10.15.1 Update - Bluetooth not available

Do you have any update on this?

I have a Macbook Pro from late 2015 and I updated to Catalina 10.15.1 back in November and have had the same issue since. I've done all sorts of resets, deleted the Bluetooth.plist file multiple times, and I chatted to Apple Support who just recommended doing the same thing. Like PrestonG, they suggested it might be hardware, but I also find it weird that the update had this effect on the hardware.

I keep mentioning this, but people apparently aren't paying attention, and keep hijacking this thread with generic "My mouse doesn't work but my headphones do" Bluetooth problems that are fixed by a SMC reset.

Again, there are TWO problems being discussed in this thread.

One is generic bluetooth issues that are resolved by removing .plists and resetting the SMC as Apple suggests, and is not the "serious problem" first identified in this thread.

The second one is a VERY SERIOUS issue where the Catalina update essentially *wipes out the device firmware on the chip due to a corrupt or interrupted DFU update*. THIS is how the update is causing a hardware problem. This is what happened to my Mac Mini, and the only resolution was to change out the logic board.

The symptom of this is a "Bluetooth Unavailable" no matter what you do - whether you roll back to another version, and NO bluetooth devices work. This IS a hardware problem CAUSED by the Catalina update that IS CURRENTLY NOT USER FIXABLE. Apple has released firmware patches in the past, but they have not acknowledged this issue. I have now seen it on three people's devices.

I wish people would stop mucking up this thread with "one device works but the other doesn't" general Bluetooth compatibility stuff.. That is NOT the issue that provoked this thread, you guys are having typical bluetooth problems.

If you are stuck with the consistent "Bluetooth Not Available" and the device is NOT Present in System Information, your bluetooth chip firmware may literally be gone, and right now the only resolution is a hardware repair. That's what I had to do, and the "Genius Bar" verified this was the issue.

I didn’t read the whole thread bc like you said, there are a lot of comments from people who have an issue with only one bluetooth device. I have exactly what you’ve described and it’s so frustrating that I’m gonna have to go to the Genius Bar to get this fixed. But thanks for explaining!

Having exact same problem. MBA 2012, has run without a glitch for 8 years until I updated to Catalina which rendered bluetooth "Not Available", with a squiggly line through the menu bar icon, and the Bluetooth preferences icon disappearing from the System Preferences window - a spotlight search indicates Bluetooth within System Preferences, however when accessed an error message appears: "You can’t open the “Bluetooth” preferences pane because it is not available to you at this time." I have applied all reset options detailed in this thread (thanks all for your hard work & sharing), alas none have worked for me. Just waiting on Apple now - please Apple, don't take too long, I was hoping my MBA would make it to its 10th birthday...

I have the same problem after Catalina update with my MBP 2016 13 inch 2.9 done all the suggestions and nothing, hoping an update very soon will fix this.

I have the same issue with my 2016 MBP 13 inch 2.9 .... done all of the suggestions and nothing has worked. The issue occurred when I updated to Catalina. Hoping an update very soon will fix this.

Speaking of plist files, I had deleted them a few weeks ago and now I no longer have such files. I thought it would rebuild them once deleted. No?

This fix did not work for my issues. Mouse/keyboard still disconnects then reconnects. Very frustrating.

See my longer post.

thanks very much

worked for me:)

anyone have a solution for residents of banana republics with this same issue, can we order a bluetooth module and plug it in ourselves?

Have same problem(bluetooth not available) witn new mac pro. Updated after delivery, reboot and no longer works :)

Cant refund because store close by covid :(

WOW, I tried everything, nothing worked until I did your procedure. Worked like a charm! Nice.

Thank you.

Sounds like a good quick fix. Thanks for sharing!

Apple should be fixing this, but I have little faith in their updates. Every update creates another issue.

Reseting SMC also helped in my case.

is there a way to validate whether this is the issue i am experiencing from home?