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Q: PS4 Controller Bluetooth Connectivity Problems

Hi there. I've been using the PS4 Controller with my Late 2013 Macbook Pro for a while, and bluetooth connectivity was fine for a while. Around the time I updated to Yosemite (although I'm not 100% certain that would be the cause), the controllers stopped being able to connect.

 

When I attempt to pair the device, it shows up as discoverable, allows me to hit 'Connect' in the Bluetooth preferences pane, and actually says 'Connected', although it continues to have the spinning load wheel next to it. Typically, when the controller ACTUALLY connects, the light on the back of the DS4 changes from quick flashes to a solid orange color. After a while of this, the controller stops attempting to connect, and the Bluetooth pane says the pairing failed.

 

I have reset the PRAM and SMC multiple times, am fully up to date on software, have tried plugging the controllers in via USB first (which works, but I want Bluetooth working again), and have done a ton of searches for similar issues. Very few people seem to have an issue remotely close to this, and the ones that do are able to fix it with an SMC reset.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1), PS4 Dualshock 4 Controller

Posted on Nov 20, 2014 1:45 PM

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Q: PS4 Controller Bluetooth Connectivity Problems

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  • by MattiaTraverso,

    MattiaTraverso MattiaTraverso Jan 4, 2015 7:30 AM in response to Theyis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 4, 2015 7:30 AM in response to Theyis

    Simply delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist and reboot


    (The file's name may be a tiny bit weirder, having some characters after "Bluetooth", but that's still your file)

     

    I suggest doing it via the Terminal.

  • by SirRain3,

    SirRain3 SirRain3 Jan 4, 2015 6:00 PM in response to MattiaTraverso
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 4, 2015 6:00 PM in response to MattiaTraverso

    Someone else told me to do this on another site and I've done this about 20 times now, and it has change nothing for me. I have even deleted the /Library/Preferences/com.bluetooth file exchange.plist along with the bluetooth.plist and it has changed nothing. I still have the same problem as stated above and i truly believe its a connection issue with the macbook pro because when i take my controller to my brothers house with a Windows 8 desktop, it connects, every time, with no issues. Please fix this. I would love to be able to game wirelessly on my mac with my ps4 controller.

     

    P.s

    This being said. When i get the controller to connect, and If I don't plug it into a ps4 or remove the device from the preference list, It stays connected and connects when disconnected right away. Its the initial connection that is shotty and i pretty much have to leave one controller designated to my macbook.

  • by MattiaTraverso,Helpful

    MattiaTraverso MattiaTraverso Jan 5, 2015 2:21 PM in response to SirRain3
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 5, 2015 2:21 PM in response to SirRain3

    I had the exact same issue you had, and I took the following steps to fix it:

     

    1) Turn off Bluetooth

    2) Terminate every single process in Activity Manager that you can terminate

    3) Open the terminal and type sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.E5A09B51-7B2E-53AC-ADF0-*********.plis t (I censored part of the name since I am not sure whether these characters have any importance)  or sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

    4) Trash the file manually if you can't get this to work ^

    5) Restart your macbook

    6) Open the newly formed Bluetooth.plist with Sublime Text, delete everything inside and re-save the file (I know, this feels like black magic, and I don't think it had any input... but I am just telling you the steps I took!)

     

    ...and now it works flawlessly. Tried with two controllers, and they still work even after I pair them with other devices.

  • by Adam LeBlanc,

    Adam LeBlanc Adam LeBlanc Apr 9, 2015 12:38 PM in response to MattiaTraverso
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 9, 2015 12:38 PM in response to MattiaTraverso

    I tried copying and pasting what you wrote and its not working for me. I have no idea how to go about accessing what you are talking about to delete the preferences

  • by Goose Willis,

    Goose Willis Goose Willis Apr 17, 2015 4:28 PM in response to Theyis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 17, 2015 4:28 PM in response to Theyis

    Hi Guys,

     

    i´m having the exact same issues Sir Rain 3 has. I already deleted the com.apple.Bluetoothplist file from Preferences/Library file as well as the other Bluetoothplist file in the Prefernces/Library/ByHost directory. I also reseted the PRAM and SMC but still the controller won`t connect to my MacBook Pro. (Retina, Mid 2014)

     

    Are there any other suggestions how to solve this problem? Both of my Controllers work fine with the PS 4 though.

    Would be great if there´s someone who could help!

     

    Thanks in advance!

  • by Adam LeBlanc,

    Adam LeBlanc Adam LeBlanc Apr 17, 2015 4:34 PM in response to Goose Willis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 17, 2015 4:34 PM in response to Goose Willis

    Hey Goose,

     

    I followed the instructions on this site and it worked for me: http://macs.about.com/od/Troubleshooting/fl/How-to-Fix-OS-X-Bluetooth-Wireless-P roblems.htm

    Good Luck.

  • by blueclient,Helpful

    blueclient blueclient Apr 26, 2015 3:06 PM in response to Theyis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apr 26, 2015 3:06 PM in response to Theyis

    I know this didn't work for OP, but for the sake of who it may help:

     

    0. Make sure controller isn't paired to another device.

    1. sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

    2. Restart

    3a. With BT PrefPane open, try pairing with PS Button and Share. May or may not work. If it does, you're done!

    3b. If 3a doesn't work, try connecting by pressing PS button and looking to see if light stays lit.

    4. If still not working, start at step 2, and possibly try only 3b.

     

    Eventually, this is how I get it to work.

  • by Adam Mazurick,

    Adam Mazurick Adam Mazurick Jul 20, 2015 12:36 PM in response to blueclient
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 20, 2015 12:36 PM in response to blueclient

    This was the best response I found. If you're not too familiar with Unix...just open your Terminal Application and copy and paste

     

    sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist


    This will delete the profile

  • by AnthonyM62,

    AnthonyM62 AnthonyM62 Sep 13, 2015 12:55 PM in response to Theyis
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 12:55 PM in response to Theyis

    We tried several different things but what just worked for us and we did it several times was to unpair the controller from the ps4 and then it would pair to our macbook airs instantly.

  • by elementsixtythree,

    elementsixtythree elementsixtythree Oct 14, 2015 9:17 PM in response to MattiaTraverso
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2015 9:17 PM in response to MattiaTraverso

    This worked for me. MacBook Pro Retina 15" Mid 2014 running El Capitan.

  • by charlesfries,

    charlesfries charlesfries Nov 8, 2015 3:18 PM in response to elementsixtythree
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Nov 8, 2015 3:18 PM in response to elementsixtythree

    I am having the above issues as well. This did NOT work for me. Late 2013 MacBook Pro, El Capitan 10.11.2

  • by XxRagnarockxX,

    XxRagnarockxX XxRagnarockxX Jan 28, 2016 7:02 PM in response to Theyis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 28, 2016 7:02 PM in response to Theyis

    i have found a much more effective solution:

     

    none of the above worked but this did:

     

    first download hardware IO Tools from https://developer.apple.com/downloads/ (use latest stable ver for xcode, you don't need to install Xcode to use these tools just stick them in your Utilities folder in applications)

     

    then open Bluetooth Explorer, then in tools open device cache explorer, Modify Software & Device Configuration

     

    just press the delete all on the Device cache:

     

    Screen Shot 2016-01-29 at 1.50.06 PM.png

    and select all these options as show in this image here, for the Software & Device Config

     

    Screen Shot 2016-01-29 at 1.51.02 PM.png

    be sure to use a wired mouse for all of this as this will remove every device you have paired, if your on iMac Or Mac pro. once done re-pair your mouse and keyboard and reboot then try repairing PS4 controller or any other devices you had issues with. this fixed all my bluetooth issues...

  • by leonmax,

    leonmax leonmax Feb 27, 2016 11:10 PM in response to XxRagnarockxX
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 27, 2016 11:10 PM in response to XxRagnarockxX

    The last one saved me!!! Thank you XxRagnarockxX

  • by captainNemo,

    captainNemo captainNemo Apr 22, 2016 11:54 PM in response to XxRagnarockxX
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Peripherals
    Apr 22, 2016 11:54 PM in response to XxRagnarockxX

    This is the best answer!

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