It was working perfectly fine but suddenly your iPhone cannot pair with any Bluetooth-enabled device after updating to iOS 13. If you’re here because of the same problem, then you can refer to this post and troubleshoot your device. Read on to find out what to do if your iPhone’s Bluetooth pairing is not working in the iOS 13 platform.
Bluetooth pairing in iPhones is typically done in just a few taps for as long as all Bluetooth pairing requisites are met. Proximity, device compatibility, correct Bluetooth settings and robust hardware are these requirements to meet for Bluetooth pairing to become successful. Nonetheless, there are still some factors that could trigger some errors and hinder your iPhone from pairing to a Bluetooth device even when all requirements are complied. And post-update bugs are among them. This is what this post will attempt to address. To give you some input, I’ve mapped some of the most effective solutions to a similar issue on the iPhone Bluetooth pairing that is not working in iOS 13. Feel free to use these methods whenever you couldn’t get to pair or connect your iPhone to a Bluetooth device after installing the latest iOS update.
Troubleshooting an iPhone problem on Bluetooth pairing not working in iOS 13
As mentioned earlier, proximity is one of the main requirements for Bluetooth pairing to be successful. Thus, keep both your devices within the specified Bluetooth range or keep them close to each other when troubleshooting. Also make sure that both your devices are turned on or unlocked. Then you may proceed to these procedures whenever you’re all set to troubleshoot your device.
First solution: Restart both your devices
Random Bluetooth pairing errors including those that came from an update are usually remedied by restarting. Thus, you should consider this as the first possible solution to try. On your iPhone, follow these steps to perform a soft reset:
If you’re using an iPhone 8 or earlier phone with a physical Home button, follow these steps to soft reset/restart it:
- Press and hold down the Power/Top button for a few seconds until the Power off slider appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your device.
- After a few seconds, press and hold the Power/Top button until the Apple logo appears.
If you’re using an iPhone X or later, performing a soft reset is done through these steps:
- Press and hold the Top button and either Volume button for a few seconds.
- Release both buttons when the Slide to Power Off label appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your device completely.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Top button again until the Apple logo appears.
Allow your iPhone to finish its boot sequence and loads up the Home screen.
On your Bluetooth device, simply press the Power button or switch to power it off for a few seconds and then press on the same button again to turn it back on.
ALSO READ: How To Fix Apple Watch 4 Bluetooth Pairing Problems, Wont Pair With Bluetooth-Enabled device
Second solution: Turn Bluetooth off and on again
Your iPhone’s Bluetooth system might have obtained some minor flaws following the recent iOS transition and therefore it refuses to work. To make it work properly again, give it a fresh start or simply turn your iPhone’s Bluetooth feature off and on. Here’s how:
- From your Home screen, tap Settings.
- Scroll to Bluetooth and tap on the switch to turn Bluetooth off.
- After a few seconds, toggle the switch again to turn Bluetooth back on.
In iOS 13, you can already turn on and manage Bluetooth straight through the control center of your iPhone. Just pull up the control center
Third solution: Use the Airplane Mode
A simultaneous restart on your iPhone’s wireless radios can also resolve random issues affecting its wireless functions. This is when performing the Airplane mode trick plays a vital role. It works by turning off all wireless features of your phone at once, for a few seconds and then turning them back on. This trick has been proven to work wonders to many iPhone owners who have dealt with various types of wireless connection errors including those inflicted by iOS bugs. Just refer to these steps if you wish to try it too:
- Tap to open Settings app from the Home screen.
- Scroll to and tap on the Airplane Mode menu.
- Tap the Airplane mode switch to turn it on. Doing so will disable your iPhone’s wireless radios including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.
- While the Airplane mode is enabled, perform a soft reset on your iPad.
- Once the phone is finished booting up, go back to Settings-> Airplane mode then toggle the switch to disable the feature again.
After disabling Airplane Mode, go back to Settings-> Bluetooth menu then toggle the switch to turn Bluetooth on again. Wait for your device to show up in the list of Available Devices. Then tap on it to select and choose the option to Pair/Connect.
Be sure to accept the pairing on your other device too.
Fourth solution: Forget Bluetooth devices from your iPhone
It is possible that your Bluetooth connection has been corrupted from the recent iOS update installation and therefore it stopped working. To fix the problem, you need to forget or delete the erratic Bluetooth connection/device from your iPhone’s directory and then add it back. Here’s how:
- From your Home screen, navigate to Settings-> Bluetooth menu.
- Make sure that the Bluetooth switch is turned on. Otherwise, toggle to turn it on.
- Scroll down and select your Bluetooth device.
- Tap the information (i) icon next to the name of your Bluetooth device.
- Then select the option to Forget this device.
- If prompted, enter your passcode to continue.
- Finally, tap the option to confirm that you want to forget the selected Bluetooth device.
If you see any other saved Bluetooth devices, forget them all too using the same method. Doing so will prevent other devices from causing conflict with your current Bluetooth connection.
Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone
Bluetooth pairing errors can also be attributed to some network configuration errors. This is usually what happens if the recent iOS update has overridden your existing network settings and that has resulted in some conflicts. To clear this out, performing a network reset can help. This will erase all your current network settings including iOS update overrides that triggered some errors. Any saved information on the internal memory of your phone won’t be affected, so there’s no need to back up files beforehand. Just follow these steps whenever you’re all set to reset network settings on your iPhone:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Scroll to and tap General.
- Tap on Reset.
- Select the option to Reset network settings.
- Enter your passcode if prompted.
- Tap to confirm that you want to reset network settings on your iPhone.
If your Bluetooth device/accessory has a reset button, then try pressing on that button to reset it. This should help clear out any previous errors and may be the key to resolving the issue.
Last resort: Erase your iPhone and restore its factory defaults
Performing a full system wipe out may be considered among the last options if the problem isn’t resolved after exhausting all prior methods. There might be some complex system errors that ruined your phone’s Bluetooth system and therefore need to be rectified. At this point, the next option you’ve got is a factory reset. This reset wipes everything from your iPhone including downloads, saved files, customized settings and personal information stored on the internal memory. Should you wish to proceed, back up all critical data you’ve got to your iCloud account or iTunes. Failure to do so would result in permanent data loss. On the positive note, everything, including complex system errors are obliterated. This way you can set up everything from your iPhone including Bluetooth, as new. Here’s how to factory reset your iPhone through settings:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen to get started.
- Select General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Enter your device passcode when asked to proceed.
- Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
- Then tap the option to confirm full system reset.
You can also use iTunes to manually erase and restore factory defaults on your iPhone through a computer. If you’d prefer this method, you can back up all your files from your iPhone to your computer storage using iTunes. You will need to use a Windows PC or Mac computer in order to get started.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone 5 that won’t pair with a Bluetooth device, Bluetooth pairing error
Is your iPhone’s Bluetooth pairing still not working in iOS 13
The problem might also be attributed to any sort of hardware incompatibility. For example, the Bluetooth device you are trying to pair with your iPhone is actually not supported. In this case, you’re dealing with an isolated problem. This means that your iPhone could still be able to pair with other Bluetooth devices. To confirm, try to pair your iPhone with a different Bluetooth-enabled device, preferably the ones you’ve used and paired with your iOS device before. If the pairing is successful, then you’ve identified the underlying cause and that is not with your iPhone. But if your iPhone is not able to pair with any Bluetooth devices, this is more likely an iOS 13 Bluetooth bug that needs a dedicated fix patch. In that case, escalating the problem to Apple Support would be necessary.
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