You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

💡 Did you know?

⏺ If you can't accept iCloud Terms and Conditions... Learn more >

⏺ If you don't see your iCloud notes in the Notes app... Learn more >

Bluetooth connection issues on iPhone 16

just upgrade to the iphone 16 pro and bluetooth is stuttering with any devices, and doesn’t want to connect 90% of the time. Carplay, Garnin, Headphones.


I’ve tried turning off bluetooth, hard reset on the phone and still no luck….


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Sep 24, 2024 7:41 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 26, 2024 2:54 AM

Found the problem, if you guys did choose to setup your iphone from a backup or from your old iphone then you all will get the dame issue, if you did setup as a new iphone then you wouldnt have gotten the bluetooth issue, there is a fix, just go to Settings-General and then scroll down to reset iPhone and then choose Reset network setting, after that phone wil reboot and your Bluetooth will work as it should be!

126 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 26, 2024 2:54 AM in response to vanik33

Found the problem, if you guys did choose to setup your iphone from a backup or from your old iphone then you all will get the dame issue, if you did setup as a new iphone then you wouldnt have gotten the bluetooth issue, there is a fix, just go to Settings-General and then scroll down to reset iPhone and then choose Reset network setting, after that phone wil reboot and your Bluetooth will work as it should be!

Oct 18, 2024 7:11 AM in response to ribrabrobro

The term, 'Apple Genius' right now is the most Oxymoronic Oxymoron that ever Oxymoron'ed.


I spent HOURS at the Apple store with my iPhone 16 Pro, my Bluetooth device, and the equipment to demonstrate the problem.


The "Genius" spent that time wiping the phone blaming that perhaps one of the apps I have is causing the issue, testing it again, and then taking the phone to the back room to give it some satanic ritual and final test.


He comes back and says, "We will replace the phone, but we don't have the 1TB model in the store. We will have to order one in."


Then I asked


ONE.

SIMPLE.

QUESTION.


"Can you connect one of YOUR iPhone 16s to the Bluetooth device?"


He tried.


It didn't work either.


So, this has been and is a grandiose waste of time and resources for a matter which is still not resolved.


Apple: Fix this.

Oct 13, 2024 8:32 PM in response to Stokesyyy

I upgraded from a 13 to a 16. 13 worked fine. I can't get 16 to keep a bluetooth connection for more than a second. I've removed and readded the device about a dozen times. Had 3 Apple support people walk me through steps that don't work. I don't want to lose all my wifi passwords since that doesn't seem to help. I don't want a phone that doesn't work. Apple needs to fix this now.

Oct 6, 2024 11:28 PM in response to Stokesyyy

Experiencing same here. Upgraded to a Pro 16 512GB (non-Max) from a 13 non-Pro. Rarely had issues if ever with BT connections on my 13. Yesterday I was trying to stream some music in my car wirelessly using BT and was getting static and random start/stop. Never was an issue with old phone.


Just now was trying to watch IG reels and YouTube via my Bose QC45 headphones, and gotthe same crap. Again this never happened with my 13.


i am not resetting my network as I do not want to lose all my wifi login info. Apple needs to fix this crap. Running 18.0.1 as well.

Oct 23, 2024 1:09 PM in response to juniper1354

I spent over an hour on the phone with two different Apple techs on this issue (pairing my old Bluetooth items with my new iPhone 16 Pro) yesterday. It turns out it doesn’t have anything to do with your network settings.


Oddly enough, it has to do with the individual devices and their initial Bluetooth setup steps. I had three different Bluetooth speakers (a Sony, a Marshall Emberton, and a Bose), as well as three different pairs of earbuds (a pair of Sonys and two pairs of craptastic knockoffs) that wouldn’t pair with my new iPhone, even though my Apple Watch and car had no problem doing so.


I was certain it just had to be the phone and not the SIX different Bluetooth items, but when the first Apple guy couldn’t figure it out, his supervisor came on, asked me the model # of each of the items I couldn’t pair, looked up the pairing instructions, &, amazingly, one by one, each one paired with my new phone when I followed his directions!


Now, I’m no tech newbie, and I had no trouble pairing any of this stuff the first time around with my iPhone 13. I also know I hadn’t followed the detailed steps he read off to me, either — even though I was reading along to a copy of the manual he’d sent me, so I know he wasn’t making this stuff up!


So try following the pairing steps of your Bluetooth device precisely from the manual, even though you’ve never had to do that before. Apparently the iPhone 16’s a prissy little thing that wouldn’t think of accepting an invitation from a Bluetooth device unless she was introduced properly through a formal courtship in the front parlor.

Oct 9, 2024 5:49 AM in response to Stokesyyy

I'm still having trouble with Bluetooth connectivity with my new 16pro, even with all of the suggestions and multiple options. My airpods and carplay have it mostly figured out, as well as a speaker I use for work. But NONE of my echo dots will connect properly. A few of them won't connect at all, but the ones I do get the phone to recognize, it won't connect to via the Bluetooth settings on the phone - I have to ask Alexa to make the connection and, even then, it only manages to connect about 50% of the time. My home is so quiet rn. I'm sad and I can't figure out what to do. My 13pro had zero of these issues.

Oct 9, 2024 5:33 AM in response to Stokesyyy

In my case, on the iPhone 16 Pro the bluetooth will see other devices it is paired with, but connecting will fail and require a restart of the phone to begin working again. I’ve experienced this with both my car and AirPods Pro. I tried “forget device” and pairing again with the car, and the car sees the phone and vice versa, but they are unable to complete the pairing process. On a separate occasion, the same thing happened with my AirPods, which could be seen on the phone as an option but when selected the icon spun for a few seconds then reverted to phone speaker. Restarting the phone fixed both of these cases… until it happens again.

Bluetooth connection issues on iPhone 16

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.