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My new ipad will not pair with my iPhone

Purchased new gen 4 ipad to replace my old gen3. Now it will not Bluetooth pair with my iPhone 13 Pro Max that was previously connected. Tried turning Bluetooth off and back on both devises

iPad Pro, iPadOS 16

Posted on Aug 23, 2023 7:53 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 23, 2023 7:55 AM

What, specifically, are you attempting to pair with your iPad and iPhone via a Bluetooth connection?


Whilst it is technically possible to do so, be aware that Bluetooth pairing between an iPad and iPhone is generally pointless. If your intention is to use Cellular Hotspot features of your iPhone, this link is optimally achieved using the native WiFi hotspot connection - this being a largely automated process. Hotspot connections over WiFi offer substantially greater throughput, range and reliability.


How to set up a Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad – Apple Support


If you still wish to pair your iPad and iPhone over Bluetooth, you first need to manually enable the hotspot feature on your iPhone:

Settings > Mobile Data > Personal Hotspot > Allow Others to Join - set to ON


Next, Bluetooth for both the iPad and iPhone must be placed in Discovery mode:

Settings > Bluetooth (accessing this page will automatically place the device in Discovery mode)


Whilst both iPad and iPhone are in Discovery mode, you can mutually pair the devices.


Again, I must stress, unless you have an unusual “edge case”, pairing of iPad and iPhone over Bluetooth has no benefit.


2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 23, 2023 7:55 AM in response to rcssr

What, specifically, are you attempting to pair with your iPad and iPhone via a Bluetooth connection?


Whilst it is technically possible to do so, be aware that Bluetooth pairing between an iPad and iPhone is generally pointless. If your intention is to use Cellular Hotspot features of your iPhone, this link is optimally achieved using the native WiFi hotspot connection - this being a largely automated process. Hotspot connections over WiFi offer substantially greater throughput, range and reliability.


How to set up a Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad – Apple Support


If you still wish to pair your iPad and iPhone over Bluetooth, you first need to manually enable the hotspot feature on your iPhone:

Settings > Mobile Data > Personal Hotspot > Allow Others to Join - set to ON


Next, Bluetooth for both the iPad and iPhone must be placed in Discovery mode:

Settings > Bluetooth (accessing this page will automatically place the device in Discovery mode)


Whilst both iPad and iPhone are in Discovery mode, you can mutually pair the devices.


Again, I must stress, unless you have an unusual “edge case”, pairing of iPad and iPhone over Bluetooth has no benefit.


My new ipad will not pair with my iPhone

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