iPhone 15 Bluetooth not pairing to any devices including Apple Watch

Same issue here. I just purchased my iphone15 about a month ago. It connects to apple devices just fine, but refuses to pair with any outside headphones like my JBLs or $200 Sony headphones. What gives? It's never been an issue in the past.

On my iPhone 15, It can be paired with a device then periodically it will not connect. I restart the Bluetooth device and it still won’t connect. Forget the device and it will not re-pair. Then restart my phone and it connects. So the next time it wouldn’t connect, I restarted my phone and it reconnected.

Brand new iPhone 15 Pro Max is very intermittently connecting to bluetooth devices. Reset everything, it still doesn't reliably connect. I'm going to assume this is a software issue and hope that Apple fixes it quickly. I'd like to keep updating my tech but not at the expense of conveniences, such as handsfree vehicle calling.

Get on it, Apple.

My iPhone is not paring with any of my Bluetooth devices. It had for about a month. Now nothing I’ve tried to reset the phone. Please email me @ fi*****@gmail.com as the apple account is no longer if you’re going to email me.

this is very discouraging.

[Edited by Moderator]

Permanent fix yet?

Brand new IPhone 15. Can’t connect Bluetooth with the same Pyle speaker my IPhone 13 could. Went through the suggested “fixes” with no solution. Hoping there’s a fix more sooner than later.

These instructions don't work and there are thousands of people who have purchased iPhone 15's who have tried and failed to fix this problem using them.

The problem is Apple didn't adequately test one of the most common use cases - updating your phone and pairing your headphones.

It's difficult to believe that Apple puts user experience as their most important priority when something like this makes clear their testing was so woefully inadequate.

Not to mention how this issue is so pervasive and the party line is still "It's YOUR problem" when it is abundantly clear it's a software defect.

That is not the way to build and maintain trust in your products.

Own up.

Give an ETA for an update that will resolve the defect.

Then, maybe your customers will be willing to start building trust again with your company.

Bluetooth, tried all suggestions nothing helps. iPhone pro max. Won’t connect with iHealth BP device, wireless model KN-550BT. I have the app installed! Need Bluetooth to download from BP unit.

Won’t connect with Lepulse smart body scale; went through their troubleshooting, have app installed on phone. Need Bluetooth to connect. No go.

Having this same exact issue. After restarting, it works again for a few days and quits. Apple support has not yet found a solution. Tried completely resetting phone from scratch at Apple store, talked to 3 different Apple support techs. Replaced phone with new device and issue followed to new device. Uninstalled McAfee and T-Mobile apps. Issue still persists. I've used Samsung since inception and recently made the switch to Apple. I'm seriously regretting the decision and am about ready to ditch the iPhone and head back to android, where I never experienced anything but a seamless experience.

Hello Sarinskyy,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Sounds like you're experiencing Bluetooth pairing issues with your iPhone. If so, we'd like to help out. The best steps to try is to follow the steps listed below:

1.) Refresh things by restarting your iPhone: Restart your iPhone - Apple Support

2.) Make sure all update have been installed on your iPhone: Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

3.) If that doesn't help, follow all the steps listed in this resource here: If you can't connect a Bluetooth accessory to your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

We really hope these steps help out. Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Take care.

Who said I was referring to people in this forum? I'm not. My comments are directed towards Apple. That seemed obvious to me but I can see where you might misunderstand.

mindgnat wrote:

These instructions don't work and there are thousands of people who have purchased iPhone 15's who have tried and failed to fix this problem using them.

The problem is Apple didn't adequately test one of the most common use cases - updating your phone and pairing your headphones.

It's difficult to believe that Apple puts user experience as their most important priority when something like this makes clear their testing was so woefully inadequate.

Not to mention how this issue is so pervasive and the party line is still "It's YOUR problem" when it is abundantly clear it's a software defect.

That is not the way to build and maintain trust in your products.

Own up.

Give an ETA for an update that will resolve the defect.

Then, maybe your customers will be willing to start building trust again with your company.

No one here is going to "own up" to anything, because not one person in these forums works for Apple. This is a user to user only forum.

The most common issue with new phones and Bluetooth pairing is one of the simplest mistakes. And that is expecting a new iPhone to see Bluetooth devices which haven't first been put in pairing mode per the manufacturers directions for the device. Another common issue can be the device is paired with another device which is nearby and powered on, which often causes the intermittent connection issues people complain about. In most situations, it's the user who hasn't done what is needed as opposed to the phone malfunctioning.

I have iPhone 15 Pro Max and have at least 8 Bluetooth devices connected to my iPhone, none of which have any issues staying connected. But to get them to connect to begin with, requires putting them in pairing mode. If one doesn't do that, no Bluetooth device will be seem by the phone, so it can't connect.

It doesn't matter whether or not the device is in pairing mode; my 15 plus can't see it either way. I'll be going back to my old 11 Pro. At least, it works! This piece of garbage is going back to the seller.

ok, I got mine working. My iPhone 15 is now updated to iOS 17.5.1. To get my Series 5 Apple watch to pair, I had to do a factory reset on my watch, remove my plan, etc and then set it back up.

I didn't have to do any of that with my Ultra 2 watch.

Now that Apple has fixed their Bluetooth OS defect in this iOS version, I can pair with any of my Bluetooth devices, however, that almost always requires me to manually put them into Bluetooth acquisition mode, i.e. conventionally indicated by an alternating blinking red-blue light.

I'm not going to thank Apple for fixing a defect their testing should have caught so they didn't inconvenience their customers and waste countless hours and frustration trying to figure out why the earlier iOS versions wouldn't pair correctly.

One thing is for sure, though. I'm not going to trust another iOS major (17.n.n) or minor (17.5.n) version release until it's at least at the 3rd or 4th iteration, e.g. 17.5.3|4.

As a result of the trust I have lost with Apple, I have turned off auto-updates and will now manage them manually.

Same here. The problem is that I want to use my phone as digital key. I cannot since I am not sure it will not disconnect and leave me out of my car. Is there a solution ?