Bluetooth Keeps Disconnecting? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• Wireless interference from other devices and Wi-Fi
• Walls, floors, metal or other obstructions between your devices
• Unshielded USB 3 devices near your computer
• Streaming audio, which can drop more often than audio stored on your device
• Power-saving settings on a Windows PC
• An outdated or incompatible Bluetooth driver in Windows
• A temporary system glitch in Windows

Step-by-Step Solutions

Start with the checks that work on any device, then try the steps for your phone or computer, and play some audio after each one to see if the connection holds.

1. 1

   Step 1: Bring your devices closer together

   A Bluetooth signal can be interfered with or weakened in some situations, so keep your devices close and the path between them clear.

   Bring the Bluetooth devices that are connecting to each other closer together. Keep your iPhone or other device close to you, so that no obstructions, like walls or floors, are between you and your device.

   Some materials block the signal more than others. Metal has very high interference potential, and plaster, concrete and bulletproof glass have high interference potential. For example, a metal surface between a Bluetooth mouse and a computer could cause the mouse to perform poorly.

   Good to know

   On iPhone, reorienting or relocating iPhone and the connected accessory may improve wireless performance.

2. 2

   Step 2: Move away from sources of interference

   Other wireless devices and some household appliances can make Bluetooth audio skip, stutter or cut off.

   If possible, move to a different place, away from places with many people or a lot of Wi-Fi activity, or turn off the microwave oven or wireless speaker that’s nearby.

   Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices both use the 2.4 GHz band, so it can help to reduce the number of active devices that use it. If your Wi-Fi router supports both bands, it might help to connect more of your Wi-Fi devices to the 5 GHz band. You can also set your router to use a different Wi-Fi channel, or have it scan for the channel with the least interference.

   Avoid using your wireless devices near common sources of interference, such as:

   • Microwave ovens
   • Cordless phones
   • Wireless video cameras and wireless speakers
   • Fluorescent lights
   • Power cables and poorly shielded cables

   Good to know

   On iPhone, turning on Airplane Mode may eliminate audio interference between iPhone and an accessory.

3. 3

   Step 3: Check USB 3 devices near your computer

   Unshielded USB devices can sometimes interfere with Bluetooth connections.

   If your Bluetooth device is unresponsive or sluggish, check that it’s not too close to any other USB device that’s plugged into a USB 3.0 port.

   If you use USB 3 or Thunderbolt 3 devices with your computer, you can limit their potential to interfere with nearby wireless devices:

   • Use a high-quality, shielded USB or Thunderbolt 3 cable with each device.
   • Move your USB 3 or Thunderbolt 3 devices, including any USB hubs, farther away from your wireless devices.
   • Turn off any USB 3 devices that aren’t in use.
4. 4

   Step 4: Test with audio stored on your device

   Headphones might lose their connection more often with streaming audio than with audio stored on your device.

   With your device within a few feet of you, listen to music or other audio that is stored on your device, not streamed. On your iPhone or Android device, open the Music app and play a song that does not have the Download button next to it, or tap the Download button to download the song first.

   If your headphones stay connected without distortion during this test, the steps above for distance and interference can help in other situations. If audio keeps disconnecting or cutting in and out during the test too, go on to forgetting and pairing your headphones again.

5. 5

   Step 5: Turn the accessory and Bluetooth off and on

   Turn your accessory off and back on, and turn Bluetooth off and on again on your phone or computer.

   On a Windows PC, make sure your Bluetooth device is turned on, is charged or has fresh batteries, and is in range of your PC. Turn the device off, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on.

   On Android, turn Bluetooth off and then on again, then restart your devices.

   On Windows 11, select Start, then Settings, then Bluetooth & devices. Turn off Bluetooth, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on.

6. 6

   Step 6: Forget the accessory, then pair it again

   If audio keeps disconnecting or cutting in and out, unpair the accessory and pair it again.

   On iPhone, open Settings and tap Bluetooth. Tap the Info button next to the accessory, tap Forget This Device, then tap Forget Device to confirm, and restart your iPhone. To pair again, put the accessory in discovery mode, go to Settings, then Bluetooth, make sure Bluetooth is turned on, and tap the accessory’s name when it appears below the devices list.

   On Android, open your phone’s Settings app and tap Connected devices, then Saved devices. If you don’t see Saved devices, tap Bluetooth. Next to the accessory’s name, tap Settings, then Forget, then Forget device, and restart your phone. To pair again, make sure the accessory is discoverable and ready to pair, then open Settings and tap Connected devices. If you see Bluetooth, tap it. Then tap Pair new device and your accessory’s name.

   On Windows 11, select Start, then Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Devices. Select More options for the accessory, then Remove device, then Yes, and add it again.

   On a Mac, choose Apple menu, then System Settings, then click Bluetooth in the sidebar. Control-click the device’s name, then click Forget. To connect it again, make sure the device is turned on and discoverable, hold the pointer over it in the list, then click Connect.

   Good to know

   Apple notes that if you unpair AirPods, they’re automatically unpaired from other devices where you’re signed in to your Apple Account. If you aren’t sure how to make your accessory discoverable, check the instructions that came with it.

7. 7

   Step 7: Run the Bluetooth troubleshooter and restart the Bluetooth service in Windows

   Microsoft suggests running the Bluetooth troubleshooter and restarting the Bluetooth Support Service when Bluetooth keeps disconnecting.

   On Windows 11, start by running the automated Bluetooth troubleshooter in the Get Help app. It runs diagnostics and attempts to fix the problem. You can also select Start, then Settings, then System, then Troubleshoot, then Other troubleshooters, and select Run next to Bluetooth.

   To restart the Bluetooth service, press the Windows key + R, type services.msc and click Ok. Scroll down to Bluetooth Support Service, right-click it and select Restart.

8. 8

   Step 8: Turn off power saving for Bluetooth in Windows

   Power-saving settings are a common reason Bluetooth keeps dropping on a Windows PC.

   Select the Battery icon on the taskbar and check if Energy Saver Mode is turned on. If it is, turn it off so it won’t interfere with Bluetooth connectivity.

   Then select Start, type Device Manager and select it from the search results. Expand Bluetooth and right-click your Bluetooth device. Select the Power Management tab and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

9. 9

   Step 9: Update the Bluetooth driver in Windows

   An outdated or incompatible driver is one of the most common causes of Bluetooth connection problems.

   Select Start, type Device Manager and select it from the search results. Expand Bluetooth, right-click your Bluetooth device and select Update driver, then select Search automatically for updated driver software.

   If you recently upgraded to Windows 11 or installed Windows 11 updates, the current driver may have been designed for an earlier version of Windows. If Windows can’t find a new Bluetooth driver, visit your PC manufacturer’s website and download the latest Bluetooth driver from there.

Frequently Asked Questions