How to fix Bluetooth problems on your iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max

It’s been more than 10 years since Apple first announced its iPhone to the public. Last year, Apple celebrated the 10^th birthday of its mighty iPhone with the introduction of the iPhone X. The X marks Apple’s first adoption of the OLED display panel and removal of physical buttons. The iPhone X is a great success on the market with millions of units sold despite its staggering price tag.

At this year’s September event, Apple debuted the successors to the iPhone X, including iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Basically, the new pair features the same design language as the iPhone X, but Apple has upped the screen size on the iPhone XS Max to make it the biggest iPhone ever released to the public. Both iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are now available in select markets, with shipments expected to hit 20 million units by the end of the year. According to recent reports, demand for the iPhone XS Max is higher than expected, outselling its siblings. However, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have their own issues.

A lot of users have reported that they cannot connect to Bluetooth. The issues being reported include not being able to connect to a Bluetooth device, slow Bluetooth speeds, or dropping the Bluetooth connection. If you are among those users who are dealing with the issues, then we are here to help.

In this guide, we will walk you through the steps on how to fix Bluetooth issues on your iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Before we begin, make sure that you now have the latest software update on your iPhone. To update your phone, open the Settings app, then head to General and select Software Update. Now just simply install any available updates.

1. Make sure that Bluetooth is now on

If you cannot connect your iPhone to a Bluetooth device, then there is a good chance that you have turned off Bluetooth on your phone. Normally, you will get a pop-up menu asking you to enable Bluetooth while trying to pair your phone to an exterior device. In this is the case, then turn on Bluetooth from the Settings app.

To do this, open Settings from your home screen, then select Bluetooth and turn on the switch for Bluetooth. After that, make sure that your device is discoverable and you should see it from the list below the Bluetooth toggle. Now just simply connect your iPhone to your Bluetooth device to see if the problem is fixed. If it still persists, then read on to find out more.

2. Make sure your iPhone sticks close to your Bluetooth device

If you cannot find your Bluetooth device, then make sure your iPhone stays at a close range. For some background, Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology that allows you to connect your mobile devices to compatible machines.

All of this year’s iPhone models feature Bluetooth 5.0, the latest version of the technology. The addition of Bluetooth 5.0 promises various improvements compared to its previous versions. One of the best things when it comes to Bluetooth 5.0 lies in the ability to play audio on two connected devices at once. Besides, Bluetooth 5.0 offers four times the range and two times the speed when compared to Bluetooth 4.0. With Bluetooth 5.0, you can connect your iPhone to speakers over distances of up to 240 meters.

3. Turn off Bluetooth and turn it back on

If the problem is still present, then try turning off Bluetooth and then turn it back on. Following this method, Bluetooth functionality will perform a reboot, so it should work properly. The process is pretty simple. You first need to open the Settings from your home screen, then select Bluetooth and turn off the switch for Bluetooth. After that, wait for a couple of seconds and turn it back on. Now try connecting your iPhone to your Bluetooth device.

If nothing changes, then make sure both iPhone and Bluetooth device have enough battery to start the pairing process. Keep in mind that a Bluetooth device with a lower battery percentage may cause some pairing issues. If you notice that your device is running low on battery, then make sure that you charge it up before moving ahead. Once your device gets fully charged, then try re-connecting it to a Bluetooth device to see if the problem is dealt with or not.

4. Forget your Bluetooth device and re-connect

If nothing changes, then the next solution is to forget your current Bluetooth device and then set up the whole thing again. To do this, open the Settings app from your home screen, then tap Bluetooth and hit the “i” symbol next to the name of the Bluetooth device you wish to unpair. After that, hit Forget this device and then tap Forget Device to confirm your action.

5. Hard reset

If none of the above solutions works for you, then the last hope for success is to perform a hard reset. However, the method used to hard reset your iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max is different from past iPhone models.

Step one: First off, press and release the Volume Up button and then press and release the Volume Down button

Step two: Hold down the Sleep/Wake button until your phone reboots.

These are 5 solutions that help you fix Bluetooth problems on your iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Hopefully, they work for you. If you have got any issues during the process, let us know in the comments below.