A Bluetooth-enabled device is popular for rendering ease of connecting wirelessly to other devices. However, there can be situations where the user may not prefer to be connected, in such case the user may want to disconnect and forget the device it was previously connected to.
The user can also forget in case of any issue about the Bluetooth connections, and reconnecting the devices is required. Sometimes, the user unintentionally chooses the ‘Forget’ option but wants to restore the lost connection for smooth wireless communication.
Continue reading to learn more about how to unforget a bluetooth device.
Ways to Unforget a Bluetooth Device
The user can simply reset the network settings to unforget Bluetooth and try again to re-establish the connection between two devices. However, many devices such as Android or iOS do not offer any easy option to unforget the device, but not to worry, it can still be done.
Let’s start with discussing easy ways to unforget a Bluetooth user on Android and iOS devices
Unforget a Bluetooth Device on Android
An android device does not display the lost connection in the list of available Bluetooth devices once the user clicks the forget option. There is no such option as Unforget available on Android phones or other devices.
- The easiest way to restore the device or Unforget the Bluetooth device is by resetting the network settings of the device. For that, just open the device’s ‘Settings’, down there user would find a ‘System’ tab. Open the ‘System’ and select the ‘Reset Options’. Here the user can reset its device.
- After clicking the ‘Reset Options’, the user can see a drop-down list of different options available on the screen. Select the ‘Reset Wifi, Mobile, and Bluetooth’ option from the list. ‘Confirm’ on the next window.
- After ‘Confirm’, the user will be requested to enter its password to reset the device. A notification will pop up to notify the settings that are reset. The whole process is quick and simple that does not allow waste of time.
By the way, post the Reset, the Android device does not bring back the list of all lost Bluetooth devices. It starts afresh and allows the user to scan the available devices that are listed and get reconnected.
Unforget a Bluetooth Device on iPhone
Likewise Android devices, iPhones too do not cater to any direct button for unforgetting a Bluetooth device. Similarly, the easiest way to unforget a device on iPhones is resetting the network settings. The user has to reset the phone to recover a forgotten device. It is a simple process and enables the user to undo any change in settings that they have done and get their information backup of the past few days.
The user must follow the instructions to unforget the Bluetooth device on iPhone.
- Go to ‘Settings’ on the iPhone. Select ‘General’.
- A list of options will pop out. Select ‘Reset’ from the options. The ‘Reset’ tab will show several options such as ‘Reset all settings’, ‘Reset network settings’
- Select ‘Reset network settings‘ from the options available. A prompt will appear that will require the user’s confirmation to reset the network settings.
- Click ‘Confirm’. The reset process will be initiated. The reset might take few seconds to complete nevertheless the factory settings of Bluetooth and WiFi of the device will be restored.
And that’s how the user can get connected to their lost Bluetooth connections again.
Once the reset process is done, an Apple logo will appear on the device’s screen, after which the screen will go blank for few seconds and the Apple logo will reappear and stays for few moments before getting back to the normal screen. The Home menu can be seen on the screen which means the user’s iPhone has been reset completely.
After the system is reset, the device will restore all its forgotten data including the forgotten Bluetooth device. Now the user can check if their forgotten Bluetooth device has been revived.
To check the same, click the ‘Home’ button. Go to ‘Settings’ and select ‘Bluetooth’. The user can see the list of all the devices that were connected to their device previously through Bluetooth, even the one that has been forgotten.
If the user is unable to find the forgotten device on the list of the previously connected device then just scan. A list of available devices will appear, the user can reconnect to the forgotten device. As the iPhone does not keep the memory of forgetting the device after the reset is done, the user can easily find it after the scanning.
If the Android and iPhone devices still face difficulty in reconnecting, there are other options available. Find as follows:
Switching Off and On the Device and Bluetooth
It is the easiest and simplest troubleshooting process for any device whether an iPhone or an android, where the user can try switching off the device such as a speaker, and then switch it on to fix any minor issue if present in the device software.
For an iPhone, just long-press the power button and slide the power off appearing on iPhone’s screen. This way the phone is switched off. Now wait for at least 30 seconds and then again press the power button to switch on the iPhone. After the phone switches on, try getting connected to the device.
Similarly, for an android phone or device, hold and long-press the power button and swipe up the screen to start the phone again. Once the phone is switched off and on, it will ask the user’s password or pin. Enter the same and try connecting to the device again. If the problem persists, try switching off and on the Bluetooth connection. Go to ‘Settings’ select ‘Bluetooth’ and slide the On/Off button. When the Bluetooth is off, the selector switch will turn gray, once the Bluetooth is on, it will turn blue. Once the Bluetooth is turned off and on, try reconnecting to the device and see if the problem is resolved or not.
Switching Off and On the Device Pairing Mode
There can be many times the device refuses to connect due to some minor software issues. However, it can be resolved by turning on and off and again on the device pairing mode. This is also another simple troubleshooting method that will reconnect to the lost Bluetooth device without causing any major issues.
Usually, most Bluetooth devices have a toggle or a switch or a button to connect to any other Bluetooth device. Find the toggle or switch or the button on the Bluetooth speaker, headphone, or earbuds and switch off the pairing and wait for at least 30 seconds and then switch it on again.
Is DFU Restore a solution for iPhones?
For iPhone users, if none of the above solutions helps in reconnecting to the forgotten device, the user will need an in-depth restoration of the phone. DFU restore or Device Firmware Update restore follows an intensive restoration process that requires data backup before starting the process. The user can back up all the data on iTunes or iCloud or any other platform of their choice.
The DFU mode allows iPhone users to get back all the factory settings and get connected again to all the Bluetooth devices that have been forgotten.
Follow the steps to get started:
- Start with taking the backup. Connect the phone to any computer. It does not matter if the phone is on or off. Open iTunes in PC or MacOS Mojave 10.14. In the case of macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer, open Finder.
- Now in the case of the iPhone 6S or below, press the Sleep/Wake button and home button together at the same time. In the case of the iPhone7, press the Sleep/Wake button along with the volume down button. The iPhone will appear on Finder or iTunes on the computer.
- When iPhone is visible on Finder/iTunes, release the buttons. The screen will turn black. Now restore the phone through iTunes or Finder. If the display doesn’t turn black, the process has to be done again.
- For iPhone 8 or above, the phone can be restored in DFU mode. For that, quickly press and release the phone’s volume up button first and then the volume down button. After this long press, the phone’s side button till the phone display turns black.
- Once the display turns black, long-press the volume down button and side button together. After 5 seconds release just the side button. When the phone is visible on Finder or iTunes, release the volume down button too. Don’t keep the volume down button pressed for too long. The Apple logo will appear on the display and the process has to start from scratch.
- The appearance of the iPhone on Finder or iTunes signifies that the iPhone is now in DFU mode.
It is to be noted that the DFU mode deletes all the data on the phone’s hardware or software and starts the phone all over again. Since the phone is already damaged, would it be wise to damage it more with DFU mode?
Factory Data Reset- a last resort for Android
If everything else is tried still the Android device is unable to connect to the forgotten device, consider a factory reset as the last option. Bearing in mind that there will be a data loss while doing factory reset so it is recommended to have a backup.
For factory reset, go to ‘Settings’ and select ‘System’. Under ‘System’, click on the ‘Backup and Restore’ option. Select ‘SD card’ for backup and start the factory reset. Now again open ‘Settings’ and select ‘System’. Select ‘Reset Options’ from the list of options and then click ‘Factory Data Reset’.
After selecting the Factory Data Reset, the user has to confirm by entering their device password to start the process. The reset will take few minutes to complete.
Factory Data Reset renews the phone and the user has to reset everything, even the time and date. Now the user can re-enter their accounts and then reconnect their Bluetooth device.
Conclusion
As the process to forget a Bluetooth device is easy whether intentionally or unintentionally, the process to unforget it should also be trouble-free. Restoring factory settings must be the last option if every other method fails. An easy network reset does not harm the data but it will refresh the device’s system, getting it back on track. Hope, the article has helped you understand how to unforget a bluetooth device. Enjoy resetting!