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iPhone 5S, iOS 8.0.3, bluetooth and airdrop not working

Hi, I just got my first smart phone today and it happens to be the 5S using iOS 8.0.3 for software.


However the bluetooth will not connect to my laptop using Maverick or my iMac using Yosemite. The connection fails. Yet they both connect just fine to my husband's old non smart phone.


And airdrop will not connect to either my laptop Macbook pro using Maverick or my iMac using Yosemite.


Have others had this problem and if so, how is it corrected? I'm pretty upset about this because I had planned to use airdrop and bluetooth all the time. It WILL connect to my bluetooth ear piece though.


Thank you

Martha

iPhone 5s, iOS 8.3, 16 gigs

Posted on May 27, 2015 4:50 PM

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Posted on May 27, 2015 6:47 PM

An iPhone will not pair via Bluetooth to a computer (Mac or Windows) except for personal hotspot and then only if your cellular plan supports it. https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7722


If you are attempting to use Handoff/Continuity, that does involve Bluetooth but the devices are NOT paired; Bluetooth just needs to be on and the devices in range of each other. The following may help with Handoff/Continuity issues: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204678

For AirDrop it is also the case that Bluetooth must be turned on but the devices are NOT paired. Also, to use AirDrop between an iPhone and a Mac, the Mac must be a 2012 or later model and must have Yosemite installed -- note that requirement applies to AirDrop between an iPhone and Mac but not between two Macs. See the system requirements section of Mac Basics: AirDrop lets you send files from your Mac to nearby Macs and iOS devices - Apple Support

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Question marked as Best reply

May 27, 2015 6:47 PM in response to marthafromlas cruces

An iPhone will not pair via Bluetooth to a computer (Mac or Windows) except for personal hotspot and then only if your cellular plan supports it. https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7722


If you are attempting to use Handoff/Continuity, that does involve Bluetooth but the devices are NOT paired; Bluetooth just needs to be on and the devices in range of each other. The following may help with Handoff/Continuity issues: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204678

For AirDrop it is also the case that Bluetooth must be turned on but the devices are NOT paired. Also, to use AirDrop between an iPhone and a Mac, the Mac must be a 2012 or later model and must have Yosemite installed -- note that requirement applies to AirDrop between an iPhone and Mac but not between two Macs. See the system requirements section of Mac Basics: AirDrop lets you send files from your Mac to nearby Macs and iOS devices - Apple Support

May 28, 2015 1:47 AM in response to FoxFifth

Thank you, FoxFifth, for your reply.


I was on the phone with apple for a good 3 to 4 hours about this and they explained to me about the bluetooth.


I don't know anything about handoff......I haven't turned on iCloud yet and it sounds like you use that with it?


Lastly it was airdrop that Apple was trying to get to work. Finally they determined that even though I have Yosemite on my iMac, because it was a 2010, it would not work. So they turned to my 2012 Macbook Pro and tried to get me to install Yosemite onto it. Well I had tried numerous times before and got error messages that it failed to download so they had me get rid of a file and told me to do it again. Once again it failed to download and this was in the middle of the night so I doubt many others were also trying to download it at the same time I was.


The only solution I can think of is to find a place in town that I can pay to put Yosemite onto my Macbook Pro.


When I bought my iPhone, I thought it would be easier to use than the non smart phones we have that sent files directly to our computers with no problems using bluetooth. I had no idea it would turn into this.


Martha

May 28, 2015 6:37 PM in response to FoxFifth

I am trying to send mostly what is on my camera - pictures and videos.


But I have good news kind of - I got Yosemite onto my laptop by using an external hard drive, it would not download from the APP store and now airdrop works!!!! I did notice something though -

when I airdrop a video or photo, it’s HUGE in the amount of megabytes it uses up. 30 seconds of video uses up 60 megabytes. But when I send it via email, it’s nice and small. Is there a way to keep those files small on the camera, are there settings to use? As far as I can tell, I have HDR turned off. Thanks!

The bad news is I have to call apple again because Yosemite MAIL no longer works for outgoing messages in my pop account. It works fine on my iMac with Yosemite but not on the laptop.

May 30, 2015 3:45 PM in response to FoxFifth

Ohhh, it's the strangest thing! After it working for a few times, my iPhone stopped recognizing airdrop and I'm back to square 1. I've been on the phone for hours and hours speaking with the iPhone specialist and the computer specialist and no one could help. Do you or anyone have any more suggestions? I had to restore my new phone and that didn't help. I didn't think it would since it's brand new.


Again thanks

Martha

May 30, 2015 4:14 PM in response to marthafromlas cruces

What little I know about AirDrop is in the following 2 support articles:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203106

Share content with AirDrop from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support


For photos I use iCloud Photo Library. It automatically transfers photos I take on my phone to iCloud and to the Photos application on my Mac. It also syncs all of the photos in Photos on my Mac to iCloud and my phone (i.e., all of my photos are in 3 places, the phone, the Mac and iCloud) with smaller versions optimized to reduce storage space on my iPhone. It works perfectly for me and happens automatically without any need to transfer photos manually. It may be something you want to investigate. There are also 3rd party options for transferring photos that don't depend on AirDrop Bluetooth. If all you are really interested in is transferring photos manually from one device to another, you may want to take a look at http://www.photosync-app.com

May 31, 2015 2:20 PM in response to marthafromlas cruces

Sorry that you seem to be on a real streak of problems. I turned iCloud Photo Library on for both my phone and Mac with about 1,000 photos and it worked perfectly. You may want to check the following and see if there is anything there. The other thing I would try would be to turn it on and leave it on for awhile while you are around wi-fi. iCloud Photo Library FAQ - Apple Support

To disable it on cellular, go to Settings > Cellular and turn off Photos.

May 31, 2015 6:44 PM in response to marthafromlas cruces

Using iTunes and choosing Back up to iCloud does not result in photos that are viewable at iCloud.com -- the resulting backup is stored at iCloud in a format that is only usable for doing a complete restore to your phone. However the photo got to where you could see it by logging in to iCloud.com, it definitely was not related to your doing an iCloud backup.

May 31, 2015 7:47 PM in response to FoxFifth

Yes I did log into iCloud online to view the photo. I wonder how the photo got up there? I checked each time I tried to do it from my phone and no photo. After I used iTunes, the photo could be viewed immediately. Hmmm.....


I found this article that reflects exactly my experience with airdrop and bluetooth. It was helpful to know I wasn't alone.


http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/how-use-airdrop-on-macs-wirelessly -share-files-3500407/

iPhone 5S, iOS 8.0.3, bluetooth and airdrop not working

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