16-inch MacBook Pro Bluetooth issue

My 2019 iMac shows the same bluetooth module but I recommend you to not plug in the CSR dongle because in my case “Bluetooth collaboration” stopped working and now its impossible to have bluetooth and wifi active at the same time.

jamiefromkirkcaldy wrote:

Yeah, I have tried the steps on both MacBooks a few times now. When the Bluetooth was working on my 13", the BT 2.0 would show devices in the Bluetooth menu when plugged in. However now its been disabled, it no longer shows any devices.

When I plug the BT2.0 dongle into a windows PC, it flashes when searching. It doesn't do this in macOS, the red light just stays solid.

Jamie

What are you using to connect the USB A to USB C, I also have this issue and ordered a few BT2.0 devices. But the first 2 have the same issue. So I think it might be the USB C dongle I'm using.

I am using the official Apple one that has about 10CM cable on it.

I have tried a cheaper USB-C dongle too that I use and it didn’t make any difference.

I have a few coming tomorrow to try, they are a slightly different form factor too.

Jamie

Guys! I fixed mi 2019 iMac bluetooth with a dongle!

For those who don't know, I was having a different issue after plugin the infamous 4.0 CSR dongle: everything I connected was having interferences (AirPods, mouse...) as if the bluetooth module wasn't getting enough power or as if Coex mode wasn't working but still it was usable (barely). Just plugged in an ancient bluetooth 2.0 dongle (don't know if its CRS based), reseted NVRAM and other steps as @AntiHawk said and I got internal bluetooth working back to normal!

Quick update - unfortunately, this fix was only temporary for me. As of today (~2 days after the original fix), onboard bluetooth is back to being spotty, with bluetooth accessories cutting in and out. Neither dongle is able to recover full functionality. Perhaps there are more issues than I originally thought...

With my 3rd dongle I finally managed to fix it as well.

The adapter that worked in the end was an old Sitecom CN-521 one that a neighbor had lying around. I ordered 2 of the semi-circle ones but both didn't work.

I connected my adapter through the AV multiport adapter from Apple.

Same issue as many on this thread. Accidentally attached a CSR 4.0 BT dongle.

Took me a while to realise that the reset needs an old BT 2.0 USB - so just ordered one.

Thanks to @AntiHawk.

Here's hoping it works for me too.

Just to follow up, NightHawk's fix worked for me.

I am in the UK, I used this BT 2.0 dongle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0013BFQUE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

£4 well spent - Apple owe me! :-D

Hi,

I tried the same dongle as you for No 1 and I couldn't get it to work. I had tried a couple of them and they were all junk.

For number 2, can you post a couple of screenshots from the System Information when the No 2 dongle is plugged in?

If you can also post a screenshot from the USB section when you click on the USB Dongle.

That will give us a little more information to see the exact chipset and version.

I didn't pair with an Android Phone, for both my MacBooks just plugging in the dongle worked for me. Once I plugged it in and removed it, it seemed to bring the internal dongle back to life.

Jamie

I know this doesn’t solve your problem but just know you’re not alone in this.

It’s absolutely baffling to me that a company this size cares so little about a problem this serious. If Apple really cared about your 6k EUR you wouldn’t see this problem marked as “resolved”. Guess what, they won’t look further into this as “it is not an issue anymore” just because some people managed to find a workaround that works 50/50 of the time.

I really hope this thread is marked as unresolved again because spending time and money in an external dongle to fix an internal issue is not a solution.

voldomazta wrote:

I was skeptical at first but I have to report now that the solution above worked for me.

I had to buy a 2.0 dongle to get it to work.

Glad that you got it to work. Can you send a picture or link to the dongle specs?

Hi,

Just wanted to confirm that the procedure also working for me. After having tested several usb 2.0 dongles the one that worked for me was the Sitecom CN-521 pointed out by @koenbc. 

You will see very soon if your dongle is working or not because it has to be directly recognized by mac. If you see that when you connect your dongle your Bluetooth icon changes temporary to an error icon it won't work. Your dongle has to be able to search for devices.

In my case I was so tired of doing the complete procedure that this time I only did:

1) Connect the dongle.

2) Search for devices

3) Connect to Android Phone and cancel connection when the code appears on the mac.

4) Remove the dongle and try to connect immediately after with the internal Bluetooth

At this point you will see a loading rainbow icon as if you were broking what's already broke -> Good sign.

5) Reboot computer 

6) Your expensive MacBook will be available to do something amazing in 2020: has internal Bluetooth.

Thank you Apple for being revolutionary, for questioning the things that we take for granted like connecting an external Bluetooth to our expensive devices and make us loose our Bluetooth for 4 months.

Also, the customer service experience is a joke... I understand that we've been in difficult times but your 1-week visibility for reserve a genius bar... You market yourself as the brand for creators, entrepreneurs... And then you think that we don't have anything better to do than connecting us to the website / call you everyday to check if there is availability in your stores... Never experienced any situation like this with $700 Toshiba laptops... 

Anyways, thanks @AntiHawk for this fix and all the community support.

Good luck to those of us who haven't still been able to fix their Bluetooth.

I managed to make it work by making multiple attempts of connecting/disconnecting and rebooting with/without the dongle connected. You will know it's working because other devices can pick up your Mac.

Just want to add that since "fixing" it I still have some weird quirks from time to time. An example is volume level not being reflected accurately while using AirPods Pro and the only way to make it work is by opening Sound Settings.

Furthermore, the HCI Selector in Bluetooth Explorer.app still shows None in the dropdown so it is unable to enumerate the built-in module. I strongly believe something is physically damaged at this point and I expect Apple to address this somehow.

For what it's worth, after "fixing" the issue and having it rebreak on me, I brought my 16" MBP back in to Apple. The Genius Bar appeared to be familiar with this issue and immediately suggested a logic board replacement, which was completed in 3 days. Of course, it works perfectly now, but if it wasn't under warranty it would have been nearly $800! I threw out my CSR 4.0 dongle, just in case.

I honestly don't know the cause of the 2nd breakage. Its onset was similar to the original onset of my problem: flakey bluetooth connection, high latency on my bluetooth accessories like keyboard and trackpad, and eventually, non-responsiveness. My fix only lasted a few days.