How to Enable and Disable Bluetooth on iOS Devices

Using Bluetooth on iPhones and iPads

Prerequisites: Have your iPhone/iPad up to date

Difficulty Level: Member • Nerd • Platypus 

Estimated Time: 1 Minute 

Expected Outcome: Have disconnected an individual Bluetooth Device or Turned off Bluetooth completely from an iPhone or iPad

Tools Required: iPhone or iPad

How to Turn Off Bluetooth on iPhone Temporarily

If you only want to disconnect a pair of headphones or another Bluetooth accessory from your iPhone, you can do so via Control Center.

To access Control Center on the iPhone, slide your finger downward from the upper-right corner (in iOS 12 and later) or upward from the bottom of the screen (in earlier versions of the iOS).

The Control Center displays some quick settings for screen brightness, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a Do Not Disturb function. Tap the Bluetooth icon to disconnect all non-Apple devices.

The resulting screen shows the Bluetooth icon in a white background and displays the message "Disconnecting Bluetooth Devices Until Tomorrow," so this option is not permanent.

How to Turn Off Bluetooth Permanently in iOS

If you want to shut off Bluetooth entirely, you do so in the iPhone Settings app. While most users will be satisfied with shutting off partial Bluetooth functionality via the Control Center, those who don't use any Bluetooth devices or the Mac Handoff functionality may want to turn the radio off entirely in exchange for a little more battery life.

In the Settings app, select Bluetooth and then tap the toggle switch next to Bluetooth to shut it off entirely (Or On). The resulting screen warns that AirPlay, AirDrop, Find My, Location Services, and Exposure Notifications use Bluetooth, just continue and it will be off.