iPhone 12 and iPad 12 won’t pair via Bluetooth; iPhone reports that iPad is not supported.

My iPhone12 has always connected to my iPad12 via Bluetooth, until now. When I try to pair them, the iPhone tells me that the iPad is not supported. Both devices have the latest OS updates. I tried turning both devices on and off. I tried forgetting the other device, in both devices, but that doesn’t work either. Any suggestions?

Posted on Oct 10, 2026 10:27 AM

1 reply

lobsterghost1

Level 10 (233,174 points)

Oct 10, 2026 10:38 AM in response to brickmat

brickmat wrote:

My iPhone12 has always connected to my iPad12 via Bluetooth, until now. When I try to pair them, the iPhone tells me that the iPad is not supported. Both devices have the latest OS updates. I tried turning both devices on and off. I tried forgetting the other device, in both devices, but that doesn’t work either. Any suggestions?

Sorry, but Apple has never opened Bluetooth for iPhone and iPad to pair in a conventional Bluetooth Pairing. You do need to have Bluetooth enabled to use your iPhone's Hotspot to Hotspot to your iPad. But Bluetooth pairing is not, nor has it ever been supported. Instead, Apple uses Continuity to work across your devices which share the same Apple Account (formally called Apple ID). And this link explains more about Continuity --> Use Continuity to work across Apple devices - Apple Support