What is Bluetooth and how do I use it?

What is Bluetooth and how do I use it?

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that uses a radio frequency to share data over a short distance, eliminating the need for wires. You can use Bluetooth on your mobile device to share documents or to connect with other Bluetooth-enabled devices. For security reasons, Bluetooth devices must be paired before they can begin transferring information. The process of pairing your devices will vary depending on the device you are connecting to.

Turn on Bluetooth from your quick settings

1 Swipe down from the top of your screen twice, to access your quick settings
Swipe down from the top of your screen to access your quick settings
2 Tap the Bluetooth icon to turn Bluetooth on or off
Tap the Bluetooth icon
3 Hold the Bluetooth icon to open your Bluetooth settings
Hold the Bluetooth icon to go to your Bluetooth settings

Turn on Bluetooth from the Settings app

1 Swipe up from the home screen, to access your apps
Swipe up from the home screen to access your apps
2 Tap the Settings app
Tap the Settings app
3 Tap Connections
Tap Connections
4 Tap Bluetooth
Tap Bluetooth
5 Tap the switch to turn Bluetooth on
Tap the switch to turn Bluetooth on

Before you can pair your devices you must turn Bluetooth on and enable pairing mode on both devices. The process of enabling pairing mode will vary depending on the device you are using. Please refer to your device specific manual for more information.
 

The following steps detail how to connect to a Galaxy Watch. The steps to connect to other devices may differ slightly but the process will be the same.
 

Find out more about pairing Galaxy Buds.

1 Open your Bluetooth settings and make sure that Bluetooth is enabled
Open your Bluetooth settings and make sure Bluetooth is turned on
2 Tap the device that you want to connect to. Here we are connecting to the Galaxy Watch (13BD)

Please note: if you cannot find the device you want to connect to, check to make sure that Bluetooth is enabled and your device is in pairing mode. If you still can't see your Bluetooth device, tap Scan on your smartphone or tablet

Tap the device you want to connect to
3 A Bluetooth pairing request will appear on one or both of your devices. It may include a unique connection code so you can make sure that you are connecting to the correct device. Tap Connect or OK to accept the connection
Tap Connect or OK

Your devices will now pair and establish a connection between one another. Depending on the device you are connecting to this may take a short while or be ready to use immediately.

4 Your device will now appear under Paired devices. Your device will remember this connection so you won't need to pair them again
Your device will now appear under paired devices

Once your devices have been paired they will be able to transfer information wirelessly. What they transfer will depend on the type of device you are using. A Galaxy Watch will transfer health and fitness to your phone while your phone sends information about your texts and calls. You can manage your devices to rename your Bluetooth device, select what it is used for and unpair your devices.

1 Open your Bluetooth settings
Open your Bluetooth settings
2 Tap the settings cog next to the device you want to manage
Tap the settings cog next to the device you want to manage
3 Tap Rename to choose a new name for your Bluetooth device
Tap rename to choose a new name for your Bluetooth device
4 Tap Unpair to forget the connection between your devices
Tap Unpair to forget the connection between your devices
5 In the next section you can choose what your device is used for. Tap the switch next to a use to enable it

Please note: the options in this section will depend on the device you are connected to

Tap the switch to determine what your device is used for

Your device has a name that will be visible when connecting via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. By default the name of your device will be same as the name of the model. For example, a Galaxy S10 will be called Galaxy S10. You can change your device name to be anything that you want.

1 Open the Settings app
Open the Settings app
2 Tap About phone
Tap About phone
3 Tap Edit
Tap Edit
4 Choose a Phone name
Choose a name for your phone
5 Tap Done to confirm
Tap Done to confirm
1 Open your Bluetooth settings
Open your Bluetooth settings
2 Tap the options icon. It will appear as three dots in the top right corner
Tap the options icon
3 Tap Advanced
Tap Advanced
4 Dual audio allows you to play sound from your phone on two different devices at the same time. Tap the switch to turn it on
Tap the switch to turn on dual audio
5 Media volume sync will make the volume level on your Bluetooth device the same as the volume level on your phone. Tap the switch to turn it on

Please note: the option to enable or disable Media volume sync is only available when a supported device is connected

Tap the switch next to Media Volume sync to enable it
6 Ringtone sync will use your phone's ringtone on your Bluetooth device when you get a call. Tap the switch to turn it on
Tap the switch next to Ringtone sync to enable it
7 Tap Bluetooth control history to see a list of apps that have recently turn Bluetooth on or off
Tap Bluetooth control history to see the apps that have turned Bluetooth on or off

If you're experiencing unusual behaviour on Samsung mobiles, tablets or wearables, you can send us an error report or ask us a question in the Samsung Members app.

 

This allows us to take a closer look at what is happening. The data is anonymised and only held for the duration of the investigation. Find out more about sending an error report through the Samsung Members app.

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