You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

User profile for user: pras13
pras13 Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

How to turn off bluetooth discoverability ????

I am surprised not many have faced this yet !


This is by far the most annoying aspect of Mavericks (am told that of lion earlier as well).


The bluetooth (BT) discoverability is always ON !!! (what the ...)

So, when I turn on BT to connect my magic keyboard and mouse, I've to pray that there are no other BT devices around.

Well prayers aren't answered and Murphy is always right. There were plenty of BT enabled devices around that sent me requests every 30 seconds. Got some from an N70 mobile of my friend's 4 times as I write this. 😟 😟

I deny and then they ask again. I've no way to permanently deny them. Major pain, you'd agree if you're working and have 4 requests per min on the avg.

The best solution (I hope) would've been to turn off the BT discoverability on my Mac (as my keyboard and mouse are paired and saved as recognized devices).


But that option (a check box), "IN THE NAME OF SIMPLER DESIGN" has been done away with in Mavericks. Really well done Apple. How do you manage to kick ppl who love you, in the nuts??


I work in a software MNC too and flabbergasted at how working things break or crucial concerns (like the wifi Mac issue) never get any importance with Apple. Caught between surpise and mightliy ****** how something as basic as this was played around with and not realized as being broken.


Please let me know if there are any alternatives. I've googled but found none that works. For the moment I've pushed away my BT devices and usign my Mac as is.


Thanks in advance,

Pras

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Nov 29, 2013 11:53 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: ViShVa
ViShVa
User level: Level 2
282 points

Posted on Nov 30, 2013 4:21 AM

Turn off 'Bluetooth Sharing' in the 'Sharing' Preferences pane.


Once sharing is off the Mac is no longer discoverable, unless you have the 'Bluetooth Preference pane' window open. To check 'Discoverability' make sure that the Bluetooth Preference pane is not open, then hold down 'option' and click on the Bluetooth menu. You will see that 'Discoverable' is 'off'.


HTH

View in context
8 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: ViShVa
ViShVa
User level: Level 2
282 points

Nov 30, 2013 4:21 AM in response to pras13

Turn off 'Bluetooth Sharing' in the 'Sharing' Preferences pane.


Once sharing is off the Mac is no longer discoverable, unless you have the 'Bluetooth Preference pane' window open. To check 'Discoverability' make sure that the Bluetooth Preference pane is not open, then hold down 'option' and click on the Bluetooth menu. You will see that 'Discoverable' is 'off'.


HTH

Reply
User profile for user: chmed
chmed
User level: Level 1
21 points

Oct 28, 2014 8:25 AM in response to ViShVa

Uh, that's not working for me. If I option click the bluetooth icon in the menu bar I see that discoverable is still on. I don't have bluetooth sharing on. It is off. And even if this did work as is suggested, how does it make any sense to not document it in the bluetooth preferences panel? I have to visit the apple user discussion board to find this out?

Reply
User profile for user: wyvern-eater
wyvern-eater
User level: Level 1
59 points

Dec 16, 2014 11:41 AM in response to chmed

This problem started for me just today. I've never experienced it before. My bluetooth pref window is closed, the menubar menu says "Discoverable: Off" but I get pairing requests from Apple keyboards in adjacent offices. Those devices have been in those offices for weeks and months causing no problems whatsoever! We haven't rearranged offices, either. I can't see any reason behind this, but that doesn't matter: what's important is how to turn it off. This DoS attack from Apple devices is not welcome.


There must surely be a way to blacklist individual hardware items!

Reply
User profile for user: rocksteadymac
rocksteadymac
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jul 22, 2015 1:33 AM in response to pras13

I have the same issue, well worse in face. I'm in an office with 11 people all using wireless bluetooth mice. Plenty of mornings we start up our computers/login and other peoples mice are connected to a computer is not their own. As you can't turn off discoverability doesn't seem possible to really solve this problem.


Well done Apple. You seem to have an uncanny knack of annoying your loyal customers by changing functionality and the way things work when they worked just fine before.

Reply

How to turn off bluetooth discoverability ????

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up