How do I fix Bluetooth connection issue on my iPhone 15 Pro Max with iOS 18?

Please try this. It worked for me.

Turns out is was because the new feature Vocal Shortcut is turned on.

The issue was resolved when i turn the Vocal Shortcut off.

Settings > Accessibility > Vocal Shortcuts, turn it off.

I understand how frustrating that can be! Many users have reported similar issues with Bluetooth connectivity after updating to iOS 18. Here are a few steps that might help resolve the problem:

https://www.bing.com/search?form=SKPBOT&q=Restart%20your%20iPhone: Sometimes a simple restart can fix connectivity issues.https://www.bing.com/search?form=SKPBOT&q=Forget%20and%20Re-pair%20the%20Device: Go to "Settings" > "Bluetooth", find your car in the list of devices, tap the "i" icon next to it, and select "Forget This Device". Then, try pairing your iPhone with your car again.https://www.bing.com/search?form=SKPBOT&q=Reset%20Network%20Settings: Go to "Settings" > "General" > "Reset" > "Reset Network Settings". This will reset your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN and APN settings.https://www.bing.com/search?form=SKPBOT&q=Check%20for%20Updates: Make sure both your iPhone and your car's firmware are up to date. Sometimes, manufacturers release updates to improve compatibility with new iOS versions.https://www.bing.com/search?form=SKPBOT&q=Disable%20Vocal%20Shortcuts: Some users found that turning off the "Vocal Shortcuts" feature helped. Go to "Settings" > "Accessibility" >"Vocal Shortcuts" and turn it off https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255765254.

If these steps don't work, it might be worth waiting for the next iOS update, as Apple often releases patches to fix such issues https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255870030.

I hope this helps! If you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. blush https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255765254: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255765254 https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255870030: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255870030

A cautious note of optimism: My Bluetooth problem appears resolved. The connection failures started after upgrading to IOS 18. My car's radio and Apple Airpods would drop their Bluetooth connection about every third use. So one out of three times I'd have to reboot the iPhone to "fix" the drop. I tried everything proposed here including resets. Then I took my iPhone 15 to the Apple Store where they reinstalled IOS 18. This is not the same as the reset on the iPhone itself. Rather, the iPhone is connected to Apple from where the reset occurs. I was warned not to restore apps from backup. All apps needed a time-consuming download from the Store. All apps had to be logged in and configured. The result: Since the visit to Apple: Zero drops. It's been almost three weeks so I'm calling this a fix.

Some updates. This week I did the following tests:

• Drive with my Apple Watch in Airplane mode (it didn't change anything)
• Changed the Apple Watch settings to disable Bluetooth while in Airplane mode

Turning the bluetooth option and keeping my watch in Airplane mode allowed me to drive multiple days, for more than 20-30min each drive without a single drop from my iPhone to my car stereo.

I think we have some possibilities here:

• iPhone is having a hard time managing multiple bluetooth connections (my car + my watch)
• iOS 18/18.3 is still buggy when more than one bluetooth connection is active
• WatchOS is causing iPhone's other bluetooth connection to randomly drop

Remote possibilities:

• My watch has a awkward hardware issue that is making iPhone connections to drop (probably not)
• iPhone 15 has a hardware problem while managing multiple bluetooth connections although it passes in hardware test and bluetooth unit tests

Anyone does have a similar scenario where Apple Watch is also connected to the iPhone loosing connection with the car stereo?

One thing I have noticed in latest WatchOS updates is that you cannot avoid anymore the watch to show a small player whenever you have something playing in your iPhone. Not sure this active interaction somehow causes the iPhone to drop the other connections randomly.

Anyway, if I come into any other new conclusions I will let you know here.

After speaking with Apple tech it was determined my current app version of Sirius was not compatible with my phone after the 18.0 update. I deleted app and when reinstalled apparently got the new version and everything now works. It would be nice if Apple gave some warnings on these updates.

I was able to fix my issue with this on two things. I noticed that "regular" bluetooth connections were working. Things like my headphones or speakers, but my CarPlay and iPhone mirroring wouldn't work. Anyways I turned of the VPN but I had to do it in the

Settings > General > VPN Device management > click on the vpn showing , then go to the little "i" and turn off the connect on demand. Then both CarPlay and mirroring both worked.

Hi! Turning OFF the "Vocal Shortcuts" (Settings\Accessibility\Vocal Shortcuts [under SPEECH]) helped with the issue of Bluetooth Audio turning off and on a split second. Fixed BT issues for CarPlay as well.

HOWEVER, after updating to 18.0.1 fixed the issue for myself with "Vocal Shortcuts" enabled. Hope that helps.

This bug also affects Teslas using an iPhone as the car key. Several people have found this. After a random period, while the iPhone says it's connected to the car, it doesn't open the car when you walk up to it. The workaround is to turn off Bluetooth and then turn it back on again, which reconnects things. I don't know if this would work for other paired devices. In my case I have an old iPhone 9 running iOS 17.4, and that works perfectly as the car key, so that points to the problem being of Apple's making.

This has been previously posted: There are numerous "fixes" that temporarily resolve Bluetooth issues on IOS 18. The upgrade broke my iPhone, too. After months of almost daily phone reboots, the Apple store did a reset by a using a wired connection to their systems. They warned me not to restore apps from backup. It was a lot of work to rebuild all the apps, but in almost a month there has not been a single Bluetooth drop.

I also experienced Bluetooth pairing issues since iOS 18. What I found worked for me (and others):

In Bluetooth settings, "forget" a device that has been disconnecting randomly (if applicable.)

Power off the Bluetooth device(s) you want to use and bring them to within a few feet of your iPhone.

Turn Bluetooth off, on your iPhone for about 15 seconds.

Turn Bluetooth on, again, on your iPhone.

Power up a Bluetooth device.

Force that device into pairing mode. This seems to be an underlying issue with devices capable of auto-pairing. It seems iOS 18 will not discover devices which are not actively trying to pair.

You may need to check your device(s)' user guide or customer support to determine how to force-pair your Bluetooth device. This usually involves pressing two buttons simultaneously, or a button for an extended period of time.

Once you see the device name in your Bluetooth list, you can pair your iPhone normally.

Again, this may not be the problem you are experiencing, but it has worked for me and for other users, also.

Several weeks and the solution of having my watch in airplane mode turned on (including bluetooth off) works flawlessly. As soon as I turn the airplane mode back off, the connection between the car audio and my iPhone becomes unstable.

Again, not sure it has to do with a failure in the Watch (or WatchOS) that makes the iPhone bluetooth connection with the car system to fluctuate or if it is something with the iPhone (or iOS).

Anyway, I hope Apple can fix that soon because it is such annoying procedure to keep doing every single time I drive (not to mention, forgetting to turn airplane mode back off when I leave my car).

Current OS versions:

• WatchOS: 11.3.1
• iOS: 18.3.1

EDITED: Thanks, this worked for me. Updated to 18.0.1 fixed the issue with Vocal Shortcuts enabled as well. HOWEVER, when Vocal Shortcuts are enabled, CarPlay is still pretty buggy. I can't switch between Apple Music and Radio. When I try to switch to my car's Radio option, it says, "Feature Currently Unavailable." Seems like Apple Music is "hung-up" during the switch.

Hi, this issue has been occurring frequently since February this year, not only on iOS 18 but also on iOS 17. Currently, there isn’t a definite solution, but the following methods have worked for some users. You might want to give them a try:

• Try updating the firmware of the Bluetooth device you're connecting to. The update process varies for different devices, but you can search on Google for "xxx firmware update," which is often used to fix Bluetooth connection issues with headphones.

• Forget the connected device from the Bluetooth list and pair it again as a new device: Go to Settings - Bluetooth - tap on the connected device - Forget This Device, and then re-pair it. If it's CarPlay, you'll need to disconnect the iPhone from the car's Bluetooth settings.

• Check if there is an available iOS update and try updating to the latest version.

• Check if the related app has a new version available and update it to the latest version.

• Try resetting the network settings: Settings - General - Transfer or Reset iPhone - Reset - Reset Network Settings.

• Try turning off Vocal Shortcuts: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Turn Vocal Shortcuts Off.

• You can also try reinstalling the iOS system. Tools like 3uTools and ReiBoot are useful for system repairs.

• As a last resort, you could take your phone to the Apple Store to check if it’s a hardware issue. According to some users, after replacing a component at the Apple Store, the issue was resolved, and it cost around $50. Of course, it’s better to avoid replacing hardware if not necessary.

If you have any other solutions, feel free to share!

Here's a official guide on bluetooth accessories connection guide: Connect iPhone to Bluetooth accessories - Apple Support

Apple FINALLY came out with the 18.1 update! I downloaded yesterday and my Bluetooth issue has been resolved! Hope it works for everyone else too!

Not sure where I saw this, but a soft reset seems to clear the Tesla key problem (touch and release volume up button, touch and release volume down button, then press and hold the on off button until the Apple logo appears). I've done this twice so far, once per day, and ... so far... things are working. The soft reset clears memory, so it may be something in iOS 18 (or 17) has a memory leak.