Bluetooth issues are very common among Android devices. Bluetooth technology has come a long way and so have Android devices. But Bluetooth issues still continue to exist. Bluetooth not working on your Android?

In this article, we shall look into some ways to fix Bluetooth not working issue on Android.

Bluetooth is not exactly a new technology. I still remember using Bluetooth to transfer music on my Nokia 3310 Xpress Music, good old days! Since then, Bluetooth has come a long way in terms of usability and speed. We now have a lot more use cases for Bluetooth as well.

For example, with the headphone jack being phased out, a lot of people are making the switch to wireless headphones. And all these headphones use Bluetooth to connect. Your Android device may not pair with your Bluetooth headset. 

Plus, there are tons of wearables that connect to Android devices these days. Hence, Bluetooth pairing issues are also pretty common these days.

At the end of the day, Android is a software and all software tend to misbehave from time to time. When you try to turn on your Bluetooth and it doesn’t, no need to panic. Simply restart your device and then try to switch on your Bluetooth. Usually, a simple reboot should fix the problem. But if it doesn’t, you might try one of the methods mentioned below!

If Bluetooth won’t connect on your Android and you want to troubleshoot Android Bluetooth connectivity issue, we have laid out the possible issues and their fixes here. Try them all one by one.

Solution 1: Toggle Bluetooth Connectivity

If you tried and failed to connect your device to your Bluetooth headphone or wearable or another Android device, the first approach in troubleshooting should be toggling Bluetooth connectivity.

Pull down your notification shade and tap on the Bluetooth toggle. Wait for a couple of seconds and then tap on it again to turn it on. Now, go back to settings and try to pair the Bluetooth device you want to pair.

Solution 2: Check if the Device you’re Trying to Connect to is Working Properly

As soon as your device fails to connect to another Bluetooth device, do not come to the conclusion that your device is at fault. There is a good chance that the device you are trying to connect to is not working as intended.

To make sure that the device you are trying to connect is working properly, try connecting it to another device. If it does not connect with the other device as well, then the problem is not with your device!

This step also helps in determining which device actually has the Bluetooth connectivity issue.

Solution 3: Restart Your Android Phone and The Other Device

In Android devices, most of the common issues are resolved by simply restarting the device. This simple solution has helped a lot of people in a lot of different scenarios. Switch off your device.

Wait for a couple of seconds. Switch it on again. Pull down the notifications shade, tap on the Bluetooth toggle to turn it on. Bring the device you are trying to pair/connect closer. Try to connect and see if it works.

If it doesn’t work, restart the device you’re trying to connect to. When it turns back on, try connecting it with your device and see if the pairing works.

Solution 4: Remove Paired Devices

When situations like these occur, it is better to try out all the options and not leave any stones unturned. Based on your usage, there might be a lot of devices you had paired previously.

There will even be some devices which you may never connect to. Let us do some cleaning and clear the clutter on your Bluetooth settings. Remove all the paired devices from your device. To remove a paired device:

• Go to Bluetooth Settings on your device.
• In this page, you will see a listed of devices to which your device is already paired to.
• Tap on the Settings icon to the right of the device name.
• Click on Unpair.

Repeat the above steps until no devices are listed in Bluetooth Settings section. Once you are done, try pairing a new device and see if it works.

Solution 5: Clear Bluetooth Data and Cache

If the Bluetooth connectivity/pairing issues that you are facing are only popping up now and you have used to without any issues in the past, this solution could help.

Like any other Android app, Bluetooth also generates and store cache and data once you start using it. When these data and cache files get really old, they might get corrupted and cause issues over time. Clearing Bluetooth Cache might help to solve this issue. To clear Bluetooth Data and Cache:

• Go to Settings.
• Go to the Apps section where all the apps installed on your phone are listed.
• Tap on the three dots at the top right corner and select Show system apps.
• Once you tap on the above, all the apps will be listed. Scroll down and find Bluetooth and tap on the same.
• Inside Bluetooth app info screen, tap on Storage.
• Once you are inside, tap on CLEAR DATA and CLEAR CACHE.

After clearing Bluetooth cache and data, restart your device and try connecting your device to another Bluetooth device.

Solution 6: Update Device Software

If you have been postponing installing the latest update to your device, this might be a good time to go ahead with that update. Or, there might be an update already live for your device but you might not have got the notification.

Software updates can fix a lot of bugs apart from boosting device performance. To check if you have any new software updates:

• Go to Settings.
• Find the Software Update section under Settings and tap on the same.
• Check for new software updates and install them if available.

Once you finish updating your device, try connecting a Bluetooth device to your device and see if the pairing works.

Solution 7: Factory Reset Your Device

This is the last resort when none of the options mentioned above work. Almost all of the Android device problems get resolved when we do a factory reset as the device basically goes back to factory settings.

If at all the issue is because of software, then this will definitely fix the issue. Before doing a factory reset, make sure to backup your Android device. To reset your device, follow the below:

• Make sure you have backed up all the important data including your contacts, text messages and photos.
• Go to Settings.
• Find the Factory Reset section under Settings and tap on it.
• Scroll down to the bottom and tap on Reset or Erase Everything or something similar.

Wait for a couple of minutes for the process to get over and for your device to reboot. Once your device gets rebooted, go to Settings and turn on Bluetooth. Bring the device you want to pair closer to your device and try pairing it with your device.

If none of the solutions we have mentioned above work out for you, you should probably get in touch with your carrier/store. You might as well get the device checked at an authorized service center.