of your iPhone or iPad. And it’s not even a bug of iOS 12.

Here’s what happened to the Bluetooth icon with iOS 12. 

As anticipated, with iOS 12 the Bluetooth icon, even if activated, no longer appears in the status bar if the device is not connected to some accessory (such as headphones for example).
Some initially thought it was a bug, but it is not.

Apple thinks that Bluetooth should always be switched on to be able to take advantage of features such as Continuity, Handoff, iBeacons, in-door navigation, connection with Apple Watch etc.

Moreover when Bluetooth is not in use, energy consumption is almost zero. Hence the idea of removing the icon when unused.

So, without too many words, with iOS 12 Apple has chosen to almost completely disappear the Bluetooth icon from the status bar. And at the moment there is not even the possibility of being able to rehabilitate it.

With iOS 12, as anticipated, the Bluetooth icon was removed from the status bar by Apple on iPhone, iPad and iPod.  It is not a bug, but a precise choice of the company.

This icon now only appears if you have any accessories connected to your Apple device, otherwise you will not be able to see if Bluetooth is switched on or off.

How can I know if Bluetooth is on or off with iOS 12?

This sudden and unannounced change from Apple has obviously not been taken positively by iOS users, as it prevents the user from knowing at a glance whether Bluetooth is enabled or not at any given time.

Of course, in 2018, with smartwatch and other thousand accessories connected to the Bluetooth iPhone, iPad or iPod it is not necessary to know if the Bluetooth is on or off since we have to keep it almost always on and consumes little if not in use, but I understand that is a nuisance for users, especially for those who turn on the Bluetooth only when strictly necessary.

At the present time, however, the only way to know if Bluetooth is on or off with iOS 12 is to open the control center of iOS and check the status of the Bluetooth.

More inconvenient than before, less rapid, but still works.

We just have to get used to this new (and inconvenient) way to see if Bluetooth is turned on on iOS 12.

The hope is that Apple will listen to users’ criticism and return to showing the Bluetooth icon in the iOS status bar, even if I have strong doubts about it.

What do you think of this choice of Apple? Are you in favor or against the disappearance of the Bluetooth icon?

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