How to fix an iPhone 11 Pro that won’t pair or connect to a Bluetooth accessory after iOS 13.2.3 update

Pairing an iPhone with a Bluetooth accessory is supposed to be a straightforward procedure. For as long as Bluetooth is enabled and the devices to pair are compatible and within range, everything should pair in just a few gestures. Nonetheless, there are just some factors that can make such a simple pairing process a bit more complicated. Thus, Bluetooth pairing problems arise. Tackled in this post is a relevant issue on the new iPhone that couldn’t pair with a Bluetooth device following an iOS update installation. Read on to find out what to do if your iphone 11 Pro won’t pair or connect to a Bluetooth accessory after updating to iOS 13.2.3.

Troubleshooting an iPhone 11 Pro that won’t pair or connect to a Bluetooth accessory following the recent iOS update

The following procedures are used to eliminate common software-related factors including minor iOS bugs that might have hindered your iPhone 11 Pro to pair with or connect to a Bluetooth accessory. Don’t forget to pair your devices after performing each solution to determine whether or not the problem is resolved.

Before troubleshooting, place both your iPhone and Bluetooth accessory next to each other to ensure that they’re within the required Bluetooth range. Also make sure that both devices are turned on and set in discoverable mode.


First solution: Restart your devices.

Perhaps either of your devices is enduring some random system glitches and thus failed to pair at first. To clear out minor system errors from the recent update, soft reset or reboot your iPhone 11 Pro with these steps:

  1. Simultaneously press and hold the Side and Volume Up buttons for a few seconds.
  2. Release both buttons when the Slide to Power off bar appears.
  3. Swipe or drag the bar to turn your device off.
  4. After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Side button and then release when the Apple logo appears

On your Bluetooth accessory, find the power switch then turn it off for a few seconds and back on again.

That should be enough breather for both devices to get back to work as intended.

Second solution: Turn Bluetooth off and then back on again.

Like many other features, random Bluetooth pairing errors can also be remedied by refreshing the Bluetooth connection. That said, turn your iPhone’s Bluetooth feature OFF for a few seconds and then back on again. Just follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Select Bluetooth.
  3. Then tap the Bluetooth switch to turn the feature OFF. Your iPhone will then be disconnected from any paired Bluetooth devices as the feature is disabled.
  4. After a few seconds, toggle the switch to turn Bluetooth on again.

You can also use the shortcut Bluetooth icon from the control center. Just launch the Control Center on your iPhone and then toggle the Bluetooth icon to turn the feature off and on.

Third solution: Toggle Airplane Mode on and off.

Another handy tweak you can use to eliminate minor Bluetooth pairing errors on your iPhone is the Airplane Mode trick. It works by simultaneously restarting the phone’s wireless radios and thereby eliminates any existing flaws. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Select Airplane Mode.
  3. Toggle the Airplane Mode switch to turn the feature ON. Doing so disables your iPhone’s wireless radios and associated features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. 
  4. While Airplane Mode is turned on, reboot or soft reset your iPhone to clear out network cache.
  5. After it reboots, go back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
  6. Then toggle the Airplane Mode switch to turn it OFF again.

Give your iPhone a few moments to re-establish wireless signals and then head over back to Settings-> Bluetooth menu then toggle the switch to turn the feature ON.

Fourth solution: Forget then re-add Bluetooth device on your phone.

If you have already paired your iPhone with that Bluetooth accessory before the update and then they suddenly stopped pairing, it’s possible that your current Bluetooth connection has become corrupted from the recent update and therefore it’s no longer working. In this case, deleting the Bluetooth device from your iPhone can help fix the problem. So here’s what you can try doing next:

  1. Go to Settings-> Bluetooth menu and make sure the Bluetooth switch is turned on. 
  2. Scroll down to the list of available devices.
  3. Select the name of the Bluetooth device that you wish to forget then tap the information icon “i” next to it.
  4. Finally, tap the option to Forget this Device.

Repeat the same steps to forget all other saved Bluetooth devices from your iPhone’s Bluetooth directory. This will prevent any other Bluetooth devices from interfering with your current connection.

Fifth solution: Reset network settings to fix your iPhone 11 Pro that won’t pair or connect to Bluetooth.

Network-related issues including those affecting Bluetooth pairing features of your phone can also be resolved by a network reset. This should help if the problem is attributed to some incorrect or invalid network settings on the phone. Automatic settings override from the recent iOS update that might have ruined your existing network configuration will also be cleared out and thus, you can set things up again on your phone. Just follow these steps if you wish to continue:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down and tap on Reset.
  4. Tap Reset network settings from the given options.
  5. Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
  6. Confirm action by tapping the option to reset network settings again on your device.

After the reset, your phone should restart on its own and then loads up the default network values. This means that you need to re-enable Bluetooth to pair or connect to your Bluetooth accessory like it’s the first time.

Last resort: Reset your iPhone and your Bluetooth accessory to factory defaults.

If all else failed to fix the problem and that your iPhone 11 Pro still won’t pair or connect to your Bluetooth accessory, your next option would be a factory reset. If your Bluetooth device has a reset button, then you can use that to reset the device too. This is usually needed to deal with complex system errors that ruined either device’s pairing system. On your iPhone 11 Pro, be sure to back up all important files you saved in the internal memory before resetting. Note that a factory reset will wipe everything from your device, so you could end up losing personal information permanently. Once you’ve got all your critical files backed up, follow these steps to factory reset your iPhone straight from the settings menu:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down and tap on Reset.
  4. Tap Erase all content and settings from the given options.
  5. Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
  6. Confirm action by tapping the option to erase and reset your iPhone.

On your Bluetooth device, simply long-press the reset button and let the device finish resetting. 

After the reset on your iPhone, use the start-up wizard to set things up as new. Be sure to place your Bluetooth accessory next to your iPhone when setting up a new Bluetooth connection

When you retry pairing your devices again, be sure to Accept pairing on your Bluetooth accessory. Usually, you will be asked to confirm and allow first time pairing requests.

Still having trouble with your iPhone 11 Pro that won’t pair or connect to a Bluetooth accessory?

Perhaps your iPhone isn’t really compatible with the Bluetooth accessory and thus you still couldn’t get them to pair up to this point. If you have another Bluetooth device available, try pairing it with your iPhone and see if it’s successful. If your iPhone successfully pairs with other Bluetooth devices except for the accessory you’re trying to pair with earlier, contact the device manufacturer for further assistance.

If your iPhone doesn’t pair with any Bluetooth devices, then something from within the recently installed update might have ruined the phone’s Bluetooth pairing system and therefore needs a dedicated fix patch. In that case, you should escalate the problem to Apple Support for further assistance. Or you can also take your iPhone to the nearest Apple Genius bar in your place for hardware assessment.

ALSO READ: Dealing with various Internet and Network problems on iPhone 11 Pro after iOS 13.2.3 update

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