1st-gen iPad does not see any BT devices

Question

Level 1

4 points

1st-gen iPad does not see any BT devices

SW is current (5.1.1). iPad finds all kinds of other devices in public places including BB Z10, Samsung cellphones, BB9900 etc., but does not see *any* iPhones in the area (including my own v5) *or* any of my headsets.

The BT functionality is perfect on my iPhone5; it instantly sees & works with all six of my various headsets and the SYNC in the car...but it does not see the iPad.

I've tried rebooting the iPad and the iPhone.

When Im trying to pair the two iOS devices...is it possible that I should have *only one of them* in "discoverable" mode? That doesn't seem right (or important) but its the only thing that comes to mind.

iPad, iOS 5.1.1

Posted on Aug 4, 2013 3:25 PM

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Answer 1

lllaass

Level 10

210,659 points

Aug 4, 2013 3:45 PM in response to ronemca

Could this be the problem?

iOS: Wi-Fi or Bluetooth settings grayed out or dim

One user reported that placing the iPod in the freezer fixed the problem.

If not successful, an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is usually in order.

Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

Otherwise:

- Restore from backup. See:

iOS: How to back up

- Restore to factory settings/new iOS device.

If still problem, make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store since it appears you have a hardware problem.

Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

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Answer 2

ronemca Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 5, 2013 7:08 AM in response to lllaass

Thanks for replying. That article - despite the title - does not say a single thing about BT issues; it's all about Wi-Fi.

I remain puzzled as to how the iPad is able to see a variety of devices when I'm in the food court at the mall...but sees no iPhones in the vicinity...including mine. Nevertheless I did perform a full resore to verify the SW & the FW on the iPad. The restore completed without a hiccup, but the same problem persists.

When I enable BT in the iPad...and I put one of my BT headsets into pairing mode...the iPad does not see it.

And...

After turning off the headset, if I put the iPhone5 next to the iPad and put both devices into discover mode...neither device sees the other.

All of the other functions seem to be fine. It connects to an assortment of Wi-Fi signals, and generally behaves in a normal & expected manner. It will SYNC over Wi-Fi on the home network, and back up to iCloud just fine. It plays music and charges, and...well...it's just that one BT function that's anomalous, and it really bugs me.

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Answer 3

ronemca Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 5, 2013 8:03 AM in response to ronemca

IMPORTANT update!!

Ten minutes ago I came across a YouTube video (with sound but no speaking) that illustrated how to fix this same issue but on v5.0.1 and it worked for me immediately!!

The iPad saw the iPhone and paired right away. I haven't actually tried the HOTSPOT sharing function, but I am fairly confident that -- now that the two devices have shaken hands & cemented a bond -- the HOTSPOT connectivity will work as it should.

Next thing:

I tried to find a way to respond directly to 'lllaass' without success, so I'll put it here...

Since I still can't pair a mono BT headset with the iPad1 I went looking for that problem on the 'net, and I found an entry by lllaass which I will paste between the following lines:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Re: iPad won't connect to bluetooth headset.

Jun 20, 2010 6:56 AM (in response to joebuggs)

The iPad only has some of the available bluetooth profiles. The iPad supported bluetooth profiles do NOT include headsets. It DOES include headphone, keyboards and some others too.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Well! Shiver me timbers! Since my iPad1 has 3G capability...I never dreamed that it wouldn't play nice with a "normal" BT headset!!! That's just dumb. But it explains alot! Now I'm going to try pairing the iPad with a more feature-rich BT headset and see what it says. I have a couple that are for one ear only...but that have music-playing capability. I can't remember if that's BT v2.x or A2DP(?) but maybe A2DP is just the "skip track" & "play/pause" features. I forget all the cryptic alpha-numeric protocol designations.

Anyway - at least it seems like my iPad1 is working fine after all, which is a huge relief!

And to 'lllaass" - thanks.

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