[iMore Question]

Why would Apple make such major functional changes with no warning to users? Without any warning, the new control center wifi on/off control is essentially a defect.

It's also a feature change with no upside - just an ***** product manager trying to justify his job. What's the benefit to making the control center changes temporary? What's made easier? Absolutely nothing.

[Tartarus]

Hi, welcome to iMore.

While there are plenty of people agreeing with you, the majority of people that have multiple iDevices as well as Apple Watch owners do welcome the new behavior of the toggles. Myself included.

Here’s Apple’s official statement:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208086
In iOS 11 and later, when you toggle the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth buttons in Control Center, your device will immediately disconnect from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth accessories. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will continue to be available, so you can use these important features:
AirDrop
AirPlay
Apple Pencil
Apple Watch
Continuity features, like Handoff and Instant Hotspot
Instant Hotspot
Location Services