Q: Cannot connect IPhone 4S to Macbook Pro

That's just amazing, two of Apple's premiere products - iPhone and Macbook Pro - are not configured to exchange files over Bluetooth.  It worked with a Samsung phone and the same MBP.  Come on Apple, you can't leave out something so basic.

I'm afraid that whilst Apple products are very attractively packaged, they are becoming control freaks.

Sometimes using a Mac these days (I started in 1984) reminds me of the annoying paperclip that used to pop up whenever you tried to do anything in MS Word (is it still there?). Friendly and helpful on the outside but you have to obey the rules.

As referenced elsewhere on this topic, anybody remember this Apple concept? (Regrettably, Garamond is not available for authenticity)

Think Different.

Maybe I am just getting old and boring but I find 95% of the 'innovative' features which technology provides quite tedious and the simple things, like transferring a file from one device to another to do with what I want, more and more strewn with obstacles; e.g. when I wanted a video camera I can manually focus with controls my hands can adapt to. Instead, the market is saturated with gadgets with 'smile recognition' and Facebook connectivity. Any manual features are tucked away or fiddly and awkward. Thinking is not even necessary.

As a result, I avoid most modern technological trends and spend more time doing other things.

Same problem trying to hook my iPhone 5 up to my Mountain Lion Macbook Pro (2011).  Just unbelievable frankly....  I was able to connect my iPhone 4 to Snow Leopard in Jul 2011 and now I actually want to use this service it's not possible.  I hope they'll get to "double down" on addressing this soon.  Very frustrating...  what did I buy my tethering phone plan for?

I'm having the same problem and looks like Apple is stupid for not realizing this issue. Please fix this Apple!!

Okay, I was having a lot of trouble but I think I've figured it out.  I have the new iPhone 5 but I'm guessing the issue may be the same since I think the problem sounds like it's with OS X Lion. 

1) Make sure bluetooth is on and discoverable for both, and that Personal Hotspot is on for your iPhone

2) Go to System Preferences >> Bluetooth

3) Click the "+" button to add a device

4) Add the iPhone and click "Pair" when asked to pair

5) DO NOT try to connect at this point or the iPhone will ask you to forget (restart this process if you did this)

6) Click on your iPhone under bluetooth devices listed

7) Click on "Advanced"

8) Change "Modem" to "RS232" and click the box that is empty (don't know what that does) so that it is checked

9) Go to System Preferences >> Network

10) Select your iPhone's network name

11) Connect!

I spent a while trying to figure this out and may have made some other changes, but this worked for me and now I can connect via bluetooth and tether to my iPhone 5 from my Macbook Pro.

Good luck!

I tryed this and still was unable. am I forgetting something? oh and I've an Iphone 4 could that be the reason?

What happened when you got to the end?

Thanks a lot for taking the time to write this up.  I did play around yesterday and ended up establishing a connection i. to my iPhone 5 and without the need to follow your steps.  I find it bizarre but I basically switched off hotspot and bluetooth on the iPhone, switched off bluetooth on the MacBook, restarted both devices and started again: switch hotspot and bluetooth on, switch on bluetooth on MacBook.  Then search for the iPhone, pair to it by accepting the pin on the phone, and then shortly after accepting the connection on the MacBook.... So basically a switch off, restart and switch on seemed to sort it...  I'll keep your work around on hand for another time though.  I think the key thing could be to turn on hotspot and bluetooth on the phone and then bluetooth on the MacBook.

I solved this problem. But before, sorry about my english. I would like to tell that im not a expert em mac, but my mac at this moment is conected with internet using my iphone 4 bluetooth.

im gonna try to explain what i did.

I follow some steps sugested by Jake Glascock

1) Make sure bluetooth is on and discoverable for both, and that Personal Hotspot is on for your iPhone

2) Go to System Preferences >> Bluetooth

3) Click the "+" button to add a device

4) Add the iPhone and click "Pair" when asked to pair

5) DO NOT try to connect at this point or the iPhone will ask you to forget (restart this process if you did this)

6) Click on your iPhone under bluetooth devices listed

This next step is diferent

7) Click on Edit serial ports and do like mine

8) then click to connect to network ( in the images tha i posted my iphone is connected because i'm using )

That's all you iphone will be paired.

I don't know why, but works.

The proof is this post....

Thank you very much, that fixed it for me even though your second screenshot is missing I think (you picked the first one twice) AND my issue wasn't regarding internet tethering, but pairing the devices to use the Mac App Store App "type2phone". By connecting to the Phones network I could pair the devices. After pairing I turned tethering off and type2phone still works! So if you cannot pair your iPhone with your Mac (Book Air), use tethering once and it will work!

Same Problem. iphone 4S will not connect to macbook air over bluetooth. I hope someone will wake up sooner rather than later about this. Regressing is not something I know apple for.

Great ! It worked for me... Except it seems to work as long as I stay on 3G - it won't work in wi-fi... So my carrier is happy...  Why I can't saty on wi-fi when I just want to communicate with my Mac Pro ??

Why make things simple when we can make it complicated !

Rob

In other words, the only way to fix this is to hack or jailbreak your idevice, which is basically "impossible" with the new IOS 6 update.

Well, I was having issues too, but last year it wa NO problems, but just now, I persevered, and turned everything on and off, it would not connect via blue tooth, both with usb in and out, it would not connect to personal hotspot, so i re-booted the phone (iphone 4s) and turned off wi-fi on macbook pro, turned it on again and there it was, now paired via personal hot spot, with no usb connection in place, so IT DOES work, just as temperantal as my ten year old son :-)

The more i see it, the more i tend to believe that Apple's world is isolating more and more from the outside world (and even between its own devices)... I moved a machine from Leopard to Lion and snother one from Lion to Mountain Lion, and all i'm getting is: better iCloud ****, but more and more instable in-house networking between macs, Windows and Linux server (which get connected and disconnected randomly.

It's boring to the point that i had a wet dream recently thinking of Windows 8....