Handoff/Continuity not working.

Question

Level 1

10 points

Handoff/Continuity not working.

This is frustrating as everything was working on the Yosemite beta.

Neither handoff nor continuity working between 2012 Macbook Pro and either iPad Mini or iPhone 5s. Working between iPad and iPhone. Clean install of Yosemite.

Initially Airdrop was limited - iOS devices wouldn't see MBP. Also iOS devices wouldn't pair via bluetooth. I then tried deleting bluetooth prefs on the MBP and restarting, switching airdrop off and on, switching iCloud off and on. Both iOS devices restarted (several times). At this point Airdrop started working both ways.

But apart from a momentary functioning of Handoff when the iPhone was plugged into the MBP by usb - which turned out to be unrepeatable - Handoff resolutely refuses to work.

All on the same apple ID. and exactly the same set up that was working in the Yosemite beta.

Any ideas? This is driving me up the wall.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Oct 18, 2014 12:04 PM

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Answer 1

miinoo

Level 1

4 points

Oct 22, 2014 12:33 PM in response to NearlyLegal

I have a mid 2012 MBP that is not working with handoff, airdrop and continuity.

On my machine, the handoff option isn't even available in the general system preferences.

It is equipped with Bluetooth 4. However, the LMP is 0x4 (which I've read is not compatible with handoff).

I have called tech support and the case has been forwarded to an Apple engineer. I hope to have an answer from them soon.

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Answer 2

NearlyLegal Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 23, 2014 11:22 AM in response to miinoo

I solved my problem

Signed out of iCloud on each device (iPhone, iPad and Macbook) then shut them all down

Cleared PRAM on the MacBook (hold down Option Command P and R at start up until the second startup chime)

Delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.bluetooth.prefs

Restart iPhone and Ipad.

Sign back into iCloud on all devices.

Since then, both handoff and continuity have worked, including sms once updated to iOS 8.1 and turned it on.

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Answer 3

Lior D

Level 1

10 points

Oct 23, 2014 12:50 PM in response to NearlyLegal

Sounds promising, but I couldn't find /Library/Preferences/com.apple.bluetooth.prefs on the Library folder.

I did all the rest, but it didn't work.

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Answer 4

NearlyLegal Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 23, 2014 12:57 PM in response to Lior D

Sorry! My error - /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

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Answer 5

Lior D

Level 1

10 points

Oct 23, 2014 2:31 PM in response to NearlyLegal

Makes sense, but it didn't work for me...

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Answer 6

NearlyLegal Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 23, 2014 2:42 PM in response to Lior D

Sorry! As long as you have all bluetooth turned on, all on same wifi network and all logged into the same iCloud account with same apple ID, I haven't got any another solution.

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Answer 7

miinoo

Level 1

4 points

Oct 23, 2014 8:19 PM in response to NearlyLegal

In your System Report/Hardware/Bluetooth - What LMP Version are you?

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Answer 8

peter260

Level 1

4 points

Oct 24, 2014 5:02 AM in response to NearlyLegal

Just signing out of iCloud and signing back in on my MBPR gets hand off working, but as soon as I reboot the laptop it stops again. Mighty frustrating!

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Answer 9

NearlyLegal Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 24, 2014 1:48 PM in response to miinoo

LMP 0x6

Model MacBookPro9,2

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Answer 10

NearlyLegal Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 24, 2014 1:49 PM in response to peter260

Did you sign out, restart and the then sign back in on everything? MacBook and iOS devices?

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Answer 11

s49

Level 1

22 points

Oct 29, 2014 10:29 PM in response to NearlyLegal

I too am having problems with handoff. I looked for the bluetooth file you refer to but there is no bluetooth file in my prefs. I have a mid 2012 Macbook. BT version is 0x6. This is what i have done so far.

1- turn off/on bluetooth both devices

2- turn off/on handoff both devices

3- log out/in icloud both devices

The call forwarding works or did the other day when I last used it. But none of the other handoff programs work. I have followed Apple's support page for how to set up handoff and still nothing.

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Answer 12

s49

Level 1

22 points

Oct 29, 2014 10:40 PM in response to s49

I just found the bluetooth.plist file. I was looking in the user library and not the Mac HD library. As soon as I deleted it I went to my phone and saw the Safari icon. Hopefully it continues to work.

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Answer 13

Nov 13, 2014 10:29 PM in response to NearlyLegal

Got it to (sort of) work by signing out of icloud on my iOS devices and signing back in with exactly the same account name as my Mac (had a mixture of @me.com @mac.com and no extension).

Now my Mac prompts me to "use iPhone" if I click on the phone icon in contacts. It also gives a notification on the Mac when there is an incoming call on the iPhone. But then in each case it reports "call failed". I suspect this has something to do with Telstra (Australia) not allowing Handoff but cannot find any reports of this.

BTW - I did not have to Bluetooth pair the iPhone to the Mac (which never worked anyway) - just have them on the same wifi network. See error message below after I turned off wifi.

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Answer 14

markmc78

Level 1

33 points

Nov 19, 2014 2:40 AM in response to Michael Paine

They've just stopped working for me totally.

I have an iPhone 6 on 8.1.1 and late 2013 rMBP on 10.10.1.

I've signed out of iCloud and back in on both devices, I've deleted all Bluetooth preference files, I've reset MBP PRAM, I've done a soft reset of iPhone, all to no avail. Continuity and Handoff just will not show up. They worked previously on these same 2 devices.

It's one of a long, long list of problems I have with iOS 8 and OS X 10.10.

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Answer 15

markmc78

Level 1

33 points

Nov 19, 2014 3:31 AM in response to markmc78

Finally solved it - turned the firewall settings on my BT HomeHub 5 router off, and Handoff/Continuity started working again!

Anyone know a way round this? I don't want my Firewall to be off completely.

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