Level 1

30 points

Macbook Air (mid-2012) won't pair with iPhone 6

I didn't see anyone ask this so far.

I checked the criteria for Continuity between devices. My Macbook Air and my iPhone 6 (obviously) meet the criteria. (By the way, I wasn't able to AirDrop ever because my devices wouldn't pair).

1) I make sure both the Macbook and iPhone has Hand-Off checked. I am running OS X Yosemite & iOS 8.

2) I turn Bluetooth on for both devices

3) Macbook shows up on iPhone list on Bluetooth and vice versa.

4) Try to connect on Macbook, clicked "Pair" the iPhone. The message comes up to check the code and pair if the code matches.

5) I check iPhone. Code matches.

6) I pair and it would say the connection was unsuccessful because the MacBook isn't within range. Ok. I did all suggestions Apple gave on the help page like moving the device closer or finding the interference. I cannot see any interference. Both the iPhone and Macbook connect to my same Bluetooth speaker perfectly fine (just for the record). And the phone is literally a few inches away from the Macbook.

That doesn't work, then I tried again and at one point, the popup message changed to "not connected because Macbook Air not supported".

Clearly, this doesn't just "work" for me and it's really annoying me. Is anyone else having this problem? I was looking forward to this feature for months.

MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012), OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Oct 16, 2014 9:29 PM

192 replies

Bob H.

Level 4

2,104 points

Nov 24, 2014 9:17 PM in response to simonweldon

Simon -- I appreciate the input on your experience with this issue. When you say turn off the firewall, I assume you mean not to use a wireless security option.

Nov 24, 2014 11:03 PM in response to Bob H.

Hello. I turned off the firewall on my MacBookAir. Its in system preferences, security and privacy, and then firewall. After I did this, everything works. I don't even have to be on the same wifi network so long as the MBA is on the same network via Ethernet.

it worked for me having tried everything else on this thread, several times over, and after Apple guided me thru everything over the course of 3 lengthy phone calls. So I'm delighted it all fine now.

Bob H.

Level 4

2,104 points

Nov 25, 2014 10:45 AM in response to simonweldon

Status report -- Turning off the firewall does not work in my case. I give up!

Nov 25, 2014 12:19 PM in response to Bob H.

HI Bob. Sorry to hear it didn't work. The most worrying thing is Apple can't sort things. It's very frustrating and the very reason why i switched from Microsoft and thought Apple was different.

VVery frustrating.

Nov 29, 2014 9:21 AM in response to Arestine93

Hi all. I believed that this problem is related to the bluetooth problem. Finally I found this solution and hopefully it solved the continuity problem that I had between my mac mid2012 and iPhone 5s. Hope to work for you all.

Bluetooth pairing and so handoff does not work

aburdock

Level 1

4 points

Dec 2, 2014 1:21 AM in response to StayPuft209

Sorry to say but it seems like I'm having the same problem any suggestions?

Dec 2, 2014 5:55 AM in response to aburdock

aburdock wrote:

Sorry to say but it seems like I'm having the same problem any suggestions?

YES. Read the first few messages in the thread you just appended to. You will find the answer.

65AA98

Level 1

8 points

Dec 13, 2014 6:16 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

I worked this out: early 2013 Macbook Pro and iPhone 6. At first, I had the same problem as you described. However, as soon as I turned on Personal Hotspot, it began to work. Now my bluetooth connection between MacBook Pro and iPhone 6 is established. I could use Airdrop, after a few tempts and some 10-20 minutes of waiting... Not sure it's worth the trouble -- you could just send the file through email.

mgladz

Level 1

0 points

Dec 20, 2014 11:14 PM in response to Arestine93

I think this is a big joke that apple made everyone so exited with this feature.

Dec 30, 2014 3:42 AM in response to Arestine93

Am having the same problem pairing with MacBook Pro 15" OS X Yosemite (Mid-2012) and iPhone 6+ (iOS8.1.2). It is totally unacceptable and we users have been waiting for this feature for soooooo long and it turns out to be pure frustrations. I purchased only Apple products and it is definitely a shame when these so called high end iOS devices cannot "talk" to each other seamlessly.

Dec 30, 2014 6:21 AM in response to plasticlok

plasticlok wrote:

Am having the same problem pairing with MacBook Pro 15" OS X Yosemite (Mid-2012) and iPhone 6+ (iOS8.1.2). It is totally unacceptable and we users have been waiting for this feature for soooooo long and it turns out to be pure frustrations. I purchased only Apple products and it is definitely a shame when these so called high end iOS devices cannot "talk" to each other seamlessly.

It's really obvious that you didn't read any of the posts in this thread, where it has been explained over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over what is going on and how to pair apps between OS X and iOS. But to save you the trouble of actually having to take responsibility see: Bluetooth: Why can't I pair my iPhone or iPad with another iOS device or with my computer?

Jan 5, 2015 9:15 AM in response to Arestine93

My FIX: I was experiencing this same issue with both my 2013 MBA and 2014 15" MBP with an iPhone 6. My fix was this: I changed the name of my iPhone and reconnected with both Bluetooth and WiFi. For whatever reason, the new device name wiped out whatever was blocking the connection. This was about 10 days ago and it's been running fine since.

To change the name of your iPhone go to Settings>General>About>DeviceName

Hope this helps.

TripSeven

Jan 10, 2015 8:02 AM in response to 65AA98

I had the same situation and found that by turning on my personal hotspot on the iPhone, the bluetooth connection was reestablished.

coseic

Level 1

0 points

May 3, 2015 3:24 AM in response to redstream

i have the same problem with MacBook Air 13" (Mid-2013 + iPhone 6.

May 3, 2015 5:12 AM in response to coseic

And did you read this: Bluetooth: Why can't I pair my iPhone or iPad with another iOS device or with my computer?

Which has been posted several times in this long thread already?

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Macbook Air (mid-2012) won't pair with iPhone 6