Bluetooth
By MacRumors Staff on May 9, 2025
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Bluetooth How Tos
How to Enable the Optimal Audio Codec for Your Bluetooth Headphones in macOS
Thursday March 22, 2018 3:00 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
How good your digital music sounds often comes down to which file format it's encoded in. Be that as it may, every Mac audio setup is only as strong as it's weakest link, and if your Bluetooth connection isn't up to scratch, even the best BT headphones will fail to deliver a decent wireless listening experience.
By design, all Bluetooth devices support the low-power SBC audio compression codec ...
How to Reset Your Mac's Bluetooth Module to Fix Connection Issues
Monday March 19, 2018 2:10 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Bluetooth is what your Mac uses to connect to wireless devices like keyboards, mice, trackpads, speakers, and other peripherals. Generally, it's a reliable technology. At some point however, the chances are you'll run into difficulty establishing a Bluetooth connection with one or more of your devices.
Most problems can be fixed by unpairing and repairing the Bluetooth device, changing its...
Bluetooth Articles
Bluetooth 6.1 Update Set to Improve Privacy, Battery Life of iPhone Accessories
Friday May 9, 2025 6:09 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has released Bluetooth 6.1 as part of its new bi-annual update schedule. The update introduces Randomized Resolvable Private Address (RPA), a feature designed to enhance both privacy and power efficiency.
This new feature makes tracking Bluetooth devices a lot more difficult because it randomizes the timing of device address changes, instead of just ...
Bluetooth 6 Launches, Could Enhance iPhone's Precision Finding Feature
Wednesday September 4, 2024 7:53 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The latest version of Bluetooth was released this week, and it includes a new feature that could benefit the Find My app across Apple devices.
Bluetooth 6.0 introduces "Channel Sounding," a feature that will bring "true distance awareness" to billions of future Bluetooth devices and accessories. The organization behind Bluetooth promises that this technology will
New Apple Watches Hinted at in Bluetooth Database as Launch Nears
Friday August 18, 2023 1:49 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple this week filed a listing for a 2023 watchOS subsystem in the Bluetooth product database. While not surprising, the listing suggests that Apple is gearing up to launch new Apple Watch models in September, as it does every year.
The listing does not reveal any specific details. The current Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra support Bluetooth 5.3.
This year's...
Apple Says Latest 13-Inch MacBook Air Now Supports Bluetooth 5.3
Monday July 3, 2023 9:00 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip initially supported Bluetooth 5.0 when it was released in July 2022, the laptop now supports the faster and more reliable Bluetooth 5.3 standard, according to Apple's tech specs.
Apple updated the 13-inch MacBook Air's tech specs page to say Bluetooth 5.3 after introducing the 15-inch MacBook Air with Bluetooth 5.3 at WWDC earlier this month....
iPhone 14 and New AirPods Pro Support Bluetooth 5.3, Status of LE Audio Unclear
Wednesday September 7, 2022 7:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
All four new iPhone 14 models and the second-generation AirPods Pro include support for Bluetooth 5.3, according to Apple's tech specs for each device, but the status of LE Audio support for the devices remains unclear at this time.
LE Audio, which can be supported on any device with Bluetooth 5.2 or higher, is a low-power audio streaming specification that would have several benefits for...
Five Benefits Bluetooth LE Audio Would Have for Next-Generation AirPods Pro
Saturday September 3, 2022 6:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
In 2020, Bluetooth 5.2 was introduced with support for a new LE Audio specification. At least two Apple employees are listed as participants in the development of LE Audio, and Apple is likely to adopt the specification for use in future devices.
According to a newly published filing in the Bluetooth SIG database, Apple recently had an unknown component with Bluetooth 5.3 support tested. The ...
Apple Seemingly Preparing for Devices With Bluetooth 5.2, Which Could Hint at AirPods Pro With LE Audio
Wednesday August 24, 2022 11:25 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple appears to be preparing for future devices with Bluetooth 5.2 support, according to a filing in the Bluetooth SIG products database earlier this month. Among other possibilities, this could serve as evidence of future AirPods Pro with LE Audio support.
Apple's filing references a Bluetooth 5.3 host subsystem that is likely intended for future products. However, in actuality, the filing ...
Some Apple M1 Mac Owners Reporting Bluetooth Connectivity Issues
Wednesday November 25, 2020 3:42 am PST by Tim Hardwick
A number of M1 Mac owners are reporting problems with Bluetooth connectivity on the new machines, ranging from intermittent disconnects of wireless peripherals to completely non-functional Bluetooth connections.
Some users with M1 MacBook Air, M1 MacBook Pro 13-inch, and M1 Mac mini models are variously seeing problems with both third-party accessories like Bluetooth mice, keyboards,...
Bluetooth Vulnerability Could Allow iOS and macOS Devices Be Tracked and Identified
Wednesday July 17, 2019 11:17 am PDT by Juli Clover
A security vulnerability in the Bluetooth communication protocol has the potential to allow malicious actors to track and identify devices from Apple and Microsoft, according to new research from Boston University that was highlighted by ZDNet.
Apple devices including Macs, iPhones, iPads, and the Apple Watch are impacted, as are Microsoft tablets and laptops. Android devices are not affected.
...
After Winning $11 Million From Samsung, Rembrandt Sues Apple Over Same Bluetooth-Related Patents
Thursday January 24, 2019 11:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Pennsylvania-based entity Rembrandt Wireless Technologies has filed a lawsuit against Apple today in the U.S. district court for Eastern Texas, accusing the iPhone maker of infringing on two of its Bluetooth-related patents.
In its complaint, obtained by MacRumors, Rembrandt alleges that all Apple products that support Bluetooth 2.0 or newer with Enhanced Data Rate, including the iPhone 3GS...
Bluetooth Security Vulnerability Discovered, but Apple's Fix is Already in Place
Tuesday July 24, 2018 12:09 pm PDT by Juli Clover
A newly discovered Bluetooth vulnerability that was published this week by Intel has the potential to allow a nearby hacker to gain unauthorized access to a device, intercepting traffic and sending forged pairing messages between two vulnerable Bluetooth devices.
The vulnerability affects Bluetooth implementations and operating system drivers of Apple, Broadcom, Intel, and Qualcomm.
From...
EFF Says iOS 11's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Toggles in Control Center Are Misleading and Compromise Security
Friday October 6, 2017 9:51 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently confirmed that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are not fully disabled when toggled off in Control Center on iOS 11, and the change has generated some fresh criticism from a prominent non-profit digital rights group.
For background, when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are toggled off, an iPhone or iPad on iOS 11 merely disconnects from a Wi-Fi network and Bluetooth accessories. The actual Wi-Fi and...
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Aren't Fully Disabled When Toggled Off in Control Center on iOS 11
Wednesday September 20, 2017 9:28 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple has confirmed that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are not fully disabled when toggled off in Control Center on iOS 11.
Even when toggled off in Control Center on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 11 and later, a new support document says Bluetooth and Wi-Fi will continue to be available for AirDrop, AirPlay, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch, Location Services, and Continuity features like...
Bluetooth LE Standard Gains Mesh Networking for Improved Smart Home Connectivity
Tuesday July 18, 2017 10:38 am PDT by Juli Clover
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group today announced that its Bluetooth technology has been updated with support for mesh networking, designed to create large-scale device networks by connecting multiple Bluetooth devices to one another.
Bluetooth calls these "many-to-many" connections, which can support just a handful of devices or up to thousands. In a home setting, the mesh feature will be...
Bluetooth 5 With 4x Longer Range and 2x Faster Speed is Officially Approved
Wednesday December 7, 2016 6:13 pm PST by Juli Clover
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group today announced that the Bluetooth 5 standard has been officially adopted, which means manufacturers are now able to build it into their devices.
The next-generation Bluetooth standard offers longer range, faster speed, a larger broadcast message capacity, and better interoperability with other wireless technologies.
Compared to existing Bluetooth 4.2...
iPhone 7 and BMW Owners Experiencing Bluetooth Audio Issues
Thursday September 29, 2016 10:08 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Over the past two weeks, an increasing number of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users have experienced Bluetooth audio issues in vehicles. The majority of users experiencing problems appear to be BMW owners, regardless of model, but other vehicle brands such as Hyundai and Kia appear to be involved in limited cases.
The issues range from audio cutting out to connectivity issues with infotainment ...
Griffin's New iTrip Clip Adapter Makes Wired Headphones Work Wirelessly
Tuesday August 30, 2016 8:10 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Just days before Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 without a headphone jack, Griffin Technology has introduced a new iTrip Clip clippable adapter that enables any pair of wired headphones with a 3.5mm jack to function as wireless headphones via Bluetooth.
To use the iTrip Clip with Apple's wired EarPods, for example, an iPhone user would simply plug the headphones into the adapter and ...
Woz Laments No Headphone Jack on iPhone 7, Sees USB-C as Future of Audio
Wednesday August 24, 2016 1:30 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has predicted a consumer backlash if Apple drops the headphone jack in the upcoming iPhone 7 in favor of an all-in-one Lightning connector for audio output, charging, and accessory connectivity.
"If it's missing the 3.5mm earphone jack, that's going to tick off a lot of people," claimed Woz, speaking to The Australian Financial Review.
"I would not use...
Bluetooth Headphone Revenue Overtakes Non-Bluetooth Ahead of iPhone 7 Launch
Thursday July 28, 2016 11:58 am PDT by Juli Clover
As the launch of the iPhone 7 approaches, Bluetooth headphone purchases are on the rise, according to new data shared by NPD Group. In June, Bluetooth headphone revenue overtook non-Bluetooth for the first time, accounting for 54 percent of headphone dollar sales and 17 percent of unit sales in the United States.
The overall headphone category saw seven percent year-over-year growth in pure...
Apple Releases First Software Update for Brand New 12-Inch MacBook
Tuesday April 19, 2016 7:30 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Less than two hours after announcing the new 12-inch MacBook, which has yet to become available for purchase online, Apple has released the first software update for the notebook.
Apple's website says the Bluetooth update for the 12-inch MacBook (Early 2016) improves compatibility with third-party Bluetooth devices, and is recommended for all users.
The software update is a 157.8MB download ...
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