Bluetooth connection issues on iPhone 16 Pro

FuXi272 wrote:

Hi everyone, last time I turned off the airdrop auto-connection switch, and the connection problem finally recovered. Today I turned on NFC and used it to take the subway. I came to the office, then bomb, the Bluetooth disconnection problem appeared again. I had no choice but to turn off NFC and restart the phone. After running for a few hours, the problem did not occur again before I posted this.

That's interesting. Please tell us how you turned off NFC on your iPhone. There is NO setting on iPhone to turn it on or off.

NFC was a manual setting on older iPhones — I could be wrong but I think the 2018 models (11/XS/XR) were the last ones to have it. That year’s models are the oldest to run iOS 18, too, so it’s very possible some users are still seeing an NFC setting under Settings → General. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a solution for users of phones built since then, tho’.

It does add some intrigue to the notion that fiddling with settings like AirDrop is a reason some users are having success fixing this issue, too.

I have an Xr and it doesn’t have NFC switch under iOS 17 or currently iOS 18. XS is an earlier model than Xr. I had one, but don’t remember it having a NFC switch.

It might a developer tool and require adding additional software to enable the switch.

I can confirm that iPhone 7 does not have a switch either.

Jeff Donald wrote:

I have an Xr and it doesn’t have NFC switch under iOS 17 or currently iOS 18. XS is an earlier model than Xr. I had one, but don’t remember it having a NFC switch.

I don't have a ton of time to look into this, but that jibes with this WikiHow article from a couple months ago that says, "iPhones older than the XS don't support background NFC reading." I should know better than to trust my memory. At least some versions of the iPhone 6 and later had this option for a while, tho'; it looked like this.

Regardless, it would absolutely be interesting to hear more from users who say they do see "NFC" under Settings → General, and that futzing with it has an impact on their Bluetooth pairing issues — especially given that Apple links those technologies, for example to provide features like displaying a "Xxxx's AirPods Pro" modal when you open their case near your iPhone.

Yes, I found it in my iPhone 7 Control Center. So, iPhone 8 and below and SE would have it in Control Center, but there is no switch to disable/enable in Settings > General.

The Control Center NFC switch doesn’t appear to be on/off either. Tapping it seems to just enable the NFC tag reader. It’s not on off for Apple Pay.

This is driving me crazy, I have reset network settings and still doesn't connect to my car. It pairs fine but won't reconnect the next time I get in. My 13 pro max was solid, this 16 pro max is rubbish.

This is NOT going to work for me. I will demand my money back. I have two pairs of earbuds, two headphones, my car and several speakers. I use my phone for music and for the ads I make for my business so I literally use several different types of music accessories and none of are discoverable on this new iPhone. I will pack five of my speakers, both headsets and earbuds and whatever else I find that won’t pair and I will sit at the Genius Bar until they fix it or give me a a phone that will. I didn’t pay $1500 for this phone just to have to go through a huge inconvenience to fix the issue. They are going to have to be nice and give me something nicer than a phone case for this. I’m MAD!

Please remove this reply. It’s flagged as the top answer and this does NOT work.

At least provide that basic level of service to your users/customets, please.

Thank you…from every Apple 16PM owner who is experiencing this issue, and just wants their device to work as advertised.

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mgrad92 wrote:

I did some thinking about this, because the Bluetooth kit in my car doesn't have an unpair/forget function — but I realized I could accomplish the same thing by pairing it with a different device. (My car kit maintains only one paired device at a time.)

So I took a new iPad mini (A17 Pro) out there and paired it with the car kit to make it "forget" my iPhone 16 Pro Max. I then verified that the car kit was forgotten in the iPhone settings, too, and then reset network settings on the iPhone. When everything was up and running again, I tried forgetting the car kit in the iPad settings and paired the car kit with my iPhone again — and the iPhone still would not reconnect automatically when starting the car.

The new thing I learned during this process, tho', was that while the iPad was paired with the car kit, it did reconnect automatically. This now feels even more to me like an iPhone-specific problem, and possibly hardware-related?

I think I've mentioned this before, but it still seems important to me that if I have Bluetooth settings open on the iPhone when I start the car, I get a pop-up modal saying the car kit wants to pair (or connect, I forget the wording) and asking me to approve/deny. I don't think I've seen that modal on any other device, ever.

I'd say it's more an issue with your "car kit." My iPhone pairs automatically every time I enter my car. If it was an iPhone specific issue, it would be happening to everyone, but it's not. You should reach out to the car manufacturer and see if an update may be required for your cars infotainment system.

lobsterghost1 wrote:

… If it was an iPhone specific issue, it would be happening to everyone, …

(And I'm sorry I can't just let it go, but that's just false. Anyone who's spent time working in IT can tell you they've encountered countless issues that weren't that simple to isolate — whether they're working with Apple's hardware/software or any other manufacturer's.)

I have tried all my manufacturer's instructions to the tee on my iPhone 16 for my iPad, car connection, and my wife's for her ear buds, but no connection. It is not just the precise instructions detail, but Apple's software failure in connectivity. I also did complete network connectivity reboots and tried other possbile fix methods, no success. I had no issue whats so ever with my iPhone XR.

Apple, PLEASE assist in resolving this or I will simply return our phones or put in a warranty claim on the carrier's warranty and let them deal with Apple after those claims start to multiply rapidly.

Cpurinton,

Thank you for the video. I did that previously with a non-connectivity to a CD Boombox and it helped to connect to that but this does not help with my iPhone 16 connecting to my iPad. Any suggestions in that area?

Paul

PDL7 wrote:

Cpurinton,

Thank you for the video. I did that previously with a non-connectivity to a CD Boombox and it helped to connect to that but this does not help with my iPhone 16 connecting to my iPad. Any suggestions in that area?

Paul

Also, you CANNOT pair an iPhone and iPad via Bluetooth. It's NEVER been supported, so if this is your primary issue, there's a reason you can't pair your iPhone with your iPad via Bluetooth. Taking your iPad and iPhone to your Apple Store would be a waste of time when they aren't designed to pair via Bluetooth. This is why Apple has Continuity for moving from one device to another.

See this --> Use Continuity to work across Apple devices - Apple Support

Steve2272 wrote:

Ordered my phone in November, immediately can’t connect to my home Bose setup, assume gremlins be gremlins, next update will clear it up. Come to see this has been an issue since September.

It’s now February 2025, and 2 updates have been released, still not fixed.

Apple, there’s a considerable number of people facing this problem, any official plans to fix this glaring issue before you release *another* phone?

You aren't writing anyone from Apple here. This is a user to user only forum, which Apple doesn't participate, nor read for user feedback.

What I find amazing is you've been waiting for what appears to be a long time for an update on this. What did Bose suggest when you contacted them about the issues you're having with connection? I would have contacted them long ago as opposed to thinking an update might come, especially since the vast majority of the millions upon millions upon millions of iPhone 16 owners aren't having any Bluetooth connectivity issues. Like me, on two iPhone 16s (16 Pro and 16 Pro Max) both with multiple Bluetooth devices paired with them reliably.