Is there a way to turn bluetooth on & off without rebooting every time?

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Is there a way to turn bluetooth on & off without rebooting every time?

Once or twice a week I'm unable to turn bluetooth off or on without rebooting. I've tried all the obvious steps (enabling or disabling via bluetooth icon in the menu bar, and going through the system settings to do it.)

From all my research, rebooting is the only way, and that works but it sure is a hassle.

I'm hoping there's a way to turn it on or off through Terminal, or to reset the bluetooth service using sysctl or something...anything so I don't have to reboot every time.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance.

-Adam

2013 15" mbpr, Catalina (10.15.15, which right now is the latest version)

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jun 9, 2020 6:15 AM

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Answer 1

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VikingOSX

Community+ 2024

Level 10

116,789 points

Jun 9, 2020 7:23 AM in response to saghi

What bluetooth device is connected, or last connected when you need to power cycle bluetooth? Sounds like something incompatible is hanging bluetooth, and that condition may make it incapable of responding to a off signal from the operating system.

Typo: 10.15.5

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Answer 2

saghi Author

Level 1

43 points

Jun 9, 2020 7:25 AM in response to VikingOSX

Good thinking. It's usually a Bose SoundLink Mini. Maybe I need to be more careful about ensuring that I disconnected it the proper way before leaving the office every day. I'll give that a try and see if it helps.

Thank you.

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Answer 3

Jun 9, 2020 7:36 AM in response to saghi

I cannot point my finger on an article that mentions it, but I recall there have been discussions about bluetooth issues with the Bose SoundLink devices. Let's hope a change in your procedure is all that is needed.

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Answer 4

saghi Author

Level 1

43 points

Jun 9, 2020 7:41 AM in response to VikingOSX

The SoundLink has been incredibly flakey and unreliable, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's ultimately the culprit.

I'm feeling optimistic that this will resolve the issue.

Thank you again! I'll try to chime back in after a week or so to mark that your suggestion solved the question, or not (but I think it will).

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Is there a way to turn bluetooth on & off without rebooting every time?

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