Bluetooth technology becoming more advanced and very simple to use. Bluetooth accessories are being awakened from Bluetooth speakers, keyboards, mouse, headsets, and car’s system. A short while ago, some iPhone users experiencing Bluetooth connectivity fails while connecting the iPhone to Car’s system and also with other accessories. Here is the real complete guide to fix “If your iPhone not connecting to the car stereo via Bluetooth” issue.
These solutions definitely work for the latest devices (iPhone 14) and the latest iOS (iOS 16).
SEE ALSO: Are you looking for the solution for the most common issue Carplay not working on iPhone?
Before Performing any of the Following Solutions:
- On your device, Confirm if Bluetooth is enabled.
- Make sure both devices are within the specified Bluetooth area(range).
- Check whether it is turned on and in discoverable mode.
- Make sure to check if your car stereo using the latest firmware from the car manufacturer.
1. Forgot Bluetooth Device and then Pair again
A lot of iPhone users said that this solution worked for them. So, you can also try this method to solve the problem.
- Launch Settings.
- Tap to Select Bluetooth.
- Choose the Bluetooth device and Tap on “i” (information icon).
- Now Tap on Forget this Device option.
- Then, Toggle the button to Disable the Bluetooth.
- Next, Restart both devices and wait for a few seconds.
- Then, again go to Settings – > Bluetooth.
- Toggle the button to Turn On the Bluetooth.
- Now, view the list of available Bluetooth devices in range.
- Select the Device to start pairing again if that has not fixed then continue t0 troubleshoot it.
2. Reset Network Settings
If still, the problem exists then try this reset network method to solve the problem. To do that,
- Launch Settings.
- Tap on the General option.
- Scroll down the screen and choose “Transfer or Reset iPhone”.
- At the bottom of the screen choose Reset Option.
- Then, Tap on Reset Network Settings.
- Enter the Passcode if needed.
- Tap on Reset Network Settings to confirm it.
- After Reset, Try to Pair or connect with the Bluetooth accessories.
3. Restart your iPhone
- Press and hold the Volume Up or Down button and side button until the power slider appears.
- Drag the Slider. It will take 30 seconds to turn off your phone.
- Then press the side button until you see the Apple logo.
4. Turn off Bluetooth and Turn back it on
Turn off your iPhone Bluetooth via Settings -> Bluetooth. Turn the Bluetooth off. Wait 5 seconds. Then turn back it on.
3. Check Hand Free Memory in Bluetooth
This method is suggested by the Apple Technical support team to solve this issue. Let see, what it is…
- Go to hand-free memory in Bluetooth Car settings and delete the phone.
- In iPhone Bluetooth settings, choose the Forget This Device option.
- Reset all settings on your iPhone (not just network settings).
- Some users reset their iPhone twice a time to solve this issue.
- Now try to pair the device.
4. Clear Car Hands-free Link
Note: If you choose the “Do not use erase all content and settings” option. It will erase your data on the device.
- Clear all phones from your Car hands-free link (Delete all iPhone connections from your car head). Then put it in discoverable mode.
- Delete the Bluetooth connection profiles in iPhone Bluetooth settings that paired with hand free link.
- On the iPhone, Go to General -> Reset -> Erase all settings.
- Then pair the car and phone.
5. Factory Reset iPhone (Be Carful It will erase all your iPhone contents)
It is the common solution for all iPhone-related problems or any connectivity issue. So try this reset all settings method to solve the problem. For that,
- Launch Settings on your iPhone.
- And tap on General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Now, Tap on Erase All Content and Settings option.
- Choose “Continue” in Erace This iPhone option
- Now Enter the passcode
- It will upload your content to iCloud. If you got the “Upload to iCloud Failed” error, just choose “Erase Anyway”.
- Now you have to Enter your Apple ID.
6. Software Update
Sometimes the Bluetooth connectivity issue happened on the old version of iOS. So try to update your device to the latest version of iOS.
- Go to Settings -> General.
- Tap on the Software Update option.
- Check for the update. If the update is available? then Tap on Download and Install option for iOS update.
If you still found that iPhone does not connect with your Bluetooth device, then the fatal system error could be the main reason why Bluetooth pairing failed to connect with your iPhone, Contact Apple Support for advanced solutions.
Solution 1 worked
Thanks
Non of these fixes worked for my BMW. The problem is that the iphone 6 uses a different level of blue tooth and is not backwardly compatible. Older cars don't support the newer bluetooth.
No amount of reseting will overcome that, when IOS 8 Vx supports both bluetooth standards (if it can) the problem will be fixed…..
I have ios9 and is not working 2015 Nissan rough
So far nothing has worked. I have a 2012 Nissan Murano.
Voice calls work with my Acura's Bluetooth HandsFreeLink but text messages do not. Can the iPhone 6 even handle reading and replying to texts with voice? My old Windows Phone did and I miss that functionality
Me too! My iphone 5S worked with my Acura where I'd get text messaged but once I got the iphone 6, I no longer get that feature and no one can tell my why. It's so frustrating because I too, love and miss that.
Go to settings>Bluetooth and hit the little 'i' next to the handsfreelink Bluetooth connection. Make sure 'show notifications' is selected.
In my Infiniti 2011 g25x the Bluetooth makes calls just fine my problem is that it will not stream music through any apps such as spotifiy and pandora the screen just says there is no song it will however stream using an iphone6 but I have the plus and it just won't do it same software in both phones so why it won't work has me baffled if anyone can help it would be appreciated
I just got a 2012 CRV and after looking at many cars I chose this one for its options. The Bluetooth so I could use hands free calling, stream music through from my phone and the text messaging features. I also have the navigation. I have the iPhone 6plus my son has the 5s we both have the iOS update and our phone connect we can listen to music but the it says that our phone doesn't support the text messaging functions. I haven't used the hands free calling yet I just bought the car. But I've gone through ever step and none worked. Which is frustrating since I lost all my settings and had to reset all my settings in my phone. So damn frustrating. So has anyone figured this out or do we just miss out on these features we paid for because we paid out the ass for a newer phone?!
did you go to settings – bluetooth – pick the device, and hit the i and make sure that you have the "show notifications" on?
Hey, I have 2011 Nissan Murano my phone connected to the car and play the music on the phone but the problem is the voice not streaming through the car stereo, anyone have a solution please
Thanks for the article, is there any way I can receive an email whenever you publish a new update?
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I had this issue with my new 2014 Civic ex and my Iphone 6. The dealership and their maintenence dept had no answer except that it was an Apple issue.
Heres what I did to fix it..
Back up your Iphone and then return to factory settings, reinstall from back up. dont turn on the bluetooth yet.
Go to car, delete phone from list.
Turn on phone and turn on bluetooth, pair with car.
That did it for me.
My son who was helping me and works for a Major cell phone co. says that sometimes errors stay in the phone after you upgrade and perhaps thats what did it .
Hope this helps
My car bluetooth shows connected and then disconnects. I don't understand why it keeps doing that. When I followed the instructions in my car's audio book I kept getting an error message on my iphone 6 that it couldn't find the car audio. This is so frustrating,
That's my issue too, 2014 Acura RDX.
My iPhone 6 plus is connected to Bluetooth in my 2011 Toyota Venza, but it won't make phone calls…….I have "hands-free power" on. It won't pair……….can somebody please help me……..thanks
Solution 1 worked, yea!
For me solution 1 work. I had issue where iphone 6 was not connecting with my Subaru forester. I deleted car media from iphone and pair it using the voice command instead using menu button. Now it works fine and connects automatically. Hope this helps.
I couldn't believe this I check various pages because my calls were not coming through my Bluetooth in the car (speakers), only to find that if I change the settings in Accessibility then select call routing to automatic it WORKS! Now the only problem I have now is that Caller ID is not displaying on my dashboard. Any suggestions?
I have an iPhone 6s and a 2012 Honda Odyssey. I tried deleting the pairing and repairing. That didn't work. I went to accessibility and instead of choosing auto, I chose "call audio routing" as "Bluetooth headset" option. It fixed the issue!
(Previously the phone would ring, I could answer it on hands-free and talk, but it would flip back and forth between hands free and iPhone audio during the conversation. Very annoying. It didn't do that with my iphone5)
With my Honda CRV, ever since upgrading to IOS 8.4.1, when I start the vehicle and my iPhone 5S pairs with it the CRV automatically says "In call". The phone has nothing different on its screen. The only way to get out of the "In Call" state is to disable then re-enable the Bluetooth on the iPhone. This happened when I first got the CRV, but stopped after the next iPhone update. Not sure what they are doing in the updates, but it's frustrating!
I have Nissan rough 2015 Bluetooth not working
I have iPhone 6 with iOS 9.01. Paired with my new 2015 Nissan Rogue. I can receive text, but when I choose the option to send reply text, it says text messaging not available. Help..
Tried all of the recommendations, still no connectivity. Too bad. Not being able to use the hands-free feature renders the iphone useless to me. Solution: I'm dumping the Apple product for a competitive product. Problem resolved!
Sadly, not a viable option. In fact, it's a worse option. My wife's iPhone connects but drops occasionally -a real PIA, but my Galaxy S5 goes connect/drop… connect drop… every 30 – 45 seconds, in essence never connecting.
I've got a similar situation but it's a bit different. I'm using a Parrot bluetooth in a Honda Odyssey and up until recently it has worked perfectly. Now, it no longer rings on an incoming call and there is no voice if you attempt to answer, even though the phone works perfectly if you answer that. According to my Parrot and the iPhone, the devices are connected. I thought something might be wrong with the Parrot so, I paired it with my iPhone (the problem is with my wife's phone) and it works perfectly. If you ask the Parrot to dial a number, it will do that. There is just no voice connection between the devices.
These are both iPhone 6S with the latest software versions. I really don't have a clue how to fix this and it's not the Parrot. Any suggestions or ideas why this suddenly has happened. Any advice would be MOST welcome. Thanks.
Hi, try – General>Accessibilty>Car Audio Routing and select "Bluetooth Headset" instead of of the default Automatic.
Looks like there is a bug in the Automatic setting.
Fixed! Thanks! See my comment below.
I have a Honda HR V (2016). It connects well with my Bluetooth and I can receive incoming calls just find. The only thing is that when I receive the calls, my screen only displays the number and not the name from my phone's phone book. How can I fix this? I've tried to disable and reconnect the Bluetooth connectivity and restarting the car and phone etc. nothing worked. My friend who also owns an HR V has the same problem.
Having similar issues. Hands free drops in and out. Call will start in handsfree then switch to headset then back again. REALLY frustrating. My iPhone 5 worked perfect now the 6s is a pain in the ___.
I have the same problem and took it to Honda. They were unable to fix the problem. Did you find a solution? I know a few others who have the same problem with their 2016 HRV as well! I thought this car works perfect with iphones?
I had the same problem and fixed it. I have a iPhone 6 and a Nissan Maxima 2016, but it was the phone that was the issue. The fix involves going into your phone settings and turning off LTE data and voice roaming and doing data only. The reason is that your phone is outputting a +1 in front of your phone numbers and the car nav systems can't read it. Once you make this change and reconnect it works fine. It did for me anyway. Good luck
Hi I have 2016 Honda hrv and can't get my iPhone 6 to connect can you help please
I have a 2015 Honda CRV. Went from an iPhone 4 to iPhone 6plus. Not able to receive text on display screen. Incoming/ Outgoing phone calls are working fine.
I have the same issue. Did you figure it out or get any good advice?
What worked for you? I have a 2015 CRV and upgraded to 6s and now can't use the hands free.
You have to go into Settings>Bluetooth>HandsFreeLink (click the i) >turn on Show Notifications
My iphone 6 shows paired and connecylted to mediaNAV of my Renault Duster car but when I select to play music it does not stream through ca stereo. My wife's Samsung on Android immediately connects and plays. This is really frustrating. Anyone can offer solution.
I just bought an iPhone 6 today and when u try to pair it with my 2011 Infiniti m37, it will make and receive phone calls fine, but it will not allow me to stream music through Pandora, Spotify, or YouTube. It states "there is no audio device selected to pair with Bluetooth".
I had zero issues with my old Galaxy S3 and had occasional loss of connectivity to my iPhone 5s, but could make/receive phone calls and play music.
Any solution to fix this problem? Thanks!
Did you get this figured out? I have a Tacoma, but what you posted applies to me as well. Thanks
I had this problem on my 2014 f20 BMW – dropping Bluetooth calls (they couldn't hear me) since iPhone 6. I repaired and reset etc. etc. to no avail…
BUT after disabling 'hey Siri' it now works perfectly!!
Thanks! Had same issue with 2014 Infiniti QX 80. Turned Hey Siri off and now music is playing again.
I have a 2014 Scion XB and the pairing worked fine. I can play my music and make/receive calls without any issues. The problem I have is the sound not being audible through the car speakers when I use the Google Maps and I can't seem to hear a text message come through or any other notification for that matter. Need a fix for this issue.
I have a 2016 Chevy Traverse and an I-phone 6 with 9.2.1 and every time I make/receive calls through my car, the radio defaults to bluetooth streaming off my phone (my playlists, Spotify, radio apps, etc) rather than going back to the radio station I was listening to before the call. I chatted with a Chevy technical support person who claimed that the Chevy engineers and Apple are working on a supposed patch update to resolve this issue. I just did the latest update to 9.2.1 and the problem continues. Where is the fix or the patch or is this a ploy to make me take it the dealer and get a bill for it (since it probably won't be covered under the warranty. I have had several issues with this and the car is only 3 months old!
I have a Subaru that is 4 months old and have the same problem…very annoying. What is the fix?
Ugh, I have the same issue in my 2016 Silverado. It happened when I updated the iOS. I hate it. I'm ready to turn off the Bluetooth.
My IPhone 6 Plus quit working on Blue Tooth in My 2011 BMW X5. They could hear me but I could not hear them.
Solution was to reboot my iPhone and everything worked fine.
Same 9.3.2 problem in a Nissan Rogue. Tried all this stuff and nothing worked. Plugged in the USB cable and that still works. Though it starts playing music constantly which is annoying. But I can live with it.
One of my client's had a very similar issue with her iPhone5s and Honda CRV. ios 9.2.1
She has a fitbit paired to her phone. I "forgot" that device and tested.
Everything worked perfectly.
Has anyone experienced with the new iphone update 9.3.2. I have a 6s plus phone. This just started last week. Very bad connection on receiving or making calls with my Nissan 2015 murano the voice is all broken up during the call on receiving end of my phone as well as thru Bluetooth on my end in the vehicle. Anyone know how to repair this before I sit all day in the dealership & they tell me it is the phone. Thanks.
I don't know how to fix it, but I have had the same exact problem with broken up phone calls since updating. I'm driving a Subaru 2015 Outback. So frustrating.
Exact same thing for me. iOS 9.3.2 with iPhone 6s connected to Accord 2015. Calls became very choppy. I deleted the Bluetooth pairing. Now I can't pair the phone with car. All started with iOS 9.3.2
I am having the same issue with my update 9.3.2 and broken up phone calls, the caller can not hear me, I can only hear occasional sounds from the person I called. very irritating, anybody know of a fix?
I have the same problem with my iPhone 6splus and my Honda CRV. I had a 2011 CRV and started having problems with terrible audio hands free through the car. Upgraded to a 2015 CRV and have the same problem. So frustrating.
I have the same problem with my ipone6s and a 2016 Prius apparently after updating to OS 9.3.2
First I noticed duplicate phone entries. I unpaired the phone and now I cannot pair it again.
Di's comment above, regarding changing the setting General>Accessibility>Automatic, to General>Accessibility>Bluetooth Headset, fixed this problem in my 2008 BMW X5. My IPhone 6+, used to connect fine before that. My 6S+, on IOS version 9.3.2, dropped the connection, and wouldn't regularly connect, until I changed that setting. Now, great! Thanks Di! Hope that helps! Cheers!
I just got a iPhone 6s and have a 2011 RDX and cannot pair my phone. I cannot even find the HandsFree Link?? Any suggestions?? i drive a lot and need the use of the bluetooth
Di's comment above, regarding changing the setting General>Accessibility>Automatic, to General>Accessibility>Bluetooth Headset, fixed this problem in my 2008 BMW X5. My IPhone 6+, used to connect fine before that. My 6S+, on IOS version 9.3.2, dropped the connection, and wouldn't regularly connect, until I changed that setting. Now, great! Thanks Di! Hope that helps! Cheers!
Thank you so much! Beatles like a charm!
Thank you so much! Worked like a charm!
I have a 2013 Toyota Venza. Having trouble with the voice recognition system. I try to call someone and it says "Pardon" then it cancels voice recognition. When I try to call people thru the Bluetooth from my phone, they cant hear me either. Does anyone know what this could be?
I have an iPhone 6 and it will not connect the phone OR play music in my Honda Civic 2011. My iPhone 5 and my husband's iPhone 4s worked no problem…I'm super frustrated – you pay basically the price of a computer for a new phone & the older versions are more efficient and useful!
I just recently purchased a 2013 CRV EXL for my daughter. While waiting at the DMV I tried to connect my iPhone 6s via Bluetooth. The connection worked fine and music played yet I could not make or receive calls. I drove it back to the dealer and was told to go to this link to see if my phone and car where comparable. http://www.handsfreelink.com/Honda/en-US/US/FindAPhone
To my shock my 6s is not supported by the car. Good thing my daughter has a older phone. No amount of reset will fix this issue according to Honda. Would have been nice to know before I bought the car.
The strange thing is my wife's Acura MDX works just fine with my iPhone 6s? Talk about weird.
I have a 2013 Pilot and I have an IPhone 6 on version 9.3.5 and my calls drop in the vehicle and after about 20 seconds it switches back to hands free. I have tried all of the suggestions and deleted the phone in the car, turned of blue tooth, restarted the phone and it keeps happening. Its makes it so hard to have calls because they always drop and not at the same places in town.
I have 2013 crv. Had for 6 mos. incoming calls fine. Haven't made outgoing yet. Have iPhone 6. Callers say there is a hum on conversation. I don't hear it. But the worst is navigation audio stopped working. I'll start it in the house and get initial notification . Then nothing in car. I just moved here and that is a problem. Have restarted phone. Checked settings etc using 9.3.5. Any ideas?
My IPhone 6S will not even charge in the front USB port in my 2016 Chevy Traverse??? Anyone else???
I have a 2011 Nissan Maxima SE and have an iPhone6. My incoming calls drop when I use answer with the hands free system. No issues with outgoing calls and I am using the latest version of Apple software. I have tried the suggestions listed at the top of this link – deleting the phone from the car, deleting the connection to the car from the phone and, resetting the phone. The problem continues. Any recommendations?
I have a 2014 Honda Accord. My iPhone 6s and the car are synced and I recieve phone calls and place calls as I did before with my iPhone 5 BUT I can no longer get the GPS in my phone to speak through the car's audio system NOR do I get any sound through my phone when I'm playing the car radio. I could do this with my iPhone 5 in our 2014 Accord. I can only get instruction from the GPS through the car's speakers when I'm playing my play list from iTunes. HELP!
Which app are you using for navigation? I've tried Google, Apple and HEREWEGO apps, and so far, the only app that could continue streaming navigation voice is the HEREWEGO app. Maybe you could try that one as well.
Yet, I still have the problem receiving phone calls while the phone and car is connected. I picked up the incoming call but no voice from both sides. But when I called back, it could just work fine. I will try the solutions here tonight.
Brilliant. Solution 1 worked for our 2014 X5 after we had given up hope that the iPhone 6 would work. Thank you.
I hope this helps others still struggling with this. I was completely baffled by this problem (2015 Honda Odyssey not connecting to bluetooth after updating iphone 6 to 10.3.3 and also with a new iphone 7). Finally I downloaded the FREE app from the app store: "Hondalink" (not to be confused with Hondalink NAV). Once I did this, the phone could connect (set up pairing again from scratch) and I was again safe to talk and drive! Hope this helps others.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hondalink-connect/id750465030?mt=8
I have a 2015 Acura MDX which doesn’t allow CarPlay but I have been able to use the read texts function before the latest 12.0.01 update. Now it says that the phone will not allow this feature.
Is there a way to pair for the text function?