After updating to Catalina 10.15.1, bluetooth is not available on my Mac Mini (2018). This prevents me from using a wireless keyboard or my AirPods with the Mac. The icon says "Bluetooth: Not available". I've done an SMC reset, deleted /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist and reset NVRAM/PRAM. Is anyone else having this problem? Any solutions?
Mac mini 2018 or later
Bluetooth was crashing with increasing regularity and would no longer connect to devices, so I decided to upgrade to Catalina before I found this thread (hindsight: whoops). Bluetooth flatlined post upgrade from 10.14 Mojave to 10.15.4 Catalina. Upgraded to 10.15.5 hoping to resolve, but no dice. Tried a handful of other things over the past few days until I discovered this thread:
Poking around a bit more, it looks like as I had a system admin user set up for me on a work provided machine, I have two ~/Library directories - one at a global system level, and one under ~/{User}/Library. I had been deleting the plist files at the global level assuming they would be system wide, but I had to navigate to both Library/Preferences folders and remove the bluetooth plist files - and the User/Library/Preferences/ByHost plist file. No change.
Running etrecheck - it looks like on upgrading to macOS Catalina 10.15.4 two things were installed:
XProtectPlistConfigData (2121) & Voice Update - Nora (1.3.13), but neither looks related, especially since their release dates don't seem to coincide with the reporting here.
While bluetooth can be power toggled (manually via terminal), it continues to crash system preferences and will not allow any devices to be connected. Booting in Safe seems to fix that, but still doesn't address the actual bluetooth issue. No error pops up in about system, etrecheck, or cleanmymac. Still can’t seem to toggle bluetooth IO via console bar - only manually via terminal with blueutil -p 0/1 or sudo launchctl stop/start com.apple.bluetoothhd.
Guessing this must be the described hardware issue. Looks like this could be the battery on the logic board, but if Apple Care is saying it might be something else and requires machine replacement.. who knows. ****, this is my work computer, and I was hoping to avoid IT/sending it in. Looks like I've hopped in the boat with the rest of you.
Worth noting, and I recommend anyone in the future who posts to this (or folks who captured it at the time of their log):
Some references:
Update: I spoke to Apple support this morning who indicated that engineering recommends bringing the Mac in for service. It seems as though the update has damaged the bluetooth module and even after multiple O/S re-installs, it still doesn't work.
I also need to echo the same concerns.
I have a 2018 Mac mini as well. After the 10.15.1 update, I get "Bluetooth: Not Available" and no hardware shows in System Report.
I have tried:
My inclination is that a firmware update in 10.15.1 has bricked the Bluetooth controller, and perhaps even those who have had their logic board replaced have the same result occurring when Catalina boots back up. Power supply problems? Highly, highly improbable.
This really does seem like a recent update that could possibly be bricking perhaps a certain batch hardware. Not good.
For those with similar problems, I got my Mac mini in December of last year. It's the 3.2 GHz 6-Core i7 with a 1TB SSD. I have upgraded the RAM after the fact.
All that's left to try for me is roll back to an older backup... This seems like a nasty problem if it is what it sounds like.
One would hope they'd jump on this quick and perhaps fix it with a subsequent update, but this feels to me like the kind of thing Apple gets dodgy about and denies until there's some uproar. I would suggest everyone with the problem contact Apple ASAP.
Has anyone else in this thread with this problem found resolution yet?
Solved in 5 minutes with Apple Support over the phone. I have a Macbook Pro, Retina Mid 2012 on MacOS Catalina which did an automatic update to 10.15.2. After I was unable to connect a bluetooth headset, I noticed the bluetooth icon had a line through it and said Bluetooth: Not Available. I tried all of the delete this and reboot that with no success. I read the forums and some people mentioned taking it to the Apple store. I knew the issue was patch related and not hardware. So, I called Apple Support. Apple had me do the following.
This worked for me. I hope this helps someone.
2 problems:
I am having this same issue. I called Apple Support this morning after doing an SMC Reset and even a full clean reinstall and still have the same issue. I am having to take the mac mini in to the Apple Store for repair. They state it could be a hardware issue but seems odd it would be a hardware issue after a software update. Will update...
Thanks for the update, I have tried everything possible including a clean install rollback to Mojave, SMC reset and PRAM reset and nothing has helped. I will take it into the Apple Store and hope for some resolution.
Any update on a resolution PrestonG? I updated to 10.15.1 last week and lost Bluetooth ("Bluetooth: Not Available" on menu & "No Information Found" in System Report). I have tried everything except reinstalling the OS. I have a MBP 2018 and is < 1 month out of warranty.
I ended up taking my Mac Mini into the Apple Store and they originally said it was a failed logic board and ordered a replacement for that. After they swapped out the logic board it still didn’t pass their tests so they told me they were going to order a new power supply and try that. I haven’t heard anything since last week, still waiting to get my machine back. Still find it off that all the “hardware” issues began right after I ran a software update.
Do you know if "their tests" were the embedded diagnostics accessed by pressing and hold the D key when the box is restarting? I only ask, because I ran that and it reported no issues/errors were found.
I have a mid-2015 macbook pro. Bluetooth connected to headphones (not Apple) but not keyboard. Keyboard is by Perixx, not Apple. Could that matter? I'm using USB keyboard to write this, so all USB works. I tried all the suggestions, nothing gets the bluetooth keyboard working. What?
Can't add a fix I'm afraid but experiencing same issue Mac Pro 2.3 2017 immediately after install of Catalina. Harware report says no information found. Done all the suggested fixes, none work. Clearly an update issue and it needs to be fixed, cannot use my headphones at all.
Just dropped mine off at the Apple store. Tech tried everything - including a DFU iBridge restore (which failed twice).
Other forums have mentioned that this is a corrupt firmware issue. Apple tech could not find any hardware issues, but Bluetooth didn’t even show up on the hardware test.
They now say they’re doing a “deep dive” which will take 3-5 days. Concerning.
Apple tech could not find any hardware issues, but Bluetooth didn’t even show up on the hardware test.
This is my exact issue. All tests/diagnostics show nothing is wrong with the hardware. It is as if the Bluetooth module was completely removed from the MBP.
Please let us know what is found with the "deep dive".
I had this issue on my iMac with Mojave, and now I still have the issue with Catalina. It's been doing this for a few months now. It works most of the time, and then it stops and I have to plug in a wired mouse and connect my Magic keyboard via Lightening and then try various things to get it working again. I need to write down all the things I try, but I've researched this and have tried pretty much everything people here are saying.
Today to get it working, I did an SMC reset and when it came back up Bluetooth was "available" and I just had to click the Bluetooth icon to turn it on again after reboot. The magic Mouse connected on its own and started working then, but not the Magic keyboard. I had to plug the keyboard in and then I was able to make the "Connect" option for it in the Bluetooth pulldown work. It would not connect without being plugged in first.
I'll start keeping a detailed log about what I do to make it work (temporarily at least), and if I learn anything I'll post it here.
10.15.1 Update - Bluetooth not available
