We asked, you told us: Most of you switch off Bluetooth, NFC when not in use

Do you switch off your smartphone’s Bluetooth and NFC radios when they’re not in use? It’s a seemingly harmless question that really got you all talking.

In a recent poll, we asked for your views on your daily Bluetooth and NFC usage habits. Here’s how you voted.

Do you turn off Bluetooth and NFC when not using them?

Bluetooth and NFC poll results

We initially polled readers on our website but also added the poll to Twitter and YouTube. Interestingly, voters’ views on the site differ considerably from those on social networks.

On Android Authority, 49.5% of the nearly 9,800 respondents say they switch off Bluetooth and NFC when they’re not in use. This suggests that our website readers favor leaving both on all day. This doesn’t seem to be the case for those voting on other sites, though.

Read more: The best Bluetooth headphones you can buy

Over on Twitter, just over 57% of the ~7,700 respondents say they do switch off both when unneeded. YouTube echoed this result — 66% of voters on that poll admit to switching off Bluetooth and NFC.

Notably, the comments suggest the answers are a little more nuanced than yes or no. Some users leave Bluetooth on while switching off NFC. Others kill Bluetooth while leaving NFC on. Some admit to never using NFC at all. Ultimately, the answer largely depends on the individual user’s unique use case.

You can have a glance through some of the more interesting anecdotes below.

Here’s what you told us

• James Mansell: I’ve not had the need on my Pixel 5, I get up to 2 days battery even with Bluetooth on so I don’t see any need to turn it off anymore.
• B. Niess: I would like to use NFC for more things. Paying with it is the only reason I have it enabled.
• Wongwatt: Bluetooth stays ON mostly to connect to my car, NFC always OFF because I don’t use it. For me, it’s easier to tap a card.
• Mitchell Leitmann: I leave Bluetooth on for the Covid tracing app, if for no other reason.
• NexyTheTechie: Yes, the little icons on the notification bar annoy me.
• Just an internet burger: My current phone doesn’t have NFC, but as I have a smartwatch, I have Bluetooth on constantly.
• Samuel Tan: Well, I also have Bluetooth turned on due to my smartwatch, only have it off during sleep. As for NFC, almost a useless feature in my country as we use QR codes for electronic wallets instead of NFC terminals.
• Marlon Johnson: No. I’ve noticed in these newer devices leaving them on has little to no impact on battery life.

That’s it for this Bluetooth and NFC poll. Thanks for your votes and comments. If you have any additional thoughts about Bluetooth and NFC, or the results of the poll, be sure to drop them down below.