If your iPhone 12 won’t find bluetooth devices, there are a number of ways to fix it.
You should first make sure Bluetooth is turned on and try finding your device in the Bluetooth settings.
If your iPhone 12 still won’t find Bluetooth devices, you can try deleting other devices from Bluetooth settings, updating your iOS software, resetting your network settings, or restarting your iPhone entirely.
Say you’re trying to connect your iOS device to the AirPods or car system, but your iPhone 12 can’t find Bluetooth device in your phone’s Bluetooth settings menu. What do you do? Well, there’s a lot you can do as there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to this problem. In this article, we outline 6 troubleshooting solutions to fix iPhone 12 not seeing Bluetooth devices issue.
Before you tweak your device’s settings and configurations, we recommend executing some basic preliminary troubleshooting checks and actions. First, ensure the Bluetooth device and your iPhone are nearby. Apple recommends that both devices be within a 10 meter (~33 feet) distance or less.
Secondly, check that AirPlane mode is disabled on your device. You can also turn off your iPhone’s Bluetooth, re-enable it, and try pairing the Bluetooth device again. If iPhone 12 can’t find Bluetooth device after doing these, try the following.
NOTE: The fixes in this guide can also be applied to a similar issue on iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 Pro Max that can’t find a Bluetooth device.
Fix iphone 12 not finding bluetooth devices issue
1. Restart bluetooth Device
Sometimes, the problem isn’t your iPhone. But rather, the Bluetooth device in question. Just like smartphones, tablets, and PCs, electronic Bluetooth devices and accessories experience occasional glitches that cause them to malfunction. If your iPhone 12 cannot find or connect to a Bluetooth device, restart/reset it and try again. Likewise, you should also ensure that the Bluetooth device in question is powered or fully charged, set to pairing mode, and available to be connected to your iPhone.
If the Bluetooth device is connected to another phone, tablet, or PC, it might not be visible on your iPhone’s settings menu. So, restart the Bluetooth device and immediately pair it with your iPhone when it comes back on.
2. Restart iPhone
Sometimes your iPhone simply needs to be turned off and on again to fix issues.
If the above steps don’t work, you should try turning your iPhone off and on again to refresh the software. Try connecting to Bluetooth again after you’ve done this.
Press and hold the side button and volume up/volume down button simultaneously for about 2 seconds. Drag the ‘slide to power off’ slider to the right to turn off your iPhone.
Power on your iPhone (hold the side button till the Apple logo appears) and try re-pairing the Bluetooth device.
3. Forget other devices
In a situation where you have other Bluetooth devices simultaneously connected to your iPhone 12, disconnect them and try pairing the new device. Additionally, if you have too many (inactive) Bluetooth devices saved on your iPhone’s connection history, remove a couple of them and try again.
Step 1: Head to the iPhone Bluetooth settings menu (Settings > Bluetooth).
Step 2: In the My Devices section, tap the info (i) icon next to a Bluetooth device.
Step 3: Select ‘Forget This Device’ and hit Forget Device on the prompt.
4. Reset network settings
You might have to reset your iPhone’s network settings if none of the solutions recommended above fixes the issue. By doing this, you’ll restore your device’s network configurations to the default state – just like it was when you newly bought it. That will restore your iPhone’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular connections, and other related settings to factory defaults. But most importantly, this process will fix device-related snags causing your iPhone not to recognize Bluetooth devices.
Step 1: Launch Settings.
Step 2: Go to General.
Step 3: Scroll down to the bottom and tap on Reset.
Step 4: Tap on “Reset Network Settings.”
5. update iPhone
Each iOS version has its individual problems that affect certain device functionalities. If your iPhone 12 can’t find Bluetooth devices, the issue might be from an iOS-related bug. The best way to fix this is to update your iPhone and make sure it stays updated, always.
Step 1: Launch Settings.
Step 2: Go to General.
Step 3: Tap on Software Update to update. If there is a red circle in it, there is an update waiting.
Step 4: Tap on it to update to the most recent iOS.
6. contact device manufacturers
By manufacturers, we mean Apple and the manufacturer of the Bluetooth device. But before you contact the latter, try connecting the affected Bluetooth device to other smartphones (preferably an iPhone or iPad). If other iPhone 12 series also can’t find the Bluetooth device, you should contact the manufacturer’s support team. The device is probably faulty due to physical damage or factory defects. And if the issue is peculiar to your smartphone alone, contact Apple Support or take your iPhone 12 to the nearest Apple Store.