Bluetooth pairing between iPhone and MacBook Pro "not supported"

my iPhone connected to my iMac M1 for over a year. Now trying to connect says "failed" and trying to pair to iMac says "not supported". On the iMac side, bluetooth recognizes the iPhone but will not connect.

I

If the iPhone and MacBook Pro cannot be paired using Bluetooth then how can the laptop be tethered to the iPhone to use its personal hot spot via Bluetooth?

I’ve been sending music via Bluetooth to my Mac Mini from my iPhone 12 Pro for several months until it quit in the middle of a song. I restarted both the computer and the phone, to no avail.

The phone does not show up on the Mac mini, but the MM does show up on my iPhone.

When I try to “pair” them, it gives me a message that the iPhone will not pair because it is not supported. This seems odd from any angle. Why did it work before?

No, you cannot pair an iPhone and a Mac using Bluetooth. Note that, despite it, your iPhone communicates with your Mac automatically using Bluetooth, without your having to set anything.

Thank you for the incredibly prompt reply. I knew I didn't explain that well. What I mean is that I have been "pairing" my iphone 12 with my Mac Mini via Bluetooth just like I do with my soundbar. When I tap the little BT icon, it lists my LG Smart TV, the soundbar, and my Mac (MM). I used to tap "Barney's Mac Mini" and it would transfer (I assume via BT) the music that was playing on my phone to the Mac and play through my bookshelf speakers. I could start it, stop it, move to the next song, etc. just as if I were controlling it from the computer, but I'm using my phone.

Yesterday I was listening to it and it just quit in the middle of a song. I restarted everything as noted, but the MM does not list the phone as an option, but the phone DOES (still) show the MM but tells me it is not supported after I tap on it. I have never had that happen, and now I find that it shouldn't have worked in the first place (?). I'm quite bummed, and can't for the life of me understand why an iphone would not be compatible with a Mac, but works fine with a Sony soundbar and/or an LG TV (???). I had all 3 of them paired at one time once! Thank you again for your reply and any help!

CurvedLight wrote:

my iPhone connected to my iMac M1 for over a year. Now trying to connect says "failed" and trying to pair to iMac says "not supported". On the iMac side, bluetooth recognizes the iPhone but will not connect.

What do you mean by "connected?"

You cannot pair an iPhone and a Mac. That has never been an option.

It is working again, but it is using Airplay. The devices are about 20' apart. I will keep on it. I have to start the music on the phone, close it, then open the lock screen to tap the circles with the arrow icon. This brings up the Airplay options I guess. I'll keep working with it and find out what that icon represents.

In the mean time, I can't thank you enough for your help. I don't know if you are a support engineer or a good samaritan, but either way, I have never come across another company that has support anywhere near as good as Apple!

RealBarneyRubble wrote:

In the mean time, I can't thank you enough for your help. I don't know if you are a support engineer or a good samaritan, but either way, I have never come across another company that has support anywhere near as good as Apple!

Everyone here in this forum (with some very rare exceptions) is a user, just like you. We help out because, either we are good samaritans or we are slightly crazy. Or both.

If you have more questions, I would suggest that you start your own thread and mention AirPlay in the subject line. I think you'll get more help.

Liz Yoder wrote:

If the iPhone and MacBook Pro cannot be paired using Bluetooth then how can the laptop be tethered to the iPhone to use its personal hot spot via Bluetooth?

That works a bit differently. See the instructions here:

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

Ok, playing music from the iPhone to the Mac's speakers doesn't transfer any files. That's using AirPlay. And, though I believe you do need to have BT turn on on both devices, you don't pair them (because that's not possible). The actual streaming is done over WiFi. So, are both devices on the same WiFi network?

Use AirPlay to stream audio - Apple Support

RealBarneyRubble wrote:

I’ve been sending music via Bluetooth to my Mac Mini from my iPhone 12 Pro for several months until it quit in the middle of a song. I restarted both the computer and the phone, to no avail.

The phone does not show up on the Mac mini, but the MM does show up on my iPhone.

When I try to “pair” them, it gives me a message that the iPhone will not pair because it is not supported. This seems odd from any angle. Why did it work before?

When you say you were "sending music", what exactly do you mean? Do you mean you were transferring files? Or do you mean you were playing music stored on your iPhone through your Mac?

You are welcome. Don’t hesitate to come back on the Community if you have other questions.

Yes. They are both on the same network, and obviously BT is turned on on both of them. I was reading up on Airplay, but have not used it. Thank you yet again.