Top 9 Fixes for Bluetooth Device Not Connecting Automatically on iPhone

After a tiring day’s work, you sit back on your couch while you connect your Bluetooth headphones. You open Spotify or Apple Music and decide to play your favorite song only to realize the music is playing on the speaker instead of headphones. You now have to go into settings and pair your headphones manually, which is frustrating. If your Bluetooth device does not automatically connect to iPhone, this article is for you.

This is quite a common problem that we have also faced several times. Sometimes the problem can occur on the headphones, and sometimes it can be on your iPhone. We have addressed all these things in this article. Here are nine easy ways to troubleshoot and fix this problem.

Let’s start by trying to forget and reconnect your Bluetooth device on your iPhone.

1. Reconnect to Bluetooth device

Reconnecting your Bluetooth device will erase and reset all the configurations applied to that device on your iPhone. This has a good chance of solving the problem. Here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Tap on Bluetooth.

Step 3: Tap on the device you want to reconnect.

Step 4: Select ‘Forget this device’.

This will now remove the paired device from your iPhone.

Step 5: Now you need to connect your device to your iPhone again. Your iPhone will automatically search for nearby devices. Tap the device you want to connect to.

Step 6: This will connect your device to your iPhone and you will see ‘Connected’ next to the device.

Doing this solved our problem, but here’s also what sometimes solved our problem – switching to a 5GHz band Wi-Fi network from a 2.4GHz band Wi-Fi network. Sound bizarre? Not really, read on to learn more.

2. Connect to a 5GHz Band Wi-Fi

If you are using a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band, there is a chance that you may experience interference. This is because Bluetooth also uses a 2.4GHz frequency band, and this can cause the signals to overlap. This interference eventually causes some problems and can also affect the device’s connectivity.

So, if you have an alternative 5Ghz band option on your Wi-Fi, connect to it and see if the issue is resolved or not. If for whatever reason you cannot implement this method, don’t worry because we have many alternative and effective methods as well.

3. Disconnect your Bluetooth device from other devices

Not all Bluetooth devices and headphones can connect to multiple devices at the same time. So, if your Bluetooth device’s automatic connection isn’t working with your iPhone, it might already be connected to another device. So disconnect it from that. The automatic connection feature should work fine.

Similarly, you can also try to disconnect other connected devices on your iPhone. Here’s how.

4. Disconnect other connected devices on your iPhone

There is no clear reason why this method solves the problem, but you can try disconnecting all other connected devices via Bluetooth on your iPhone. You can now check if the Bluetooth device in question can automatically connect to your iPhone.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Tap on Bluetooth.

Step 3: Tap on the connected Bluetooth device to disconnect it from your iPhone.

If that doesn’t work either, update the firmware of your Bluetooth device.

5. Update the firmware of the Bluetooth device

Some Bluetooth devices come with a dedicated app to control and configure them. These apps also provide you an option to update the firmware. If the Bluetooth device not automatically connecting on your iPhone is a widespread problem, the developers will definitely fix it over an update.

For example, here is how it looks on the dedicated application for Samsung Bluetooth devices to update the firmware.

You can search for these apps in the App Store and update the firmware within the app. Likewise, these apps also provide you with an option to reset the Bluetooth device if nothing else works.

6. Reset Bluetooth device

Resetting the Bluetooth device will reset all applied configurations to their default states. There is a good chance that most problems have been resolved. This is also possible on the official app for the Bluetooth device. Here’s how it looks on the Samsung Galaxy Buds app.

7. Update your iPhone

As mentioned earlier, this problem can also be caused due to some errors on your iPhone. If the bug that causes Bluetooth devices to not connect automatically on your iPhone is widespread, Apple will definitely release an update. Here’s how you can check for an update on your iPhone.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Tap on General.

Step 3: Tap on Software Update.

Step 4: If you are already on the latest update, your iPhone will show that you are. If not, you will get an option to update your iPhone.

8. Reset network settings on iPhone

Resetting the network settings on your iPhone will re-apply all the default configurations related to your Wi-Fi, cellular and Bluetooth networks. If your Bluetooth device does not automatically connect to iPhone, this is quite an effective solution.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Tap on General.

Step 3: Select ‘Transfer or Reset iPhone’ and tap on Reset.

Step 4: Finally, tap Reset Network Settings. This will ensure that all your network settings are restored to their original states.

If that doesn’t work either, as a last resort, you can reset all the settings on your iPhone.

9. Reset iPhone

It’s hard to track down a misconfiguration that’s causing a problem on your iPhone, so you’ll want to consider returning all settings and configurations to their default states. This is exactly what restoring an iPhone does without erasing any of your data. There is a good chance that all the problems related to Bluetooth will be fixed as well.

Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and select General.

Step 2: Select ‘Transfer & Reset iPhone’.

Step 3: Tap on Restore.

Step 4: Now tap on ‘Reset All Settings’ to reset all the settings and configurations of your iPhone to default.

That’s all you need to do if your Bluetooth device doesn’t automatically connect to your iPhone. If you still have some questions, you can check out our FAQ section below.

Frequently asked questions about connecting Bluetooth to iPhone 1. What is the range of a Bluetooth headset?

The range of a Bluetooth headset for useful results is about 30 feet or 10 meters.

2. Can you pair two Bluetooth devices simultaneously on iPhone?

Yes, you can connect to more than one device simultaneously on iPhone.

3. Does noise cancellation prevent headphones from automatically connecting to iPhone?

No, noise cancellation is not known to cause an issue regarding auto-connecting the Bluetooth device on iPhone.

Automatically connect any Bluetooth device with ease

We hope this article helped you to resolve the issue. So, the next time your Bluetooth device doesn’t automatically connect to the iPhone, you know what to look for. Problems like this are one of the reasons why people recommend buying an Airpods for all its seamless connection features with the iPhone!