diff --git a/components/ble_gatt_server/example/main/ble_gatt_server_example.cpp b/components/ble_gatt_server/example/main/ble_gatt_server_example.cpp
index b6f4b06cc6..c0e94da181 100644
--- a/components/ble_gatt_server/example/main/ble_gatt_server_example.cpp
+++ b/components/ble_gatt_server/example/main/ble_gatt_server_example.cpp
@@ -67,15 +67,8 @@ extern "C" void app_main(void) {
     // you can create a service and add it to the server using
     // ble_gatt_server.server().addService()
 
-    // now start the services
-    ble_gatt_server.start_services(); // starts the device info service and battery service
-    // NOTE: we could also directly start them ourselves if we wanted to
-    //      control the order of starting the services
-    // e.g.:
-    // ble_gatt_server.battery_service().start();
-    // ble_gatt_server.device_info_service().start();
-
-    // now start the gatt server
+    // now start the gatt server; this also starts every service that has
+    // been added to it (the built-in device info / battery services included)
     ble_gatt_server.start();
 
     // let's set some of the service data
diff --git a/components/ble_gatt_server/include/battery_service.hpp b/components/ble_gatt_server/include/battery_service.hpp
index 72a2c9a3ce..2e5cd19418 100644
--- a/components/ble_gatt_server/include/battery_service.hpp
+++ b/components/ble_gatt_server/include/battery_service.hpp
@@ -49,17 +49,9 @@ class BatteryService : public BaseComponent {
   }
 
   /// Start the service
-  /// \note This must be called after the service has been initialized
-  void start() {
-    if (!service_) {
-      logger_.error("Service not created");
-      return;
-    }
-    if (!service_->start()) {
-      logger_.error("Failed to start service");
-      return;
-    }
-  }
+  /// \note Kept for API compatibility: NimBLE starts every service when the
+  ///       server starts (esp-nimble-cpp 2.x), so there is nothing to do here.
+  [[deprecated("no-op: services start with BleGattServer::start()")]] void start() {}
 
   /// Get the service
   /// \return The Battery Service
diff --git a/components/ble_gatt_server/include/ble_gatt_server.hpp b/components/ble_gatt_server/include/ble_gatt_server.hpp
index 44462f1423..e991c67842 100644
--- a/components/ble_gatt_server/include/ble_gatt_server.hpp
+++ b/components/ble_gatt_server/include/ble_gatt_server.hpp
@@ -294,11 +294,9 @@ class BleGattServer : public BaseComponent {
   }
 
   /// Start the services
-  /// This method starts the device info and battery services.
-  void start_services() {
-    device_info_service_.start();
-    battery_service_.start();
-  }
+  /// \note Kept for API compatibility: NimBLE starts every service when the
+  ///       server starts (start()), so there is nothing to do here.
+  [[deprecated("no-op: services start with start()")]] void start_services() {}
 
   /// Start the server
   /// This method starts the GATT server.
diff --git a/components/ble_gatt_server/include/device_info_service.hpp b/components/ble_gatt_server/include/device_info_service.hpp
index 3d3dfb87ed..335d905544 100644
--- a/components/ble_gatt_server/include/device_info_service.hpp
+++ b/components/ble_gatt_server/include/device_info_service.hpp
@@ -86,17 +86,9 @@ class DeviceInfoService : public BaseComponent {
   }
 
   /// Start the service
-  /// \note This must be called after the service has been initialized
-  void start() {
-    if (!service_) {
-      logger_.error("Service not created");
-      return;
-    }
-    if (!service_->start()) {
-      logger_.error("Failed to start service");
-      return;
-    }
-  }
+  /// \note Kept for API compatibility: NimBLE starts every service when the
+  ///       server starts (esp-nimble-cpp 2.x), so there is nothing to do here.
+  [[deprecated("no-op: services start with BleGattServer::start()")]] void start() {}
 
   /// Get the service object
   /// \return The service object
diff --git a/components/ble_gatt_server/include/generic_access_service.hpp b/components/ble_gatt_server/include/generic_access_service.hpp
index 3a552a80f1..a3b9db4a4b 100644
--- a/components/ble_gatt_server/include/generic_access_service.hpp
+++ b/components/ble_gatt_server/include/generic_access_service.hpp
@@ -72,17 +72,9 @@ class GenericAccessService : public BaseComponent {
   }
 
   /// Start the service
-  /// \note This must be called after the service has been initialized
-  void start() {
-    if (!service_) {
-      logger_.error("Service not created");
-      return;
-    }
-    if (!service_->start()) {
-      logger_.error("Failed to start service");
-      return;
-    }
-  }
+  /// \note Kept for API compatibility: NimBLE starts every service when the
+  ///       server starts (esp-nimble-cpp 2.x), so there is nothing to do here.
+  [[deprecated("no-op: services start with BleGattServer::start()")]] void start() {}
 
   /// Get the service object
   /// \return The service object
diff --git a/components/gfps_service/example/main/gfps_service_example.cpp b/components/gfps_service/example/main/gfps_service_example.cpp
index b44b9714b8..39f808cd00 100644
--- a/components/gfps_service/example/main/gfps_service_example.cpp
+++ b/components/gfps_service/example/main/gfps_service_example.cpp
@@ -51,16 +51,11 @@ extern "C" void app_main(void) {
   gfps_service.set_log_level(espp::Logger::Verbosity::DEBUG);
   gfps_service.init(ble_gatt_server.server());
 
-  // now that we've made the input characteristic, we can start the service
+  // set the nearby-framework advertisement mode (the GATT service itself is
+  // started with the server below)
   gfps_service.start();
-  ble_gatt_server.start_services(); // starts the device info service and battery service
-  // NOTE: we could also directly start them ourselves if we wanted to
-  //      control the order of starting the services
-  // e.g.:
-  // ble_gatt_server.battery_service().start();
-  // ble_gatt_server.device_info_service().start();
-
-  // now start the gatt server
+
+  // now start the gatt server; this also starts every service added to it
   ble_gatt_server.start();
 
   // let's set some of the service data
diff --git a/components/gfps_service/include/gfps_service.hpp b/components/gfps_service/include/gfps_service.hpp
index f5de444980..30b6bfb5c0 100644
--- a/components/gfps_service/include/gfps_service.hpp
+++ b/components/gfps_service/include/gfps_service.hpp
@@ -190,19 +190,14 @@ class GfpsService : public espp::BaseComponent {
   }
 
   /// Start the service
-  /// \note This function will start the service
-  /// \note This function will also set the advertisement mode for the nearby
-  ///       framework
+  /// \note The GATT service itself is started with the server
+  ///       (BleGattServer::start()); this sets the advertisement mode for the
+  ///       nearby framework, which must still be called.
   void start() {
     if (!service_) {
       logger_.error("Service not created");
       return;
     }
-    if (service_->start()) {
-      logger_.info("Service started");
-    } else {
-      logger_.error("Failed to start service");
-    }
     int advertisement_mode =
         NEARBY_FP_ADVERTISEMENT_DISCOVERABLE | NEARBY_FP_ADVERTISEMENT_PAIRING_UI_INDICATOR;
     logger_.info("Setting advertisement mode to {}", advertisement_mode);
diff --git a/components/hid_service/example/main/hid_service_example.cpp b/components/hid_service/example/main/hid_service_example.cpp
index 6b1b6f29b5..d4a392f9c9 100644
--- a/components/hid_service/example/main/hid_service_example.cpp
+++ b/components/hid_service/example/main/hid_service_example.cpp
@@ -488,12 +488,6 @@ extern "C" void app_main(void) {
   ps4_feature_f2->setValue(feature_f2_data);
 #endif // CONFIG_EXAMPLE_AS_XBOX
 
-  // now that we've made the input characteristic, we can start the service
-  hid_service.start();
-  // starts the device info service and battery service, see
-  // hid_service_example for more info
-  ble_gatt_server.start_services();
-
   // now start the gatt server
   ble_gatt_server.start();
 
diff --git a/components/hid_service/include/hid_service.hpp b/components/hid_service/include/hid_service.hpp
index 3e7dd10726..1a98813f41 100644
--- a/components/hid_service/include/hid_service.hpp
+++ b/components/hid_service/include/hid_service.hpp
@@ -80,11 +80,9 @@ class HidService : public espp::BaseComponent {
   }
 
   /// @brief Start the HID service.
-  void start() {
-    if (service_) {
-      service_->start();
-    }
-  }
+  /// @note Kept for API compatibility: NimBLE starts every service when the
+  ///       server starts (BleGattServer::start()), so there is nothing to do.
+  [[deprecated("no-op: services start with BleGattServer::start()")]] void start() {}
 
   /// @brief Get the HID service.
   /// @return The HID service.
diff --git a/components/wdi/README.md b/components/wdi/README.md
index 5f1b9e7507..9e668d7b7f 100644
--- a/components/wdi/README.md
+++ b/components/wdi/README.md
@@ -118,15 +118,13 @@ dev.poll();                        // keepalive if due
 
 `wdi_ble.hpp` wraps `WdiDevice` with the WDI GATT service (service `10A50001-…`,
 characteristics `10A5000{6..A}`) on `espp::BleGattServer` (esp-nimble-cpp). After
-`BleGattServer::init()`, create the service, start it, advertise, and poll:
+`BleGattServer::init()`, create the service, start the server, advertise, and poll:
 
 ```cpp
 espp::WdiBlePeripheral wdi({.on_feedback = [](const espp::wdi::FeedbackReport &f){ /*...*/ }});
 espp::BleGattServer ble;
 ble.init("espp WDI");
 wdi.make_service(ble.server());
-ble.start_services();
-wdi.start();
 ble.start();
 espp::BleGattServer::AdvertisedData adv;
 adv.setName("espp WDI");
diff --git a/components/wdi/ble_example/main/wdi_ble_example.cpp b/components/wdi/ble_example/main/wdi_ble_example.cpp
index 17b73d0f5e..7a9145d1a1 100644
--- a/components/wdi/ble_example/main/wdi_ble_example.cpp
+++ b/components/wdi/ble_example/main/wdi_ble_example.cpp
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@ extern "C" void app_main(void) {
   const std::string device_name = "espp WDI";
   ble.init(device_name);
   wdi.make_service(ble.server());
-  ble.start_services();
-  wdi.start();
   ble.start();
 
   espp::BleGattServer::AdvertisedData adv;
diff --git a/components/wdi/include/wdi_ble.hpp b/components/wdi/include/wdi_ble.hpp
index 2648aa6a73..072869ef74 100644
--- a/components/wdi/include/wdi_ble.hpp
+++ b/components/wdi/include/wdi_ble.hpp
@@ -115,10 +115,9 @@ class WdiBlePeripheral : public BaseComponent {
     keepalive_resp_->setCallbacks(&keepalive_resp_cb_);
   }
 
-  /// @brief Kept for API symmetry with make_service(); NimBLE starts every
-  ///        service when the server starts (NimBLEService::start() is a
-  ///        deprecated no-op), so there is nothing to do here.
-  void start() {}
+  /// @brief Kept for API compatibility: NimBLE starts every service when the
+  ///        server starts (BleGattServer::start()), so there is nothing to do.
+  [[deprecated("no-op: services start with BleGattServer::start()")]] void start() {}
 
   NimBLEService *get_service() { return service_; }