Sorry if this is the wrong section but I am sure it applies to all Minis

Now that I have linked my iPhone 4 to my brand new Mini, is there a way to not always have the Bluetooth on in my phone? Bluetooth eats the battery quick and I rarely use it. I do like the seamless iPhone-Mini connection via Bluetooth. Is there a way to have Bluetooth automatically turn off when I leave the car? I guess this is more of an iPhone question but still. Thanks

 

It should not eat your battery. I leave mine on all day long and never had a problem (iPhone 4).

When the car is turned off the bluetooth disconnects so it should not be a problem.

 

go into your phone settings and turn it off

 

I just leave it on all the time. I'm pretty sure the power hit from leaving it on is pretty minimal, though I haven't measured it. It can only be a few % a day, as that's how much my battery will run down if I don't use the phone.

 

Ok thanks guess I was just being paranoid.

 

What about also plugging your iPhone into the included iPhone adapter.

-just realized I said iPhone twice. Derp.

 

The biggest battery consumer is Wi-Fi. If you are connected to a Wi-Fi net and have Push on, your battery will drain even when you're not using the phone. In comparison, the Bluetooth draw is minimal.

 

Having the Bluetooth radio on drains the battery a bit, but I'd be surprised if you noticed the difference while the battery is fairly new -- first year or so. Later in its life, it might be enough to make a difference.

There's an app on Android called Tasker that allows for some pretty nifty automated controls. Its interface is essentially a simplified, if-then set of programming rules. I'm not a) if there's something comparable for iOS (Apple's traditionally not so keen on giving end users that amount of control) or b) if there would be a way to FULLY automate a function like that, without some manual input/change from you. I can't think of a reliable trigger that wouldn't require you to actively make it happen -- and at that point, you might as well just manually turn it on.