Bluetooth device names blank or revert to factory default after upgrade to macOS High Sierra

As seen in the below screenshot, the first device, which is a connected pair of BeatsX earphones, doesn't show a name at all. The last device in the list is a UE BOOM 2, which actually has a custom name that sometimes, but not always, shows when it is connected.


I have just re-paired the Beats for a second time, and the problem persists. I noticed these bugs shortly after upgrading to High Sierra. Anyone else experience these or know of a solution?

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MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS High Sierra (10.13.3)

Posted on Mar 28, 2018 1:50 PM

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4 replies

Mar 29, 2018 7:34 AM in response to Bernard Kowalski

Hi, Bernard.


It appears that the names you've given your Bluetooth devices aren't appearing in the list when you select a device to use. I'm happy to help.


Change the name of a Bluetooth device -- See if changing the name of the device resolves the issue.

To rename a Bluetooth device, follow these steps on your Mac:

  1. From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
  2. Click the Bluetooth preference icon.
  3. Control-click or right-click on the device's name to see a shortcut menu.
  4. Click Rename in the shortcut menu, then type a new name for the device.
  5. Click the Rename button to save your changes.

The custom name that you give your device now appears in the Bluetooth menu of your Mac and in the Bluetooth section of System Preferences.

When you rename an Apple wireless device, it remembers the new name. So if you pair the device with a different Mac, the device will appear as you named it. But with third-party devices, the custom name is often stored on the computer. Because of this, the device might return to its default name if you pair it with a different Mac.


How to turn on or turn off your Mac -- If the issue persists, restart your MacBook Pro, then test the issue.


Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac -- Test how it responds in safe mode. If there are no issues, reboot normally and test again in your own user account. Remember this when booting in safe mode: Limited graphics performance in OS X recovery or safe mode


How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac -- If the issue is also happening in safe mode, use this article to create and test another user account. This will demonstrate if the issue is isolated to your account, or if it's system wide.


Let me know how that goes.


Take care!

Mar 29, 2018 7:39 AM in response to raina_b22

Hi Becky,


Thank you for your response.


Both of the custom names that I had used for the earphones and speaker worked fine for months, years in the case of the speaker, on the same computer. It is only with High Sierra that the problem has presented itself. The same custom names still appear just fine when connecting these devices to my iPhone. This is very obviously a bug in High Sierra. Where can I file it as such?

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Bluetooth device names blank or revert to factory default after upgrade to macOS High Sierra

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