Why Is Your Car Bluetooth Not Working, and How Do You Fix It?

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Your car Bluetooth is not working: the phone cannot find the stereo, refuses to connect, or stays connected with no sound. The cause is usually a phone setting, an old pairing that no longer works, or another device grabbing the connection. Allow about fifteen minutes, with the car parked.

Common symptoms and causes

• The phone does not show the car in its Bluetooth list.
• Pairing is refused, sometimes because of stale old pairings.
• The phone is connected but there is no sound: volume, audio source, another connected device, or Media audio switched off on Android.
• Calls come through but music does not: Media audio is off, or the car does not support Bluetooth audio.
• The microphone or calls do not go through the car: the phone audio option is off.
• Another paired phone takes over the connection.
• The fault appeared after an iOS update, according to user reports.

Before you start

Keep the car’s owner’s manual within reach. It explains how to delete a phone from the stereo’s memory and how to put it in pairing mode, the mode that makes it visible to a new phone.

The Android steps follow Google’s help for Android 8.0 and later. Labels vary by phone manufacturer.

Warning: switch off the ignition; do not touch the airbags, the seatbelt pretensioners or the high-voltage system of a hybrid or electric vehicle; a red warning light means you must stop the vehicle; this procedure does not replace a diagnosis in a workshop.

Make every adjustment with the car parked and stationary. Never handle the phone or the car’s screen while driving.

Warning: deleting a pairing also erases the contacts and call history synced with the car, as well as the device settings.

Solution 1: check the phone’s Bluetooth, the audio source and the volume

Start with the basic settings, on the phone and on the stereo.

1. Open the phone’s Bluetooth settings and check that Bluetooth is on.
2. Turn off Airplane mode if it is on: it cuts Bluetooth.
3. Turn the phone’s Bluetooth off, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on.
4. Check that the car is in the list of paired devices and shows as connected.
5. Turn up the phone volume, then the stereo volume.
6. On Android, open Settings > Connected devices > Saved devices > gear icon of the vehicle > Media audio and switch the option on if you get no music.
7. On Android, switch on Phone audio in the same place if calls or the microphone do not go through the car.
8. On iPhone, if you use your carmaker’s app, open Settings > Privacy & Security > Bluetooth and allow that app.

Good to know: not every car supports music or calls over Bluetooth. The vehicle’s manual says what your stereo accepts.

Expected result: the car shows as connected and the sound comes out of the speakers. If your iPhone cannot find any Bluetooth accessory, the car included, follow our guide on an iPhone that won’t connect to Bluetooth.

Solution 2: restart the phone and the car’s system

Google lists restarting both devices among the basic fixes.

1. Switch off the ignition to turn off the stereo or infotainment system, then switch it back on to restart it.
2. Check that the stereo is powered: screen lit, Bluetooth source available.
3. Turn the phone off, then on again.
4. Bring the phone closer to the stereo.
5. Check in the phone’s Bluetooth list whether the car shows as connected.

Expected result: once the stereo has restarted, the car shows as connected on the phone.

Solution 3: another phone takes the connection, or the list is full

When several phones are paired with the car, one of them can take over the connection or the sound.

1. Stop playback and calls on the other devices paired with the car, or turn their Bluetooth off.

Warning: steps 2 and 3 erase, for the phones you remove, the contacts and call history synced with the car, as well as the device settings.

1. If the car pairs with other phones but not yours, unpair those other phones, then try again with yours.
2. Delete from the car’s memory the phones you no longer use, following the manual: the maximum number of devices depends on the model.
3. Try connecting another phone to the car: according to an Apple Community moderator, this test helps you work out which side to investigate.

Expected result: your phone connects when it is the only one using the car. If the other phone connects and yours does not, look at the phone; if neither connects, look at the car. This test gives a pointer, not a diagnosis.

Solution 4: Bluetooth no longer connects to the car, so pair again (iPhone, Android)

A pairing is the saved link between the phone and the car. An old pairing can block the connection. Delete it on both sides before creating a new one.

Tip: before deleting anything, note the exact name the car has in the phone’s Bluetooth list. You will find it faster when you pair again.

Warning: the following steps erase the contacts and call history synced with the car, as well as the device settings.

1. On Android, open Settings > Connected devices > Saved devices.
2. Tap the car’s gear icon, then Delete and Unpair device.
3. Remove the old devices you no longer use in the same way.
4. On iPhone, open Settings > Bluetooth and unpair the car. “Unpair” is the wording of Apple’s help, which confirms neither this path nor the exact label of the button.
5. In the car’s Bluetooth menu, delete your phone from the device list, following the vehicle’s manual.
6. Put the stereo in pairing mode to make it visible (see the manual).
7. On Android, start pairing from the phone alone: tap Pair new device and choose the car.
8. On iPhone, pair the car again once the stereo is in discovery mode; Apple’s help does not give the exact path.
9. Check that the code shown is the same on both screens, then confirm.
10. On Android, if a code is requested but not displayed, try 0000 or 1234.
11. Allow access to contacts and call history if the phone asks.

Tip: on iPhone, according to user reports, forgetting the car and pairing it again fixes cases that survived restarts.

Expected result: the car shows as connected and your contacts appear on its screen.

Solution 5: update the car’s infotainment system

One user reports on a forum a fault that appeared after an iOS update. No official source covers updating the car’s infotainment system. The procedure is specific to each carmaker, and its effect on Bluetooth is not confirmed.

1. Note whether the fault appeared right after a phone update.
2. Check the manual or your carmaker’s website to find out whether an infotainment update exists and how to install it.
3. If an update exists, apply it following the carmaker’s procedure.
4. Then pair again as in Solution 4: delete the phone from the car’s memory and pair once more.

Expected result: after pairing again, the car shows as connected and the sound plays through the speakers. If you use the car’s screen for your apps, see also our guides on CarPlay not working and Android Auto not working.

If nothing works

Stop trying in any of these situations:

• The phone’s Bluetooth is greyed out or will not turn on, or no accessory connects to it: contact Apple Support or your Android phone’s manufacturer.
• The car connects to no phone at all: book an appointment with the dealership.
• The stereo is old and has no Bluetooth: a Bluetooth adapter, on the 3.5 mm jack or through an FM transmitter, replaces the feature.

If your stereo has a 3.5 mm jack, a Bluetooth receiver adds the feature; without a jack, an FM transmitter plugs into the cigarette lighter socket. Here are the two options to compare.

Before you call, note the car’s model and year, the stereo model, the phone model and its iOS or Android version. Add the list of fixes you have already tried.

Make your phone easier to use in the car: our toolbox

These accessories make the phone easier to connect and use in the car, with the vehicle stopped.

Frequently asked questions

Why won’t my phone connect to my car’s Bluetooth any more?

Most often Bluetooth is off, Airplane mode is on, or another paired device is taking the connection. An old pairing can also block reconnection: delete it on the phone and in the car, then pair again. If no phone connects to the car, contact the dealership.

Why is my car Bluetooth connected but there is no sound?

Check the phone volume and the stereo volume first. On Android, Media audio must be on in the car’s settings, and no other paired device should be playing sound. Some cars do not support music over Bluetooth: the vehicle’s manual says so.

Why has my car’s Bluetooth microphone stopped working?

On Android, the Phone audio option is often switched off for the car: turn it on in the saved device’s settings. Also check that calls are not going to another paired device. Not every car supports calls over Bluetooth, and the manual says so.

How do I reset my car’s Bluetooth?

Delete your phone from the device list in the car’s Bluetooth menu, then delete the car in the phone’s settings. Then pair again from one side only. The exact path of the car’s menu depends on the carmaker: it is in the manual.

How do I add Bluetooth to an old car?

A Bluetooth adapter adds the feature to a stereo that lacks it. It plugs into the stereo’s 3.5 mm jack when there is one, or goes through the FM radio with an FM transmitter.