Troubleshooting Tips When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work On Your Computer Or Smartphone

An indispensable but imperfect connection

Most modern computers, smartphones, smart gadgets and wireless devices have Bluetooth wireless technology, which helps you connect them together. While it’s an indispensable part of such devices, it isn’t perfect, so it may malfunction at any time.

Among the reasons Bluetooth doesn’t work when trying to pair your devices, include the proximity between devices, device compatibility, interference from various sources like WiFi or radio spectrum signals, low battery, or simply because it’s not enabled.

We’re going to show you how to resolve when Bluetooth doesn’t work on your computer and smartphone and get them back to working condition.

Fix When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work On a Windows PC

On a Windows computer, you may experience Bluetooth connection issues due to device compatibility, operating system, or driver and/or software updates. Other causes include incorrect settings, a broken device, or the Bluetooth device may be off.

There are several ways to fix Bluetooth connection problems in Windows. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to fix it on a computer using Windows 10.

Make sure Bluetooth is enabled by going to theAction Centerand clicking on the notification icon at the bottom right side of your computer’s screen next to the Clock. Find theBluetoothtile and click to turn it on (it’s grey/dim when off).

Turning Bluetooth on and off again also resets the setting and helps fix any connectivity issues as your computer has to search for nearby devices all over again.

If you’re on board a plane, and flight mode is on, it disables Bluetooth, so make sure you turn it off once you land by clicking on the Windows 10 Flight Mode tile in Action Center.

If you’re using a desktop computer, move the Bluetooth device closer to the computer and try pairing them together. When the distance isn’t close enough, the Bluetooth connection will be out of range, so make sure they’re as close as possible to get an active connection. If it’s a laptop, move it closer to the Bluetooth device you want to connect it with.

You might think your computer or Bluetooth device supports the wireless technology when actually it doesn’t. Not all devices use Bluetooth or have the technology built into them, so check the device’s packaging or manual to see if it supports Bluetooth or not before trying to connect. Otherwise you can connect using a cable or WiFi connection.

If your computer doesn’t have Bluetooth, buy a Bluetooth adapter and attach it to one of the USB slots on your computer and try to connect again.

It’s also possible that the Bluetooth device you’re trying to connect to your computer is off. Check and turn the device on before trying the connection again. Sometimes it may also take time to scan and detect other devices, so if it goes off, turn it on again and try the connection.

If you’ve paired your Bluetooth device with more than one computer, or other devices, it can cause conflicts and affect the connection. To fix this, turn off Bluetooth on all other devices or computers, except one and see if it works again.

For example, if you have a fitness tracker that you connected to multiple devices, it could conflict with these devices so try pairing one at a time.

If you’re pairing multiple Bluetooth devices to your computer, it could make it harder to pair a new one. Turning off other nearby devices connected to your computer via Bluetooth can help resolve the connectivity issue.

Windows 10 usually has several updates that can cause the Bluetooth connection to fail, as it would with WiFi.

Updates come with security patches and the latest features and version of Windows 10, which can also help you as you try to pair your device.

This is a built-in tool that scans your computer for any Bluetooth-specific issues and resolves them.

As a Windows 10 service, Bluetooth should be able to turn on like all other services, but you can always check its service status and click on it to start if it’s stopped.

After a June 2019 Windows 10 patch to protect from a Bluetooth security vulnerability, some devices had connectivity issues, but you can check if yours is among them by going to the Event Log.

Check for:

Event ID:22Event Source:BTHUSB or BTHMININame:BTHPORT_DEBUG_LINK_KEY_NOT_ALLOWEDEvent Message Text:Your Bluetooth device attempted to establish a debug connection. The Windows Bluetooth stack does not allow debug connection while it is not in the debug mode.

Outdated Bluetooth drivers may cause the function not to work on your computer, especially if you recently updated Windows 10.

Fix When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work on a Mac

If you’re using a Mac, you can fix Bluetooth connection problems using these methods.

If your Mac’s Bluetooth doesn’t work, it could be caused by corruption of the preference list that your Mac uses to store devices and their current state –not connected, connected, successfully paired,ornot paired.Such corruption prevents the computer from reading data from the file or updating the data in the file.

The solution is to remove or delete the preference list, but make sure you back up your data first.

This is another last resort method to get Bluetooth working on your Mac again. It causes the computer to forget any Bluetooth device you’ve ever used after which you have to reconfigure each device.

Fix When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work On an Android Smartphone

If you’ve tried the basics – toggling on the Bluetooth connection, powering on the Bluetooth device, restarting your smartphone, and nothing works, here are some methods to help you fix when Bluetooth doesn’t work on Android.

You can remove all previously paired devices to allow your Android phone to start afresh, especially if it’s an old list that you’re looking at, and you won’t need those connections again.

Update Your Phone Software

Safe Mode disables third party apps on your phone that could be conflicting with Bluetooth, and causing connectivity problems. The steps vary with different Android models or versions, but for this guide, we’ll use Android 9 (Pie).

This is a last resort method, as it removes all data and third party apps from your phone. Back up your device before resetting it back to factory defaults by going toSettings>Accounts and Backup>Smart Switch. Give the necessary permissions and follow the instructions to backup your data.

Fix When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work On iPhone

If you’re experiencing hiccups with Bluetooth on your iPhone, try the steps below to resolve it.

This is important for security purposes and because it comes with the latest iOS features for your device.

If your iOS software is up-to-date, the next step is to check whether Bluetooth is on and disable it, and then hard restart your iPhone.

If your iPhone is currently connected to a particular problematic Bluetooth device, disconnect it from the device, and try reconnecting the devices.

To do this, forget the Bluetooth device and then try to pair it with your iPhone again.

Still on pairing, you can try to pair with a different iPhone to determine whether the Bluetooth issue is with your iPhone or the device you’re trying to pair it with.

If Bluetooth still won’t work with a different iPhone, it’s probably the other device, but if it does, then the issue is with your iPhone.

If the Bluetooth problem persists, try resetting the network settings. This wipes all the Bluetooth information from your iPhone along with other network settings like WiFi networks.

This is a last resort method to try when Bluetooth won’t work on your iPhone. It involves resetting your phone back to the factory default settings, which ideally erases all your settings and any content on the phone, so it’s back to the original state it was before you unboxed it.

Elsie is a technology writer and editor with a special focus on Windows, Android and iOS. She writes about software, electronics and other tech subjects, her ultimate goal being to help people out with useful solutions to their daily tech issues in a simple, straightforward and unbiased style. She has a BCom degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her Masters in Communications and New Media.Read Elsie’s Full Bio

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Troubleshooting Tips When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work On Your Computer Or Smartphone#

Fix When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work On a Windows PC#

Fix When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work on a Mac#

Fix When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work On an Android Smartphone#

Update Your Phone Software#

Fix When Bluetooth Doesn’t Work On iPhone#

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