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iPad 2 does not find or pair with Apple bluetooth keyboard - waiting -

When I turn bluetooth on on the iPad 2 it keeps searching with the words 'Searching' and 'Now Discoverable' as it searches. the A1314 keyboard is on and is the same keyboard I use for my MacBook Pro, which it pairs perfectly with. The iPad simply never stops searching and never connects or offers connection. The keyboard is turned on and batteries are good and also it works every day with the MacBook Pro.

Any ideas for a solution?

TIA,

Ken

15" 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7), 8G RAM

Posted on Apr 4, 2011 11:06 AM

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22 replies

Apr 4, 2011 11:57 AM in response to Kenneth Nielsen

According to the keyboards user guide, the keyboard is discoverable when the indicator light is flashing. Are you trying to pair the two while both are discoverable?

Try resetting the iPad before trying to pair with the BT keyboard. Press and hold simultaneously the Home and Power buttons for 10+ seconds, ignoring the power off slider, until the Apple logo appears.

User uploaded file
Dah•veed

User uploaded file

Apr 4, 2011 12:11 PM in response to Kenneth Nielsen

I've had this problem, too, but eventually got it to work. Try resetting network settings at Settings>General>Reset>Reset Network Settings. You'll have to re-enter your wifi passwords after this, but it will probably fix your bluetooth pairing issue.

I've also found a few times that I had to turn the keyboard off (by holding button for a couple of seconds) and then back on for it to be seen by the iPad.

Apr 4, 2011 12:55 PM in response to Dah•veed

Yes, David. "It" referred to the keyboard. An input peripheral is going to pair with only one device -- computer, iPad, whatever -- at a time. The original poster will need to delete it from the computer before he can pair it with the iPad. Likewise when he's done using it on the iPad he will have to forget it there.

Message was edited by: jonclinch

Apr 4, 2011 1:28 PM in response to jonclinch

I am finding that I don't need to actually 'delete' the keyboard from the computer in order to use it with the iPad ( the only need is to 'unselect' it in the bluetooth menu, or, have the computer turned off.) For me, whichever device was running first (I had the computer off and the iPad on) will be the one to 'pick up' the keyboard and continue using it, even if the other device is then turned on, the keyboard stays 'true' to the original device it is paired with and selected by. I then turned the bluetooth off on the iPad and then chose 'select' for the keyboard which was remembered in the bluetooth pull-down menu on the computer and it instantly worked on the computer.

It makes sense that the keyboard would not work for two devices at the same time, but I am finding that the keyboard is useable by either device.

Apr 4, 2011 1:45 PM in response to ClayG

ClayG wrote:
I've had this problem, too, but eventually got it to work. Try resetting network settings at Settings>General>Reset>Reset Network Settings. You'll have to re-enter your wifi passwords after this, but it will probably fix your bluetooth pairing issue.

I've also found a few times that I had to turn the keyboard off (by holding button for a couple of seconds) and then back on for it to be seen by the iPad.



This helpful tip contained the helpful note to turn the keyboard on and off and on again for it to be seen by the iPad. That did make the difference. But, I did all of the resetting and resetting network settings and re-entering passwords, but am not sure that any of that made the difference. What did definitely make a difference that I could see, when the iPad recognized the keyboard, was when I turned the keyboard off, while my computer was off (the one paired to the keyboard) and turned the keyboard on again while the iPad was searching, the keyboard was recognized the second it turned on.

Apr 4, 2011 1:35 PM in response to jonclinch

jonclinch wrote:
Have you gone into Bluetooth Settings on the MacBook and removed the keyboard? You can pair it with only one device at a time...



This is true, but the key is to explain that you can pair it with multiple devices, but it can only work with one device at a time. You don't really need to remove the keyboard, just unselect it. I turned the computer off which accomplished the same thing.

Apr 4, 2011 1:40 PM in response to jonclinch

jonclinch wrote:
Yes, David. "It" referred to the keyboard. An input peripheral is going to pair with only one device -- computer, iPad, whatever -- at a time. The original poster will need to delete it from the computer before he can pair it with the iPad. Likewise when he's done using it on the iPad he will have to forget it there.

Message was edited by: jonclinch


'Deleting it from the computer' sounds like you need to delete it from existence on the computer which is not true. If bluetooth is turned off, or if the device is unselected, then it becomes available to another device. So, it doesn't really have to be deleted from the device. Maybe you meant the same thing, but 'delete' sounds like more than disable.

Thanks to all for your input here. I was able to successfully pair the keyboard and that make a huge leap into the iPad being useable in business for me.

Ken

Apr 4, 2011 1:43 PM in response to Dah•veed

David.Austin.Allen wrote:
According to the keyboards user guide, the keyboard is discoverable when the indicator light is flashing. Are you trying to pair the two while both are discoverable?

Try resetting the iPad before trying to pair with the BT keyboard. Press and hold simultaneously the Home and Power buttons for 10+ seconds, ignoring the power off slider, until the Apple logo appears.

User uploaded file
Dah•veed

User uploaded file




I did all of that but not sure that any of it did as much as simply turning off the computer to make sure that the keyboard was not being used by it. I now find that I could have turned off the bluetooth on the computer or made the keyboard 'unselected' by bluetooth to allow the keyboard to be free to be selected and paired by the iPad.

Thanks for you help on this.

Ken

Apr 4, 2011 3:35 PM in response to Dah•veed

David.Austin.Allen wrote:
This is also not true. My Apple BT keyboard is paired with both my Mac mini and with the iPad. What it cannot do is be accessed by both the Mac and the iPad at the same time, so one needs to be asleep, off or out of BT range for use by the other paired device.


It's easy to see that communication is not always clear using words on a forum like this, but YES, you are right, and I meant to be clear that my keyboard is paired now with both the Mac and the iPad, but they do not work simultaneously naturally, but separately and both quite well.

Thanks for All Input!:- )

Ken

Apr 4, 2011 3:39 PM in response to jonclinch

jonclinch wrote:
Sorry for sticking my oar in the water. Just glad it's working now, and that attending to which device it was paired with seemed to be the solution.

As you were.



You are Thanked and appreciated for posting. It's the sum total of observations and input that gets to the help that is asked for on these forums. I'm just glad that so many have responded, because it's by 'fitting together' the possible solutions that I was able to come to a happy conclusion of having my keyboard working now with the iPad.

Thanks to All!

Apr 4, 2011 3:54 PM in response to Kenneth Nielsen

Sometimes folks also get confused as to whom a comment was in response/answer to. If ever in doubt, look for the little blue up arrow and next to it will be the statement "in response to: username".

I try to avoid a lot of pronouns in my comments as well, because using it a lot can be very confusing to those of us for whom English is a second language.

😉
BTW, Thank You for extending the courtesy of awarding User uploaded file User uploaded file to comments that are helpful or provide answers in the Apple Discussions, as this is not mandatory, but it is much appreciated!

iPad 2 does not find or pair with Apple bluetooth keyboard - waiting -

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