How to Pair iPhone with Mac Using Bluetooth?

There are many different ways you can connect iPhone and Mac together. One such easy ways is pairing your iPhone to Mac using Bluetooth. It has its benefits and needed for using many of Apple’s built-in features. Some users don’t know how to take advantage of this connectivity feature. With this tutorial, you will be able to pair an iPhone to a Mac using Bluetooth.

Bluetooth Features

You can use Bluetooth to enable wireless sync with iTunes and use the iPhone’s cellular connection. Also you can share file using Bluetooth connection from iPhone to Mac and vice versa. Most of the Apple’s continuity features need the devices to be connected using Bluetooth.

Handoff for working across devices.
Copy content from one device and paste on other device using Universal Clipboard.
Insert picture on Mac directly from iPhone’s camera using Continuity Camera option.

Here is how to pair your iPhone with MacBook using Bluetooth.

Enable Bluetooth in iPhone

Select the “Settings” icon on your iPhone ’s app tray to navigate to the settings. Next, click on the Bluetooth option to toggle it on. Alternately, pull up the Control Center and touch the Bluetooth icon to enable it.

On the other hand, if your phone has a 3D Touch feature, there is a quicker method of enabling your Bluetooth directly from the app tray. Simply force touch the “Settings” icon to see popup connectivity and battery options. Select the “Bluetooth” icon and toggle it on.

That’s said, this option is not available on the iPhone 5 and lower, as well as iPhone XS and X Max. After enabling Bluetooth on your iPhone, it will try to find the devices available for connection. At this point you will not find your Mac on the list or it will show as “Not Connected”.

Note: Till the time of iOS 11, iPhone was showing the Bluetooth icon on the top menu bar indicating Bluetooth connection is switched on. The blue icon indicates the connection is active and grey icon indicates there are no devices paired with iPhone. Apple removed showing Bluetooth icon on the top menu bar from iOS 12.

Enable Bluetooth on Mac

First, click on the Apple icon on the top left corner of your screen and select the “System Preferences” option.

Find and click on the “Bluetooth” icon. Use the search box if you can’t find Bluetooth option.

Click on “Turn Bluetooth On” option to enable Bluetooth on your Mac.

After enabling, you will see a message showing “Now discoverable as” with the name of your Mac. This is the name you will see in iPhone’s Bluetooth device list.

Note: Generally Mac will show Bluetooth icon on top menu bar. A grey icon indicates the connection off and a black icon indicates Bluetooth is on. You can simply click on the icon and turn it on or off. In case if you are not seeing the Bluetooth icon, enable “Show Bluetooth in menu bar” checkbox in the above shown Bluetooth preferences.

Pair iPhone With Mac

When you have enabled Bluetooth on both devices, your iPhone will automatically appear on the list of Bluetooth devices on Mac. It will show the name of your iPhone with the status as “Not Connected”. Click on the “Connect” icon next to your Bluetooth name to pair. If you don’t see “Connect” button, control + click or right click on the iPhone name and choose “Connect to Network” option.

A Bluetooth pairing request containing the passcode should pop up on your Mac and iPhone at the same time. Check to make sure the passcodes match, and then tap the “Pair” option. Now, you must wait a couple of seconds for the process to be completed.

Upon completion, a “Connected” notification will appear to notify you that your iPhone is paired with the MacBook.

How to Know Devices Are Connected?

The Bluetooth settings on the iPhone will show the name of your Mac with the status as connected. Similarly Bluetooth preferences on the Mac will the name of your iPhone with the status as connected. In addition, the top menu bar will show the relevant icons. You will see chained link icon on your iPhone and Bluetooth icon with three dots on Mac when the devices are paired with each other.

Unpair Bluetooth Devices

You don’t need to disconnect iPhone and Mac if you are planning to use continuously. However this may not be the case in many situations, as you may need to connect to different devices. You can unpair Bluetooth device either from iPhone or from Mac.

On Mac, go to Bluetooth Preferences as explained above and control click on the iPhone name. Choose “Disconnect from Network” option.

Unpair iPhone from Bluetooth Preferences

You can also simply click on the Bluetooth icon on top menu bar. Select your iPhone and choose “Disconnect from Network”.

On your iPhone, go to Bluetooth settings and tap on the “i” icon next to your Mac name. Tap “Disconnect” to unpair the devices.

Bluetooth Connection Issues

Sometimes you may face problems in connecting the devices using Bluetooth. Below are some of the fixes you can try to fix the problem:

Ensure to have both devices nearer within 33 feet or 100 meters distance.
Have both devices in accessible place.
Apple removed showing Bluetooth icon in iOS 12, so you only have an option to check on Mac to ensure the connectivity works.
Turn off and on Bluetooth.
Unpair and pair the devices again.
Disconnect Bluetooth from other devices and ensure you are not trying to connect to multiple devices at the same time.

Wrapping Up

As mentioned, functions like Continuity Camera needs you to pair iPhone and Mac using Bluetooth. We hope this article helped you to connect your devices quickly to take advantage of other Bluetooth connectivity options.

How to Pair iPhone with Mac Using Bluetooth?