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Bluetooth not working on IPhone XS

I just upgraded to the new iPhone XS, and the Bluetooth on my phone won't discover my devices, including a Fitbit and a portable speaker. I've tried all the troubleshooting for previous problems related to Bluetooth issues listed for the IPhone X and IPhone 8 via Apple--ie, restarting the Bluetooth on the phone, restarting all the devices, resetting network settings, making sure my Bluetooth devices are discoverable, etc. Are others having this problem? Is there a solution I am missing?

iPhone Xs, iOS 12

Posted on Sep 23, 2018 4:35 PM

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Posted on Sep 25, 2018 4:10 AM

Follow the tips here:


If you can't connect a Bluetooth accessory to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support


I believe both iOS 11 and iOS 12 supported Bluetooth 5.0, but that doesn't mean there isn't a new incompatibility.

164 replies

Sep 25, 2018 6:22 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

Thanks. I’ve done all that plus every other troubleshooting step I can think of to include, setting up my phone as brand new and wiping my car’s memory.


I’ve also hard reset the phone, reset network settings, erased Bluetooth settings of both the phone and the car, and checked to make sure there are no stereo firmware updates for the car.

Sep 26, 2018 10:05 AM in response to holly34

Upgraded my 7+ and had no issues. Switched to the XS Max and having Bluetooth issues. Device connects/pairs without issue. Problem is that when making and receiving calls via car Bluetooth, the other person cannot hear me. Also, when listening to iTunes audio in the car via Bluetooth, the music keeps pausing after 10 seconds and I have to keep hitting play on the phone to get it going again.

Nov 27, 2018 7:43 AM in response to alickfrombladenboro

alickfrombladenboro wrote:


Yes, and I’m beyond disgusted!!!! This should not be happening!!! Apple should have been had this under control!!! I have the xs max iPhone 512 gb and to not be able to pair my watch is sickening!!!

You don't say what you've done to try to pair your watch with your phone? Did you for example do what was suggested in this support article? One of the most overlooked pairing issues with Apple Watch is not unpairing from the previous watch before trying to pair with a new phone.


Switch your Apple Watch to a new iPhone - Apple Support

Apr 17, 2019 2:28 PM in response to tolmak

I don't see hundreds. That's the number that were interested in the subject, not necessarily the number with the problem. But even assuming hundreds (500?), that's a drop in the bucket of the 100 million sold. And most likely they don't even all have the same problem.


No matter what problem you have, with over 2.2 billion iPhones sold it is just about guaranteed that someone else has the same problem. Knowing that is useless information. And when there is a real problem people do post about it (not just click "I have the same question") as illustrated in this old thread from 7 years ago:

That's almost 13 thousand posts at a time when there were only 100 million phones in use. And that problem affected about 5 million of them. So the very small number of users showing an interest in this current subject demonstrates how rare it is. To get Apple's attention you need to either contact Apple Support using the link at the top of this page or by making a genius bar reservation and demonstrating it to an Apple tech. Those are the sources that Apple uses to identify repeatable problems.

Sep 24, 2018 6:52 AM in response to royalbaer

royalbaer wrote:


@rbrylawski -> I already did that more than once. Also tried "ignore this device" and so on, but didn't fix the problem. I have resetted my network settings completely now, but I don't think that this helps, cause it's a brand new iPhone and I didn't restore a backup.

If your new phone is having this issue, schedule an appointment at your Apple Store Genius Bar and have them test the Bluetooth receiver. My new XS Max paired perfectly out of the box with my Bluetooth devices.

Bluetooth not working on IPhone XS

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