[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
The problem is that Background Data and Sync ignore the wi-fi policy meaning that the settings to disable wi-fi don't actually disable wi-fi, they just block applications from using wi-fi. The OS can still use it and it still drains power.

That basically means you can never disable wi-fi unless you go in and change multiple settings. The wi-fi policy when the screen is off is useless. Any toggle wi-fi widget you put on the page don't work.

Manually refreshing gmail shows 'no connection' - browser wont connect. But the OS can still get your email and download attachments. Relegating any wi-fi policy to a 'user stop function', not a 'data stop function'.

I have a toggle wi-fi widget on my home screen. I have wi-fi toggled off (also shows as off in settings) I *just* saw the widget flick on for a second, then flick back off. That's the Background data/ sync kicking in right there and that's my whole point.

Another point - if you have disabled wi-fi then turn it back on, it should be looking for the router and getting an IP address. It doesn't do that. When you turn it back on all it does is enable applications to connect. Meaning, when you disable it (via settings>disable wi-fi or disable wi-fi policy) all it does is make the software think you're not connected. It doesn't actually disconnect from the router.

It still shows in your routers wireless list (which it shouldn't if it's disconnected) and ping test will fail because it will refuse any incoming/outgoing requests that aren't from the OS (background data / sync)

If you wait for the background data/sync to connect, you can then ping your tablet and it will work. A security issue as far as I'm concerned.

UPDATE | May 05

An update. I can confirm that the wi-fi will never turn off for me. I have toggled it off and put it in airplane mode and I will still get email notifications.

Under battery power it even still shows wi-fi as taking 4% even though by all settings it is off.

The gmail application shows 'no connection'. If i refresh it, nothing happens. If i turn the screen off, eventually it will sync/connect and I will get email - even though I also have the wi-fi set to off when the screen is off.

So to sum-up - wi-fi never turns off. Ever.

You can help by testing!

Disable wi-fi

Set the policy for wi-fi to disable when screen is off

Go to home screen

Turn off the screen

From another location, send yourself an email

Wait for notification on your tablet or wait for about 5 minutes

Turn on your tablet, email should be waiting for you.

UPDATE | 12:15pm

On the phone with acer support and they confirmed this is the case. They started to explain about Background data and Sync and I stopped them right there. This isn't a settings issue, this is an OS/Hardware issue.

Going to the next tier.

UPDATE | 12:30pm

Everything is confirmed with tier 2 and for what it's worth, it'll be pushed further down the chain and looked into.

I had to clarify with them that the issue was with the OS/Hardware and it's not software. If the wi-fi is disabled and I can go into gmail and it show 'no connection' and i hit refresh and it wont get email, then open the browser and it tells me I'm not connected, then the software thinks the wi-fi is off.

The problem is that the wi-fi isn't off as far as the OS is concerned. It is still draining power and Background data/ Sync are still able to connect (and/or override your settings). This shouldn't be the case. The wi-fi setting should superseed all other settings. If i set the wi-fi to off, it should be off for everything and not be draining power. To me this means that the disable wi-fi setting doesn't actually disable the wi-fi, it just locks out software from using it... which is *not* disabling it.