Bluetooth problems

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Level 1

15 points

Bluetooth problems

I have an iMac 4K, late 2015, 8 gigs of ram, 2 terabytes hybrid drive.

I have been having issues with Bluetooth. Specifically, a message will pop up saying that the bluetooth connection has been lost with a graphic of the trackpad. But then all Bluetooth devices stop. Then I have to physically plug in the track pad and restart the iMac. This happens a lot. Also the Bluetooth stops working after the Mac goes to sleep.

This started happening while running Sierra (I was a beta tester all the way through to the final version of High Sierra). I am running Mojave now and the problem persists.

I have tried the ‘SHIFT - OPTION Bluetooth menu debug procedure, all three options in that sub menu, and that seems to work for awhile, then the problems start again.

It seems quite a few people have this happening to them also with no clear answer from Apple besides the Bluetooth debug, reset NVRAM and other temporary bandaid fixes.

I have had a Mac in one form or another since 1985, if you don’t own an iPhone now, you are a second class citizen.

iMac, macOS Sierra (10.12.1), Beta 10.12.2, 2015 21.5 4K

Posted on Oct 3, 2018 2:59 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Oct 5, 2018 1:38 PM in response to jayg00

Thanks for replying, jayg00, and that additional info, it really helps! Since you didn't have this issue in the new user account or when started up into safe mode, you can see if this issue is caused by incompatible login items with the steps in this Apple resource:

Test your login items

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.

Click your account name below Current User, then click Login Items at the top of the window.

Make a list of the login items—you’ll need to remember them later.

Select all of the login items, then click the Remove button .

Choose Apple menu > Restart.

If this solves the problem, open Users & Groups preferences again, add the login items one at a time, and restart your Mac after adding each one.

When the problem occurs again, follow the steps above to remove only the last login item you added.

If your Mac has a blue screen or other startup problems

If you're still having this issue, you could manually move your personal data to a new user account with the steps in this Apple resource:

OS X: Manually migrating data from another Mac

Have a great day and thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!

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Answer 2

Moozito

Community Specialist

Oct 4, 2018 4:10 PM in response to jayg00

Hello jayg00,

Thanks for that info and choosing the Apple Support Communities. Based on what you stated, it seems you are experiencing issues with Bluetooth on your iMac, even after trying some good troubleshooting steps. You can figure out if unexpected behavior is related to a user file or setting by trying to reproduce the issue from another user account. This process includes creating a new user account, logging in to it, and testing for the issue.

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

Next, use safe mode to start up your Mac as it does the following things:

Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

Loads only required kernel extensions

Prevents startup items and login items from opening automatically

Disables user-installed fonts

Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

Log into your user account and test the issue while in safe mode and then restart normally and test the issue again.

Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac
Graphics performance limited in macOS Recovery, safe mode, or Guest User mode

Cheers!

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Answer 3

jayg00 Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 5, 2018 11:50 AM in response to Moozito

Hi Moozito,

Thank you for your help with my Bluetooth problems.

I Followed your advice in the order you outlined;

1. I created a new user account and logged in. The keyboard and trackpad were working fine. the Magic mouse was not. I had to go into system preferences and do the setup routine. After that all was working fine. All Bluetooth devices worked even after waking from sleep. I played around with different apps for about an hour till I was satisfied. I then logged back in to my admin account. All devices worked for a few hours which is a long time without the lost Bluetooth connection problem. Then it happened briefly, connection lost but connected right back. I worked with the iMac for a few more hours successfully.

2. I then proceeded to startup in safe mode. I have never done this on this iMac and did not know all the benefits of doing so as reported in your reply. All Bluetooth devices worked fine.

3. I rebooted normally. All was fine again. I let my iMac go to sleep. I also.

4. In the morning I woke my iMac and all Bluetooth devices (Keyboard, Trackpad and Magic Mouse) were functioning normal. I do not have any other Bluetooth hardware connected. Then I lost Bluetooth. I hardwired my trackpad and logged into the other account and had to setup the mouse again. I logged back in the the admin account and all was good.

5. Then I decided to perform a disc first aid.

I did this twice with the same results. I am not sure what the warning means of if it is related to my problems.

I am working on my iMac now, including this reply to you, with out any hiccups.

So I don't know Moozito, The situation is much better but not perfect. I will continue trying to isolate the problem in safe mode I guess.

Again, thank you for your support!

jayg00

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Answer 4

jayg00 Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 8, 2018 3:18 PM in response to chris_g1

Thanks chris_g1,

I removed all startup items (5 total), and restarted. Everything seemed fine. Unfortunately I did not have a lot of time to work with the iMac as I was preparing for a two month business trip. From what I can see though, that might have been the solution. There were two questionable items in that list that I did not add.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed let you know in two months. So let’s consider this solved for now!

Thanks chris_g1

jayg00

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