Since updating to Big Sur I'm having trouble with my bluetooth devices. They (mostly) connect OK, but I cannot play sound to my bluetooth speakers or headphones. The issue occurs on both of the Macs that I have updated so far.
Any advice?
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.0
Thank you very much, this solved the problem on both my iMac and my MacBook Pro.
Here is what I did:
Poor show, Apple!
I have the same problem too. After updating to Catalina (19H15), I can’t use Bluetooth to connect any audio devices anymore. And after upgrading to big sur didn’t solve the problem. I tried to downgrade to Catalina (19H2) afterwards and the Bluetooth still doesn’t work. I brought my MacBook to Genius Bar and they said it is a hardware issue and have to change the motherboard and rear vent antenna. But I still think this is a software issue rather than a hardware issue. Now it’s still repairing and I haven’t took it back yet.
Sorry to hear of your hardware issues Kosakiye... whilst I can't speak for the others, I have also run the Diagnostics app (restarting while holding D) for which the result was "no issues found". I would like to think that if the bluetooth hardware was broken that it would show up in this test.
That the issue suddenly appeared after a OS update also strongly points to a software, rather than a hardware, issue. But that is just the logic in my mind.
In the store, they have also run that diagnostic test for me, it turns out everything is fine with no issues found out. But the staff told me in the past Bluetooth should be shown in the diagnostic test in one of the categories (i don’t remember which one), but it disappeared in that day’s test so no conclusion could be made on behalf of it.
bluetooth functionality is severely compromised with Big Sur OS...no reliable connection, frequent misalignment between connected devices and what is shown in the BT tab...the reordering of the connected and available devices is a bad feature, it lags and the lack of reliable connection means frequent clicks affect a device that slips under the cursor just prior to selection...
I have iMac 2019 and also a late 2015 - both have issues with my Bose QC35 headphones... I get echo and distortion and it started immediately after the install...
I didn't test BT headphones :(
Same with Apple earpods so isn't Bose hardware
I was having only minimal problems with the connection itself, although it would sometimes drop. My main problem was that even Bluetooth devices that were showing up as connected did not appear in the sound output menu, so I was unable to output sound through my bluetooth speakers or headphones.
The latter problem has been fixed, and so far I haven't had any dropped connections either, so it's possible that the connection issue itself has also been improved, but that's difficult for me to say for sure given that I wasn't really having this particular problem in the first place.
This worked for me too! For all those that may have struggled like me with this, the "HAL" folder did not show up by going to library-audio-plugins. I had to use the "Go to folder" under Go when Finder is selected. Not sure why this is the case, but it worked great for me!!
Try this:
Step 1: Press Shift + Option
Step 2: Click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar
Step 3: Select Reset the Bluetooth module > OK > restart the Mac.
Or
Go to Terminal and type:
sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist > Enter > restart the Mac.
Or
Open up Finder and then click on 'Go' in the top menu, then 'Go to Folder...'. Type in '/Library/Preferences'.
From there, you should see a file called 'com.apple.Bluetooth.plist '.
Select and delete the file (or move it to another folder for safe keeping), then restart your Mac and try connecting your Bluetooth device again.
Have you tried this?
I was having a **** of a time fixing this problem, then stumbled upon the above solution and have been all good ever since.
Thanks Vincent, I have tried this (and also followed by a bluetooth reset straight after) but no luck unfortunately.
In both cases, the headphones don't even show up when discoverable—it's not just that they won't connect.
Yikes, I'm sorry to hear that. My headphones were always discoverable, it's just that they would connect and then disconnect a few seconds later. Sounds like you have a much deeper issue there. I wish I had a suggestion for you. If it's any consolation, there are a ton of other people also experiencing Bluetooth issues since installing Big Sur; hopefully Apple releases a big update soon.
Greetings someone let Apple know that the problem with this issue with Big Sur and Bluetooth devices is the folder InstantOn.driver. Remove that and your devices will work. However this is an OS folder that automatically switches audio devices when the one in use is not detected. removal causes you to manually select new device, even computer audio.
Tsofa
Narrowed it down to one problem plugin: InstantOn.driver
Go to your hard drive follow this path: library folder/audio/plugins/hal inside the hal folder remove InstantOn.driver to the desktop. Restart and it should work.
SORTED !
I have followed the instructions to Delete all plugins in "/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/HAL/" and restarting fixed this issue.
I had the problem with two sets of BOSE headphones - a 35 and the newer 700 series. My Mac is a Mac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
Same here on my 2017 MacBook Pro. Log out of all your apple devices and log back in. Also disconnect WiFi then connect Bluetooth devices. Reboot. Turn on wi-if after Bluetooth device reconnect. Keep Mac running for at least 1-2 hours . More the better. It seems to help a little.
Big Sur bluetooth problems
