How do I prevent unwanted Bluetooth pairing issues on iPhone?

Other devices cannot just pair with your iPhone via Bluetooth pairing on their own. First, they'd have to be in pairing mode, then YOU'D Have to accept the pairing request. The fact your phone can see other Bluetooth devices isn't unusual if they are nearby. The Bluetooth pairing requires a real handshake, which you have to do on your end. The same for your TV. No one can just connect to your TV without the same handshake.

There is no bluetooth hacking that your neighbors can do to access your iPhone. The ONLY way someone can access your iPhone or any other Bluetooth device is if:

• You have opened your iPhone Bluetooth app and it is displaying your connections

AND

• The “foreign” device is also in Pairing mode and has been for less than 30 seconds

AND

• You accepted a connection request by taping on the “foreign” device in the Bluetooth app

So Bluetooth is not the problem The only way anyone can gain access to your phone is if you let them by, for example, sharing an Apple ID with them. And even if someone pairs with your iPhone, that does not give them ANY control over it. The most they can do is listen to whatever you are listening to; they can’t even control that.

A number of years ago the FBI needed access to a terrorist’s iPhone. Apple said it couldn’t be done, so the FBI paid a “white hat” hacker $980,000, and were able to get into the phone. But Apple has closed that loophole, within days after it being reported. If the FBI can’t break into an iPhone, your neighbors certainly cannot.

If you open the BlueTooth

Lawrence Finch wrote:

A number of years ago the FBI needed access to a terrorist’s iPhone. Apple said it couldn’t be done, so the FBI paid a “white hat” hacker $980,000, and were able to get into the phone. But Apple has closed that loophole, within days after it being reported. If the FBI can’t break into an iPhone, your neighbors certainly cannot.

I thought Apple participates with law enforcement? Or doesn’t letting cops into other people’s phones fall under this category? What if the FBI had a search warrant for the iPhone?

Apple does not let law enforcement into iPhones, because it is impossible to do so. Apple will, when presented with a warrant, allow law enforcement access to a customer’s iCloud account. But even that isn’t available if the user has enabled Lockdown Mode.

Law enforcement has hardware options that can sometimes allow access to an iPhone, but it requires physical possession of the phone and dismantling it. It’s easier to just convince the owner to allow access (which Border Security can force).

Apple is under constant pressure around the world to allow “back door” access to its devices, but so far has resisted, on the argument that if there is a back door for law enforcement it could also be utilized by hackers.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

Apple does not let law enforcement into iPhones, because it is impossible to do so. Apple will, when presented with a warrant, allow law enforcement access to a customer’s iCloud account. But even that isn’t available if the user has enabled Lockdown Mode.

Law enforcement has hardware options that can sometimes allow access to an iPhone, but it requires physical possession of the phone and dismantling it. It’s easier to just convince the owner to allow access (which Border Security can force).

Apple is under constant pressure around the world to allow “back door” access to its devices, but so far has resisted, on the argument that if there is a back door for law enforcement it could also be utilized by hackers.

Except in the UK, where the government required Apple to remove Advanced Data Protection from iPhones used there. I'm not sure I fully understand what transpired, but I do recall many coming here to ask why they were seeing a message about this on their iPhones in the UK.

H1290 wrote:

I thought Apple participates with law enforcement? Or doesn’t letting cops into other people’s phones fall under this category? What if the FBI had a search warrant for the iPhone?

Apple has no idea what the Passcode to your phone is. With a search warrant, Apple must turn over the data they have on the user, but since they do not have the Passcode, the data will not give them physical access to the device.

What usually gets turned over is iCloud data stored on Apple Servers. If the user has turned on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, then Apple does not have the decryption key to make any of the data readable. With ADP, only you have the decryption key, and without it even you will not be able to access your data. As lobsterghost1 said, ADP is not allowed to be turned on in the EU.

Thank you Lawrence and Mac Jim ID. Also, Lobster, of course 😊

It all makes sense. So when you hear “police obtained a search warrant of the suspect’s phone, and were able to search it, revealing…” and the phone happen to be an iPhone, it strictly means they were somehow able to convince the guy to let them search it.