PS4 Controller Bluetooth Connectivity Problems

I had this problem and a another similar one.

My controller was able to connect, but would disconnect almost immediately after connecting

My solution was to just connect it to my ps4 again using the cable.

I turned my ps4 on and when I was prompted to press the PS button to use controller, I tried to connect without the cable at first, but it didn't work. So I just used the cable to connect my controller to the ps4 and pressed the PS button.

Then I just turned off the ps4 and unplugged it. When I connect the controller to my mac it works.

How about that, mine was alwys working but havent used in acouple monts. Battery has run out probably so charging it and wanted to see some settings. Now mine also doesnt connect no more hahahaha ***

Im looking into this post and tried the solution with the bluetooth explorer app. Its connect for 1-3 seconds and then goes OFF. Im gonna look for some other methods and report back

Bluetooth explorer??? You mean Bluetooth Preferences i think. Check what name it says in the list, if its not official name its probably a fake. I had same issue, with older OSX you needed a lot of tricks to get it working. But these days should connect.

You still need a different software for keymapping the controller, I personally use joystick mapper. Very good app.

Can you check the com.apple.bluetooth.plist delete it and restart. Though you will loose all prior paired devices and would need to pair them again.

I do remember i had issues with my PS4 controller on MBP 2015 as well. Ill check what tut i found. I believe it was holding reset and ON button as the same time and connect using cable.

I'll go and see if i can find that tut again

just a moment....

Hey thanks a bunch for the help. I was having the same problem with a late 2009 MacBook Pro. I found the bluetooth list manually under Library>Preferences>By Host. Deleted it, restarted my Macbook, and paired first try. Thanks again.

Simply delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist and reboot 🙂

(The file's name may be a tiny bit weirder, having some characters after "Bluetooth", but that's still your file)

I suggest doing it via the Terminal.

Someone else told me to do this on another site and I've done this about 20 times now, and it has change nothing for me. I have even deleted the /Library/Preferences/com.bluetooth file exchange.plist along with the bluetooth.plist and it has changed nothing. I still have the same problem as stated above and i truly believe its a connection issue with the macbook pro because when i take my controller to my brothers house with a Windows 8 desktop, it connects, every time, with no issues. Please fix this. I would love to be able to game wirelessly on my mac with my ps4 controller.

P.s

This being said. When i get the controller to connect, and If I don't plug it into a ps4 or remove the device from the preference list, It stays connected and connects when disconnected right away. Its the initial connection that is shotty and i pretty much have to leave one controller designated to my macbook.

I had the exact same issue you had, and I took the following steps to fix it:

1) Turn off Bluetooth

2) Terminate every single process in Activity Manager that you can terminate

3) Open the terminal and type sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.E5A09B51-7B2E-53AC-ADF0-*********.plis t (I censored part of the name since I am not sure whether these characters have any importance)
or sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

4) Trash the file manually if you can't get this to work ^

5) Restart your macbook

6) Open the newly formed Bluetooth.plist with Sublime Text, delete everything inside and re-save the file (I know, this feels like black magic, and I don't think it had any input... but I am just telling you the steps I took!)

...and now it works flawlessly. Tried with two controllers, and they still work even after I pair them with other devices.

I tried copying and pasting what you wrote and its not working for me. I have no idea how to go about accessing what you are talking about to delete the preferences

Hi Guys,

i´m having the exact same issues Sir Rain 3 has. I already deleted the com.apple.Bluetoothplist file from Preferences/Library file as well as the other Bluetoothplist file in the Prefernces/Library/ByHost directory. I also reseted the PRAM and SMC but still the controller won`t connect to my MacBook Pro. (Retina, Mid 2014)

Are there any other suggestions how to solve this problem? Both of my Controllers work fine with the PS 4 though.

Would be great if there´s someone who could help!

Thanks in advance!

Hey Goose,

I followed the instructions on this site and it worked for me: http://macs.about.com/od/Troubleshooting/fl/How-to-Fix-OS-X-Bluetooth-Wireless-P roblems.htm

Good Luck.

I know this didn't work for OP, but for the sake of who it may help:

0. Make sure controller isn't paired to another device.

1. sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

2. Restart

3a. With BT PrefPane open, try pairing with PS Button and Share. May or may not work. If it does, you're done!

3b. If 3a doesn't work, try connecting by pressing PS button and looking to see if light stays lit.

4. If still not working, start at step 2, and possibly try only 3b.

Eventually, this is how I get it to work.

This was the best response I found. If you're not too familiar with Unix...just open your Terminal Application and copy and paste

sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

This will delete the profile 🙂

We tried several different things but what just worked for us and we did it several times was to unpair the controller from the ps4 and then it would pair to our macbook airs instantly.

This worked for me. MacBook Pro Retina 15" Mid 2014 running El Capitan.