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iPhone 4S will not autoconnect in car

This is very annoying. My iPhone 4S will not autoconnect to my cars Bluetooth while my iPhone 4 would autoconnect with no issues. To clarify my iPhone 4 (CDMA) has had every beta build including iOS5 GM and it never had any Bluetooth issues. I understand that Bluetooth 4.0 was introduced, but why would this affect the autoconnect? The 4S will connect if I manually connect it under Bluetooth settings, but this is not something I should ever need to do especially when I paid a premium to own a 4S.

Posted on Oct 19, 2011 9:16 PM

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22 replies

Jan 6, 2012 7:47 AM in response to HadiM

I have finally figured out the reason why I was having this problem:


Before pairing the new phone to the car's stereo, I made sure that I deleted the old phone entry from the car as well as the car entry from the phone.

I have restored the phone a couple of times from backup and from scratch and nothing seemed to make any difference.


I finally noticed that every time I restored the phone, I was always using the same name. This is also the same name I was using for the old phone.


So, I deleted the entries on both devices, renamed the phone to a completely different name and paired the 2 devices ...et voila!!!


The new phone works flawlessly.

Jan 6, 2012 7:54 AM in response to HadiM

HadiM, great idea. I'll try that when I get home today. Sort of funny, but I'm attempting to connect to a 2011 Subaru WRX. Subaru must be strictly pairing based on the device name rather than the MAC address associated with the bluetooth radio. Thanks again for the advice. I actually had a new stereo in my amazon cart and almost purchased it.

Mar 6, 2012 7:56 AM in response to HadiM

Been there done that, as the expression says - more than once.

Found this on a subaru forum; will go try it in a few


Before using the Hands-free system, it is necessary to register a cell phone in the system. Perform the following procedure to register a cell phone.


1. Press the OFF hook switch .

2. Select “ENGLISH”/“FRANÇAIS” by operating the “TUNE/TRACK/CH” dial. Then “WELCOME!” will be displayed.

3. Press the “TUNE/TRACK/CH” dial or the talk switch .

4. Select the “RECORD NAME” menu.

5. Say the name to be registered.

6. Select the “CONFIRM” menu. After “CAR M_MEDIA” is displayed, a pass key is displayed.

7. Input the displayed pass key into the cell phone while “PKY: ****” is displayed. If you input the correct pass key, “PAIRED” is displayed and the registration procedure is finished. If you input an incorrect pass key, “FAILED” is displayed and the registration procedure was not successful.

Mar 6, 2012 11:09 AM in response to Pir800

Pir800, try the steps (if your subaru system is the same as mine - I have a WRX) that I have posted earlier to add/pair your phone from the voice command functions or better yet refer to your owner's manual at the end of the audio section - it's a longer process but it worked.

I went through the steps, deleted my previous phone (vocally) and added the new one and paired it.

When I restarded my car, my iPhone 4s autoconnected 🙂 HOURRA for me...

Jun 2, 2012 8:04 AM in response to Pir800

The Subaru solution from alain c worked for me. As I recall, this is how my dealer originally set up my 3G. I was trying to set up my 4S via the instructions in the manual which is by using the menu/tune buttons on the stereo. That route never worked, and neither did renaming the phone suggested by HadiM. I went through the verbal process suggested by alain c and it now pairs automatically when I start up my Outback Sport.

iPhone 4S will not autoconnect in car

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