How to Fix Bluetooth Issues on iPhone

Want to know how you can address Bluetooth issues on your iPhone?

Bluetooth technology is widely used today on mobile devices like iPhones to connect with other devices like headphones, speakers, and smartwatches. However, there have been reports from iPhone users that they encounter issues when using Bluetooth on their devices. 

There are several problems that iPhone users encounter on their devices. 

Some reported connection problems on their iPhones, preventing them from connecting their wireless devices. Other users also experience pairing problems, audio issues, and battery drain. 

If you are experiencing problems with your iPhone’s Bluetooth feature, we’ve got you covered. 

In this guide, we will show you what to do if you encounter Bluetooth issues on your iPhone. 

Let’s get started!

1. Restart Your iPhone. 

Before tweaking your configurations, we recommend that you restart your iPhone if you encounter problems with its Bluetooth functionality. This should ensure that your system resources are initialized correctly and there are no temporary bugs on your device. 

For iPhone X, 11, 12, or later: 

  1. Hold down the Volume Down button and Side button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt appears. 
  2. Now, drag the slider to the right and wait for 30 seconds. 
  3. Press the Side button afterward to turn on your device. 
Restart iPhone

For iPhone 6, 7, 8, or SE: 

  1. Locate the Power button on your device. 
  2. Now, hold the button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt shows up.
  3. Drag the slider to the right and wait for 30 seconds before turning on your device. 
Force Restart

Try using your device’s Bluetooth afterward to check if the problem is solved. 

2. Toggle Bluetooth Switch. 

Most Bluetooth issues on iPhones can be solved by restarting the feature. If you haven’t tried this one, we recommend doing so before doing advanced troubleshooting steps. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. First, go to your home screen and launch the Settings app. 
  2. After that, tap on Bluetooth
  3. Lastly, tap the toggle switch to disable the feature. After a few seconds, re-enable your iPhone’s Bluetooth. 
bluetooth issues on iphone

Try connecting your devices afterward and check if you’ll still encounter problems. 

3. Forget Bluetooth Device.

If you experience problems using a previously paired Bluetooth device, we suggest that you forget the device and reconnect it afterward. This should reset its data and ensure that the device is connected properly. 

See the steps below to forget your Bluetooth device: 

  1. On your home screen, tap on the Settings app to launch it. 
  2. Next, access the Bluetooth tab and find your device. 
  3. Tap the More Info icon (i) beside your device and choose to Forget This Device
bluetooth issues on iphone

Wait for a few seconds before pairing your Bluetooth device and see if it works. 

4. Force Restart Your iPhone.

You can try force restarting your device if you still encounter problems connecting a wireless device to it. This should reset your temporary caches and data, ensuring that there’s nothing wrong with your system. 

Here’s how you can force restart your iPhone:

  1. First, press and release the Volume Up button
  2. After that, press and release the Volume Down button and hold the Side button
  3. When the Apple logo appears, release the Side button and wait for your iPhone to initialize. 
bluetooth issues on iphone

Once done, reconnect your Bluetooth device and check if the problem is solved. 

5. Reset Network Settings. 

Some configurations on your iPhone might not be set correctly, explaining why you encounter problems with Bluetooth and other features. To rule this out, we recommend resetting your network configurations. 

Here’s how you can reset your network settings: 

  1. Launch the Settings app from your home screen. 
  2. After that, go to General > Transfer or Reset iPhone
  3. Finally, choose Reset and tap on Reset Network Settings
Reset Network Settings

Try connecting your Bluetooth device afterward to confirm if resetting your network settings solved the problem. 

6. Update Your iPhone. 

The version of iOS your iPhone is using might have an underlying issue that causes it to run into problems when using Bluetooth. In this case, you’ll need to update your device’s software to the latest version possible to patch bugs and errors. 

Follow the guide below to update your iPhone’s software: 

  1. First, open the Settings app on your iPhone. 
  2. After that, access the General tab. 
  3. Lastly, tap on Software Updates and choose Download and Install
bluetooth issues on iphone

Wait for your device to finish downloading the update and follow the prompts to install it. During this process, your iPhone might restart several times. 

Once done, try using the Bluetooth functionality of your iPhone to check if the problem is solved. 

7. Try Connecting Another Device. 

The problem may not be with your iPhone but with the Bluetooth device, you’re trying to connect. To confirm this, try connecting another wireless device to your iPhone and see if you’ll encounter the same issue. 

Possibly, the Bluetooth device you initially used is not compatible with your iPhone or it has an issue that needs to be addressed first. 

8. Reset Your iPhone. 

If you still encounter problems with Bluetooth on your iPhone, we suggest that you reset your device and set it up as new. However, this will erase all your data, so performing a backup is a must if you have important files on your iPhone. 

Check out the steps below to reset your iPhone: 

  1. Head to your home screen and look for Settings
  2. Now, tap on it and go to General
  3. After that, tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone
  4. Finally, choose Erase All Content and Settings
bluetooth issues on iphone

Once done, go to the initial setup process again and check if you can now connect your Bluetooth device to your iPhone. 

9. Contact Apple Support. 

At this point, the last thing you can do is seek help from the experts. Head to Apple’s support page and get in touch with their team to report the issue you’ve been experiencing with your iPhone and its Bluetooth. 

bluetooth issues on iphone

While waiting for a response, you can also browse the guides on their page and see if you can find other solutions.

That ends our guide on how to fix Bluetooth issues on your iPhone. If you have questions or other concerns, please let us know in the comment section, and we’ll do our best to respond. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Jake Kovoor

    Jake is the Editor-in-Chief of Saint and an independent software developer, with a Bachelors in Computer Science from Lancaster University, UK. He loves trying out various tech from the Flipper Zero to coding Raspberry Pis for automation. He started Saint back in 2016, having written over 100 posts, with the sole purpose of creating guides for software that had yet to exist back then to help users navigate around their technical problems.

5 comments
  1. How has Apple not fixed these issues after all of these months? All troubleshooting attempted and my Bluetooth headset still isn’t working correctly with my new iPhone11 Pro Max. It works fine on the same newest iOS on my old iPhone XS Max, but not this one. This is getting ridiculous, my new Apple Watch wouldn’t work for more than a week until Apple finally released a new update that would actually work again and my watch had been replaced once and Apple wanted me to send it in again for replacement, even though it was obviously not a problem with the device itself, it was with Apple’s broken update. Now the final step for this one is to contact Apple for a replacment??? Why don’t they just fix the issue???

  2. If I knew these Bluetooth issues prior to me buying my 11…I would not have bought it. I had a 7 plus..worked great ..but…everytime I ran an update…mysteriously it began to slow down and battery was dying..hmmmm..?? If this Bluetooth issue isn’t corrected…bye bye all apple future purchases…!!

  3. I am still having issues. I have done all of the recommended things and master reset my car three times, it will not even stay connected to my Ford. Please figure this out.

  4. Everything was working fine until today! I tried EVERYTHING!!!! Everything on this list and more! None of it works wtf?!?!

  5. I agree – I wouldn’t take this phone if offered free next time – this device won’t even display ANY bluetooth device sitting right next to it – there are no options in the Bluetooth settings – only a constant buffering icon next to the devices line – it’s $1,200 paperweight

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