introduction
Bluetooth technology makes it possible to connect wireless devices like headphones, speakers, keyboards, mice, etc., yet this technology tends to malfunction from time to time. The computer or mobile phone of yours will be unable to find, connect to, and pair a Bluetooth device; the connection can keep interrupting or even become unavailable. The reasons for this issue may be software failures, low battery levels, outdated drivers, wrong settings, interference, and malfunctions of the Bluetooth device. Luckily, there are numerous ways to fix Bluetooth and get it up and running. In most cases, it is enough to restart the device, turn Bluetooth on and off, check the range of connection, reconnect and repair the device, and update software. In this article, we will discuss methods to fix Bluetooth when it is not working.
Bluetooth connectivity problems are one of the most common and annoying issues smartphone owners face today. Be it wireless earphones that stutter at the most critical moment, a smartwatch that forgets to sync with your phone, or simply an inability to stream music to your car – the list of inconvenient malfunctions goes on and on. The good news is that almost all of them are relatively easy to fix since they are caused by software issues, not hardware defects.
This means that there is a high chance you will be able to re-establish the stable connection between your devices on your own without spending a fortune on service center visits.The list below contains the most reliable and straightforward Bluetooth connection troubleshooting guides that allow you to restore the functionality of your devices right away.Troubleshooting Tips Bluetooth connection problems can be solved in a few simple steps. Toggle bluetooth on and off Refresh the wireless antenna of your device, and clear stuck search processes. Restart your devices Turn off the short-term memory glitches that may appear in the RAM of your phone or accessory after prolonged use. Forget your device Forget the previously paired device and force your phone to re-establish the bond in order to clear the connection cache.
Away from electronics Move your phone and the bluetooth device away from other electronics such as Wi-Fi routers and microwave ovens. Turn off battery saver Disable the restricted power mode which may prevent bluetooth from using enough power to stay connected. Reset network settings Clear any persistent connection issues and bluetooth glitches that may appear in the system’s memory.
Restart Bluetooth
One way to solve these problems would be to just simply restart the Bluetooth. It may happen that the Bluetooth system has encountered a small problem that hampers its connection capabilities. To perform a Bluetooth restart in Windows, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices and switch Bluetooth off.
Then, wait for a couple of seconds and switch it back on. On Android, swipe the screen to get to Quick Settings and press on the Bluetooth symbol to switch Bluetooth off. Wait a little bit and switch Bluetooth back on. Restarting your computer or smartphone may help to get the Bluetooth system working again in case the above method does not work. Make sure that the device you want to connect is on and has enough battery to work.
Resetting your device’s Bluetooth settings can help clear up problematic pairings that cause pairing cycles and re-establish the connection to your wireless module. Sometimes it takes a restart of the Bluetooth radio to get rid of it.
Toggle Bluetooth Options Using Quick SettingsSlide down the notification shade to open the Quick Settings panel Toggle off the Bluetooth switch and wait 10-15 seconds Toggle Bluetooth back on and wait for your phone to reconnect to the paired Bluetooth devices.
Toggle Bluetooth Options Using SettingsOpen Settings and navigate to Connected devices or ConnectionsOpen Connection Settings and tap on BluetoothToggle Bluetooth off then wait and toggle bluetooth back on
Restart Device
However, when temporary problems arise, resetting your device can resolve any issues related to Bluetooth connectivity. With prolonged use of either a computer or a mobile phone, wireless connections may experience a momentary malfunction that does not allow Bluetooth gadgets to connect or stay connected.
Restarting both your phone and your bluetooth accessory allows you to clear system glitches, and to reset hardware connections on both devices. How to Restart Both Devices
Power down your phone
Press and hold the power button, select restart, and wait until the home screen reloads.
Power cycle the bluetooth accessory
Turn bluetooth devices such as your headphones, speaker, or smartwatch back off. If your device has a cover or case like many earbud styles do, place the earbuds inside, close the case for 10 seconds, then reopen and remove them. Power down other electronics.
laptops or tablets that are vying for the same bluetooth connection can disrupt the pairing process, so turn these off as well. Then, after waiting 60 seconds, turn them back on.
Update Drivers
Outdated or corrupt Bluetooth drivers can cause problems for your computer when it comes to connecting to any wireless devices. It is a good idea to update your drivers in order to get the best performance and most functionality out of your devices. Right click on your start button, open device manager, expand bluetooth and right click on your bluetooth adapter, then click Update driver. Click on Search automatically for updated drivers and let your computer find an update for your driver.
You may also want to go to the official website for your laptop or bluetooth adapter manufacturer and update your drivers manually with the most updated version of the drivers for your specific computer and bluetooth adapter.
After you update your drivers, be sure to reboot your computer and test to see whether or not you still have the same problem. You may also want to do a system restore back to a time before your bluetooth drivers were updated if your drivers were updated not too long ago.
You may also want to use the Roll Back Driver function in device manager if there is an option for that. Do not download Bluetooth drivers from random places online because they could be dangerous or not work at all. Keeping your drivers up to date will prevent many problems with connecting to devices and much more.
As opposed to an ordinary Windows PC, there are no separate Bluetooth drivers that can be manually updated or installed on Android phones and tablets. All the drivers are tightly integrated into the OS. If you need to update your Bluetooth drivers and eliminate system errors and bugs, you will have to update the whole software firmware of your phone.
How to Update Bluetooth Firmware with System UpdateConnect to a secure Wi-Fi network in order not to spend cellular data for the update.Go to your Settings menu.Navigate to System or Software Update.
Check for updates/Download and install.Make sure you reboot your device after the installation process is over to install the new drivers.Another Way: Clear System Memory of the Bluetooth Driver AppIf the system on your phone is up to date, you can make the system forget about your Bluetooth driver application and load its settings again from scratch by clearing the system memory of the application.Go to Settings > Apps > Tap “See all apps”.
Tap the three vertical dots located in the top right corner and select “Show system apps”.Choose Bluetooth from the list of system applications.Go to Storage & cache > Clear Cache, Clear Data.
Remove Paired Devices
Bluetooth device pairing history that is outdated or wrong can also be the reason for inability of the device to connect successfully. Deleting the old information and re-pairing the device can solve most common problems. In Windows system, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices, locate your problematic Bluetooth device there, click the three dots next to it and select Remove device.
After that, turn off the Bluetooth option and turn it on again, put your Bluetooth accessory into pairing mode and select it in the list of devices for pairing. On Android devices, open Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Bluetooth, select your paired device there and choose either “Forget” or “Unpair”, depending on your device model. It is recommended to have your Bluetooth accessory powered on and in close proximity to your device while performing this process.
Unpairing previously connected devices from your phone’s memory and Bluetooth settings allows smartphones and accessories to delete corrupted connection algorithms. How to Forget or Unpair Bluetooth Devices in Android Open the Settings menu on your device. Tap on Connected devices or Connections .
Choose Bluetooth or find the section listing Previously connected devices . Find an icon with the Gear symbol or Info button next to the problem device’s name. Tap on Forget, Unpair, or Remove device from the bottom of the screen.
Confirm your decision if a pop-up window appears. How to Create a New Connection After deleting the previous bond, you should refresh your phone’s Bluetooth settings. Doing so will allow the gadget and the accessory to build a stronger connection. To do that, you can turn the phone’s Bluetooth off and on again and put the device into pairing mode.
Windows Troubleshooter
The integrated Windows Bluetooth Troubleshooter is an advanced troubleshooting software developed by Windows to diagnose and resolve wireless connectivity issues of your computer. Bluetooth problems can be caused by corrupted drivers, disabled system services or hardware conflicts. Rather than looking through the complicated device configurations, executing the troubleshooter will allow Windows to analyze your system architecture, determine the root cause of the problem and make the necessary software fixes to bring the Bluetooth back to work.
In case of Windows 11, to access the troubleshooter you should open the Settings window by using Windows Key + I shortcut combination. After that, you need to navigate to System on the left sidebar, scroll to Troubleshoot in the right pane and click on it. Then you have to choose Other troubleshooters, select Bluetooth and click Run.
For Windows 10, the procedure of opening the Bluetooth troubleshooter looks slightly different. You should first open the Settings window, then navigate to Update & Security -> Troubleshoot, click Additional troubleshooters in the left menu, select Bluetooth, and finally click Run the troubleshooter.
The troubleshooter, once launched, executes several steps of system analysis. These include verification of the status of the Bluetooth adapter, starting of the Bluetooth Support Service process and driver check in the Device Manager. In case the troubleshooter detects any problems, it will either solve them or give a detailed description of the problem with the one-click solution.
There are certain troubleshooting functions provided within Windows that can help in resolving certain Bluetooth issues automatically. If you have troubles with establishing connection or detecting your Bluetooth device, you should run the troubleshooter before making changes to settings and configurations.
Just follow the on-screen instructions and let Windows search for any issues related to Bluetooth settings and services. The tool will be able to find some issues with your Bluetooth adapter, driver, and system settings and offer the solutions for them. If the problem cannot be resolved automatically, Windows will give you additional information on what causes the problem.
After completing the process of troubleshooting, reboot your PC and try connecting your Bluetooth device again. The tool is completely safe to use as it does not delete your personal files and applications.
Conclusion
Connection issues via Bluetooth can be quite annoying, but they are generally solvable using several easy-to-follow methods. First, you should restart both Bluetooth and your device. Then, make sure that your accessory is fully charged and within the range of your device. Also, removing and reconnecting your device to a different accessory will solve connection problems which occur due to incorrect settings of previously connected accessories. In the case of Windows, it is useful to update your Bluetooth driver and run its troubleshooter. If none of the above helps, try to look for available updates for both your Windows operating system and your device and make sure that the Bluetooth adapter is turned on.
Reparation of a faulty Bluetooth connection in a phone or a computer does not normally need the help of a technical support specialist. The most common reason behind this problem is usually a mere software conflict or lag that can be fixed in no time at all by a series of troubleshooting steps such as turning off and then back on your Bluetooth radio, resetting both of your devices, erasing the list of previously paired devices, or even letting your system perform its own troubleshooting. In order to ensure your wireless connection remains healthy and strong in the future, it is important that you always make sure your device operating systems are updated because these updates provide patches necessary for the correction of bugs associated with wireless connection and improvement of antenna performance.