Can’t access my Bluetooth Menu in iPhone's Settings app

Chaddles wrote:

Same is happening with my partner’s iPhone 13 Pro Max. Bluetooth was working normally prior to updating to iOS 18.0.1. Bluetooth does not toggle on from Control Centre and going to Settings > Bluetooth the toggle button has a signing wheel indefinitely and will sometimes crash and restart the iPhone.

iPhone restart did not fix the issue.

Factory reset and restore did not fix the issue.

Hopefully a future iOS update will fix the issue.

Probably not, unless you tell Apple about it.

Perhaps a long shot:

Do you use VPN? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile.

Kill the settings app→How to force an app to close on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

If that doesn’t fix it, restart your iPhone→Restart your iPhone - Apple Support

CobblerCrisp wrote:

This is EXACTLY my issue. Affecting my iPhone 14 Pro Max as well as my iPad Mini.

On the assumption that you didn’t read the rest of the thread you posted to:

Kill the settings app→How to force an app to close on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

If that doesn’t fix it, restart your iPhone→Restart your iPhone - Apple Support

dainbramage1971 wrote:

Despite @lawerncefinch’s conclusory logic about the volume of people that would experience this issue if it had been caused by the iOS18 update, I too, have EXACTLY the same symptoms as described by @cobblercrisp, and they began immediately after installing the first ios18 update (within about one minute after the update).

Yes, and maybe 10,000 other people have it also. But not half a billion. It is a problem with your phone. It could be hardware, it could be Bluetooth interference, it could be you have a non-responsive BT device connected.

As a simple test, If you restore the iPhone and set up as a new phone without restoring a backup, and without setting up any BT devices, does the Settings app still freeze?

Any word from Apple? I really don’t want to sit on the support line for an hour, walking through “…have you tried resetting your phone?”

Well, this is a user to user forum. Apple does not participate except as moderators. So you won’t get any word from Apple here. But every time I have contacted Apple support they have responded in a minute or two. And is posting in this forum over several days more or less effort than spending an hour on the phone with a knowledgeable Apple support tech? You could also take your phone to a genius bar and let them walk through all of their suggestions, and also run hardware and software diagnostics (they can do that remotely if you have the Apple Support app). And the big advantage is they will have a record of other similar reports, and what the solution was for those.

Here’s one thing you probably haven’t tried: How to put your iPhone in diagnostics mode - Apple Support

@lawrencefinch I had diagnostics run twice on my iPhone 13 Pro Max that now has Bluetooth connectivity issues after updating to IOS 18 (current version 12/15/24) the diagnostics found Bluetooth hardware issues. I brought it to Apple, they wiped it clean, did not install from a back up, ran the diagnostics, Bluetooth component shows no malfunction, open settings, cannot scroll, Bluetooth greyed out. Problem persists diagnostics show no issues.

In conclusion, there is nothing wrong with the components of the phone after second diagnostics, however the phone isn’t operating correctly after the IOS 18 update.

They offered the suggestion that the initial download onto my phone went awry, causing said issue and even a factory reset-install of the iOS may not correct the problem. Trade it in and buy a new phone. Also, a shrug.

CobblerCrisp wrote:

This is not a user error situation. This was caused by the iOS 18 update.

If it was caused by the update there would be literally (and I mean literally) millions of posts about it by now, not just 4 “me too’s", considering that several hundred million iPhones have been updated.

While it is a problem, it is a problem with your phone, not with the update itself or other user’s devices.

Perhaps a long shot:

Do you use VPN? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile.

Killing the Setting App: Does absolutely nothing. Settings app still freezes when attempting to interact with the Bluetooth section.

Restarting the iPhone: A hard reset temporarily alleviates the issue, only for it to return again.

I’ll throw in a couple more useless actions:

Reset Network Settings: Same as the hard reset. Bluetooth function returns temporarily, only to be lost again.

Totally wiping the device and setting it up as a new device: Again, same as the hard reset. Bluetooth functionality returns temporarily, then ceases.

Whenever the Bluetooth functionality ceases and one goes to the Settings application to remedy it, the application freezes. Killing the Settings application does nothing. Once you enter Setting again and try to click on Bluetooth, frozen again.

This is not a user error situation. This was caused by the iOS 18 update.

Same is happening with my partner’s iPhone 13 Pro Max. Bluetooth was working normally prior to updating to iOS 18.0.1. Bluetooth does not toggle on from Control Centre and going to Settings > Bluetooth the toggle button has a signing wheel indefinitely and will sometimes crash and restart the iPhone.

iPhone restart did not fix the issue.

Factory reset and restore did not fix the issue.

Hopefully a future iOS update will fix the issue.

Deskpop wrote:

Think Apple is vastly underestimating the number of iPhone owners experiencing this exact Bluetooth connectivity issue which has not been corrected as of ios 18.3. Not all manage to find this thread to register their complaint.

Tried all recommended fixes included in this thread to no avail. Wish I could revert my XR to iOS 17 as get very little benefit from the update to 18 and certainly not worth bricking the phone's Bluetooth connectivity.

When resetting Bluetooth for Air Pod Pro, phone's Bluetooth connects just long enough to go through setup...then loses connection. also no luck connecting to any other Bluetooth devices...speaker, vehicle etc.

Please fix this bug Apple.

1. This is a USER-TO-USER forum. Apple doesn’t read it or act on anything posted here.
2. Apple estimates issue severity based on the number of users who either contact support or send feedback, so if they are underestimating that means that few users who have a problem are contacting them, or that few users have a problem and it is a local issue with a few iPhones.
3. Apple also has over a million beta testers, and if this was a widespread problem it would have been caught in the beta process

Apple’s formal support can be reached several ways

• You can provide feedback to Apple at→ Product Feedback - Apple where your issue or suggestion will be recorded, tracked and matched with similar reports, but you will not get a reply

For personalized support

Best way: 

• Install the Apple Support app on your iPhone or iPad - you can contact support directly from the app, and the tech will have (with your permission) access to diagnostic data on your device

Other options:

• • Click on “Support” at the top or bottom of this page
  • Go to Contact Official Apple Support

(Note that both of the above have options to receive a callback or chat)

• • Call Apple Support; the phone numbers are in this link→Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support
  • Make a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store→Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple
  • Find an Apple store or Apple partner service provider→Find Locations

Well, my last suggestion is to update to 18.2.

I was having weird issues with bluetooth and wifi since activating a new phone last week. I could not connect to cellular data while connected by wifi/bluetooth to a carplay dongle and no data when connected to a captive wifi portal (like at the grocery store).

I had disabled VPNs, but that didn't fix it. Along with iPhone restart, network reset, full phone restore from backup.

The only thing that worked was deleting the VPN profiles that I had from the iPhone restore.

You are a lifesaver.

Thanks so much.

You’re welcome! Here’s why that worked:

When you install VPN it configures itself to the specific hardware, OS version and network that the device uses. If any of those change it can break the VPN. So any time you change any of these you may need to delete the VPN app and profile, restart your iPhone, iPad or Mac then add them back (if you still want to use VPN) so it can configure itself to the new environment.

I’m having the same issue. Regularly.

I got a new phone start of the year… I can’t recall if it started doing it prior to last software update or since I got the phone…

I’m on 18.2.1 arm with an iPhone 16.

I try and connect to a regularly Bluetooth connection - fails to connect.

I go into Bluetooth settings. It’ll either freeze phone or won’t even let me click on Bluetooth from settings. And then phone locks up and freezes. It takes ages for me to even power off phone and restart it again.

usually when restarted the same issue will be there and I just have to wait like 5mins and try again and hope it works….

Flipping painful when relying on the Bluetooth connection to unlock car. Haven’t had this issue until recently. Surely there’s an issue in the latest software update!!! Or… is it the new phone.

Same issue here with two devices: iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro.

At first, I thought it was my multimedia device, but then I realized the same issue occurred with my earbuds and JBL speaker.

I'm not sure if it started when I updated to iOS 18.2, but it happened in the same week I updated.

The iPhone 12 came back today from the repair center with the same issue. =|

The only thing that no one appears to have tried: “forget” the connection from the iPhone. Forget the iPhone from the device you are connecting to, and reset it to factory settings. Then re-pair them.