Worried about the Bluetooth not working on iPhone 12 Pro? Are you unable to use the Bluetooth after updating your iPhone 12 Pro?
If your answer is “Yes” and looking to fix Bluetooth not working on iPhone 12 Pro, then you are at the right place!
Bluetooth is an indispensable technology that connects numerous devices wirelessly. Whether it’s a set of AirPods, Apple Watch, a smart speaker, or your car stereo, when it stops working properly on iPhone 12 Pro, there can be multiple reasons why. To fix these types of Bluetooth problems, there are several solutions to get things working again.
In this article, we’ll walk you through all the best ways to fix Bluetooth problems on your iPhone 12 Pro. Most of the time, these problems are the result of a software issue, which means you can usually fix them yourself for free.
Because the causes of a faulty Bluetooth connection can vary, there are numerous possible solutions to try. Here are the most effective ways to fix common iPhone 12 Pro Bluetooth problems.
See also: How to fix your iPhone 12 Pro when it has no service
Toggle Bluetooth Off and On
The easiest way to fix most Bluetooth problems on your iPhone 12 Pro is to toggle Bluetooth off and on again. This is particularly effective if your iPhone 12 Pro is struggling to pair with a Bluetooth accessory. It’ll also help if you accidentally disabled Bluetooth on your iPhone.
Follow these steps to toggle Bluetooth:
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Center.
- Find the Bluetooth icon in the top-left section of the Control Center, then tap this icon to toggle Bluetooth off. The icon turns white when Bluetooth is turned off.
- Wait 30 seconds, then tap the Bluetooth icon to enable it again. The icon turns blue when Bluetooth is turned on.
Pair With Your Bluetooth Accessory Again
When it’s working, your iPhone 12 Pro usually pairs with Bluetooth accessories automatically, as soon as it detects them. But it can help to manually pair your devices together using the Settings app.
Here’s exactly what you need to do:
- Make sure your Bluetooth accessory is fully charged and powered on (consider replacing the batteries if it uses any).
- Follow the instructions for your Bluetooth accessory to put it in pairing mode. You can often do this by holding down a Bluetooth button on the device.
- On your iPhone 12 Pro, head to Settings > Bluetooth.
- Wait for your Bluetooth accessory to appear in the list of devices, then tap its name to pair with it. If your accessory doesn’t show up, try moving it right next to your iPhone while it’s in pairing mode.
- The Settings app should say Connected next to your Bluetooth accessory when pairing is complete.
See also: iPhone 12 Pro Personal Hotspot not working? Fix
Enable Bluetooth for Third-Party Apps
If you can pair with a Bluetooth accessory, but you still can’t use it with any apps on your iPhone 12 Pro, you might need to change your Bluetooth Privacy settings.
- On your iPhone 12 Pro, go to Settings > Privacy > Bluetooth. Tap the toggle to enable Bluetooth for any apps you’re trying to use your accessory with.
Note: Developers can use Bluetooth access to gather information about you, so you should only enable it for apps you trust.
Restart Your iPhone and Bluetooth Device
One of the most tried and tested troubleshooting techniques is to restart your device. If your iPhone 12 Pro isn’t working with a Bluetooth accessory, restart your iPhone and the accessory before trying them again.
To restart your iPhone 12 Pro:
- Press and hold the Side button with either Volume button, then slide to power off.
- Once your iPhone powers off, wait 30 seconds before pressing the Side button again to restart it.
- Follow the user manual to restart your Bluetooth accessory.
Forget Your Bluetooth Accessory and Pair Again
Even if your iPhone 12 Pro won’t connect with a Bluetooth accessory right now, it still remembers information about the accessory from the last time it connected. Sometimes, you need to delete this data to fix your Bluetooth problems.
You can do that by telling your iPhone 12 Pro to Forget a device. Here’s how:
- On your iPhone 12 Pro, head to Settings > Bluetooth.
- Tap the i icon next to a Bluetooth accessory to reveal more data about it.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Forget This Device, then confirm you want to Forget Device.
When a Bluetooth device is not connected, your only option is to forget it.
After telling your iPhone to forget a Bluetooth accessory, follow the instructions above to pair them again, like you did the first time you used it.
Install the Latest iOS Update
It’s possible the Bluetooth isn’t working on your iPhone 12 Pro due to a bug in iOS. When this is the case, all you need to do is install the latest iOS update to fix it—provided Apple has released a patch for that bug already.
- On your iPhone 12 Pro, go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for new updates.
- Download and install any that are available.
Reset Network Settings on Your iPhone
Up to now, none of the solutions we’ve suggested should have resulted in any data loss from your iPhone 12 Pro. But if Bluetooth still isn’t working, it’s time to start erasing some settings.
When you Reset Network Settings on your iPhone, it will forget all the Bluetooth devices you’ve connected to, all the Wi-Fi networks you’ve saved, and all the VPNs you may have set up.
As far as data loss goes, this is pretty minor. But you should make sure you’ve got your Wi-Fi password to hand so you can get online again as soon as possible.
To reset your network settings:
- On your iPhone 12 Pro, go to Settings > General.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap on Reset.
- select Reset Network Settings, then type in your passcode and confirm you want to Reset Network Settings.
Reset Your Bluetooth Accessory to Factory Settings
Sometimes it isn’t your iPhone 12 Pro that’s acting up, it’s your Bluetooth accessory. This could be the case for everything from a car stereo to a set of Apple AirPods.
If your iPhone 12 Pro still can’t connect to a Bluetooth accessory—or if it doesn’t work properly when you do connect it—follow the user manual to reset the device back to its factory settings.
For most Bluetooth devices, all you need to do is disconnect it from Bluetooth and restart it. But for other devices, you may need to press a certain combination of buttons or go into the settings. Check with the manufacturer to find out exactly what you need to do.
Erase and Reset Your iPhone
It’s time for the big guns; if Bluetooth still isn’t working, you need to totally erase and reset your iPhone 12 Pro to rule out any underlying software problems.
It’s absolutely crucial that you back up your iPhone first, otherwise you’ll lose all the data from it.
To erase your iPhone, and reset the software:
- Head to Settings > General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
Select Erase All Content and Settings. Select Back Up and Erase to make a new backup. - Type in your passcode, then confirm you want to Erase Device.
Don’t Restore a Backup Yet!
After erasing your iPhone, we recommend that you choose to set it up as new, without restoring a backup. This way you can test the Bluetooth again without worrying that something in your backup might be causing the problem.
If the Bluetooth still doesn’t work, even though you didn’t restore a backup, then you can be certain that you’re looking at a hardware problem.
If the Bluetooth does work now, erase your iPhone again and restore your backup. Now, test the Bluetooth once more to find out if a problem with your backup is causing your iPhone 12 Pro Bluetooth issues. If the Bluetooth still doesn’t work, erase your iPhonee one more time and try restoring a different backup, or just set it up as new and try to forget about all your lost data.
Get a Hardware Repair
Unfortunately, if you followed all the above steps but Bluetooth still isn’t working on your iPhone 12 Pro, it means you’re looking at a hardware problem. This is most likely to be an issue with the antenna in your iPhone, which can also affect Wi-Fi connectivity.
Although it’s possible to learn to fix an iPhone yourself with websites like iFixit, for most people we suggest you contact Apple directly. If your iPhone 12 Pro is still covered by the limited manufacturer’s warranty or consumer law, Apple should repair or replace your device for free.
Unfortunately, if your iPhone 12 Pro isn’t covered by the warranty or consumer law, you’ll need to pay for this yourself. But still, at least you’ll be able to connect to your Bluetooth accessories after you do so.
See also: How to Fix iPhone 12 Pro Bluetooth Pairing Problems
iPhone 12 Pro Bluetooth not Working? Problem fixed
There are a countless number of different ways that Bluetooth can stop working for your iPhone 12 Pro and an equally countless number of potential causes for those problems. Because of this, it’s difficult for us to tell you exactly which step you need to follow to fix your iPhone 12 Pro Bluetooth issues.
However, we did try to list our solutions in order from the simplest and most likely, to the most drastic and least likely solution.
Let us know in the comments how you fixed Bluetooth on your iPhone 12 Pro! Or, if you still haven’t managed to fix it yet, which methods did you try, and did Apple have anything interesting to say about it?
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