Cannot establish Bluetooth pairing btw 2021 MacBook Pro (M1 Max) and 2020 iPhone SE 2

Question

Level 1

12 points

Cannot establish Bluetooth pairing btw 2021 MacBook Pro (M1 Max) and 2020 iPhone SE 2

I am unable to establish Bluetooth pairing between my 2021 MacBook Pro (M1 Max) and my 2020 iPhone SE 2, even though both devices are running the latest versions of their respective operating systems. Both devices also appear to be working fine in all other ways [although I have a separate issue with apps shared on my iPhone and my 2021 iPad Mini 6 that will not stay in sync with each other.] This same Bluetooth pairing issue was also a problem for me with my previous computer, a 2016 MacBook Pro running MacOS 10.12 (Sierra), which I was using until the new M1 MBP arrived in November 2021.

I have followed all instructions for trying to pair the two devices, but with the same results regardless of whether I attempt to initiate pairing from the MBP to the iPhone or vice versa:

-- When I try to pair from the MBP to the iPhone, the Bluetooth status changes to "Connected" for barely one second before immediately reverting to "Not Connected" status.

-- When I try to pair from the iPhone to the MBP, a message appears, saying that connection to the MBP is not supported — which is obviously FALSE (and ridiculous).

I have iCloud sharing set up for all three of my Apple devices and am running the latest MacOS and iOS (and iPadOS), so this is extremely frustrating. Shouldn't these Apple devices, none of which are old or running outdated operating systems, "just work" properly and "talk" to one another?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Jan 5, 2022 12:16 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Sharon_419

Community Specialist

Jan 6, 2022 10:43 AM in response to ClickClack

Hi ClickClack,

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. We understand that you have some concerns about Bluetooth pairing between your devices. What data are you attempting to sync between the devices? You can use Finder to sync, as well using AirDrop with both devices connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Check out the links below.

Use the Finder to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod with your computer

How to use AirDrop on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Use AirDrop on your Mac

Use Continuity to connect your Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch

Have a nice day.

Reply

Answer 2

ClickClack Author

Level 1

12 points

Jan 6, 2022 3:43 PM in response to Sharon_419

Thanks for your response, Sharon_419. To clarify, I don't have concerns about Bluetooth pairing between my Apple devices. I have already repeatedly tried following the steps for establishing a Bluetooth connection between my iPhone and my MacBook Pro, and each time the pairing fails, just as I described in my original question/issue report above. Likewise, I have tried following the instructions for using AirDrop between my iPhone and my MBP, but that process also fails.

As for the data that I want to be able to share from one device to the other, I wanted to transfer some photos from my iPhone to my MacBook Pro. I have Photos selected in my iCloud settings, but for some reason photos I take on my iPhone do not automatically get transferred to my MacBook Pro even though they appear in the Photos app on my iPad.

I just now tried again to share a photo from my iPhone to my MBP via AirDrop, and it failed once again. On my iPhone, I selected the photo, tapped the Share icon, tapped the AirDrop option, and selected the icon for my MBP — but then I just saw the word "Waiting..." flashing off and on for over 30 seconds without my MBP ever showing the AirDrop request, after which I tapped the icon for my MBP again to abort the process. This is very frustrating!

Reply

Answer 3

Jan 6, 2022 5:08 PM in response to ClickClack

ClickClack wrote:

I am unable to establish Bluetooth pairing between my 2021 MacBook Pro (M1 Max) and my 2020 iPhone SE 2, even though both devices are running the latest versions of their respective operating systems. Both devices also appear to be working fine in all other ways [although I have a separate issue with apps shared on my iPhone and my 2021 iPad Mini 6 that will not stay in sync with each other.] This same Bluetooth pairing issue was also a problem for me with my previous computer, a 2016 MacBook Pro running MacOS 10.12 (Sierra), which I was using until the new M1 MBP arrived in November 2021.

Paired Bluetooth connections between Apple devices are not supported, except for Personal Hotspot sharing. They also aren’t needed.

have followed all instructions for trying to pair the two devices, but with the same results regardless of whether I attempt to initiate pairing from the MBP to the iPhone or vice versa:

-- When I try to pair from the MBP to the iPhone, the Bluetooth status changes to "Connected" for barely one second before immediately reverting to "Not Connected" status.

-- When I try to pair from the iPhone to the MBP, a message appears, saying that connection to the MBP is not supported — which is obviously FALSE (and ridiculous).

Not, it is not obviously false. It is true and not in the slightest ridiculous.

have iCloud sharing set up for all three of my Apple devices and am running the latest MacOS and iOS (and iPadOS), so this is extremely frustrating. Shouldn't these Apple devices, none of which are old or running outdated operating systems, "just work" properly and "talk" to one another?

You share using iCloud, not Bluetooth. You can sync between iOS devices and Mac devices using Wi-Fi. You can also share using AirDrop.

Reply

Answer 4

ClickClack Author

Level 1

12 points

Jan 6, 2022 5:55 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Wow, Lawrence, this is the first time that I am learning Bluetooth connections between Apple devices are not supported AND not needed. Definitely news to me, as I thought that a Bluetooth connection was a requirement for AirDrop to work between devices.

However, as I stated in my second comment here above (from 3:43pm today):

"I just now tried again to share a photo from my iPhone to my MBP via AirDrop, and it failed once again. On my iPhone, I selected the photo, tapped the Share icon, tapped the AirDrop option, and selected the icon for my MBP — but then I just saw the word "Waiting..." flashing off and on for over 30 seconds without my MBP ever showing the AirDrop request, after which I tapped the icon for my MBP again to abort the process."

I would love to be able to use AirDrop if it was working as it is supposed to do. I was hoping that the lack of a Bluetooth connection might be the reason why AirDrop is not working for me. If you are correct about a Bluetooth connection NOT being needed, then I am even more perplexed about why AirDrop will not work between my iPhone and MacBook Pro. I have been able to use AirDrop successfully in the past with my previous MacBook Pro, so I know how it is supposed to work.

Reply

Answer 5

Jan 6, 2022 6:08 PM in response to ClickClack

Check the AirDrop settings in System Preferences, and verify who it will accept from. I use it pretty regularly to send screen shots to my MBP.

expanding: AirDrop uses BlueTooth Low Energy (BLE), which does not require pairing; it is an app to app protocol, to establish the connection, but the data travels over Wi-Fi. So both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network.

Reply

Answer 6

ClickClack Author

Level 1

12 points

Jan 6, 2022 6:10 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

AirDrop is set to accept requests from Everyone — on all 3 devices. I used to have it set to Contacts Only, thinking that was a safer strategy, but I changed it to see if that setting was the problem. Unfortunately, it did not resolve the issue.

I am genuinely puzzled by this.

Reply

Answer 7

KMB_12

Community Specialist

Jan 6, 2022 5:01 PM in response to ClickClack

ClickClack,

Thanks for giving that a try. At this point, we'd recommend that you connect with Apple at Get Support for additional assistance regarding this matter.

Kind regards.

Reply

Cannot establish Bluetooth pairing btw 2021 MacBook Pro (M1 Max) and 2020 iPhone SE 2

Similar questions