Resolved New iPad mini - I can't pair it with my MacBook Pro

Just got an iPad mini and it won't pair with my MacBook Pro.

On the mini itself, the pairing process won't start on the Bluetooth screen, it just shows as searching forever.

But I can start the pairing from the MacBook Pro. It finds the mini and asks me if I want to connect and set it up so I say yes. Then the MacBook Pro does show up on the Bluetooth screen on the mini.

Then the MacBook Pro tells me to make sure a certain number appears on the mini. The number does appear on the mini, with the option to pair. So I click yes on the pairing, then on the mini it shows my MacBook Pro but the little animated circular "connecting" icon is still going. On my MacBook Pro, the "connecting" icon is also still going, but it says once I've confirmed on the mini, I should just press the continue button on the MacBook Pro Bluetooth set-up. So I do even though on both items a "connecting" icon is still revolving.

Then the Bluetooth set-up on my MacBook Pro says I've successfully paired with my "Bluetooth headset" and that it also created a "serial port". And on the Bluetooth menu in MacBook Pro there is no mini (or bluetooth headset, lol...I don't even own a bluetooth headset). Meanwhile, on the mini, though the MB Pro did show up for a second, it now says it was unable to connect and I'm forced to click on trashing the connection as the only option the mini lets me press.

I've tried this a few times and always the same thing. I've also tried to wait at the point when they first find each other and the "connecting" icons are still rotating, instead of pressing "continue" on the MB Pro. But the same result. If I just wait, the exact same thing happens on the mini, and on the MB Pro, instead of saying I've connected to a phantom Bluetooth headset, if I don't press continue and wait it just says the same thing as the mini - that the connection was unsuccessful.

What is going on?!? Somebody please help! This should be easy. I have other things connected to my MB Pro by Bluetooth - a phone, a keyboard and a trackpad, so the Bluetooth works fine on the MB Pro.


ETA - Also, I just thought, nothing is showing up in the iPad mini Bluetooth except for the MB Pro and the MB Pro only for a second while I'm trying to pair it from the MB Pro side. But like I said, I also have an Apple wireless keyboard and an Apple wireless trackpad, and those should both also show up in the iPad mini Bluetooth area too, right?

I also did a reset of the mini but the same thing is still happening. When I go to Bluetooth on the mini it says "Now Discoverable" and under Devices it says "Searching" then to the right of Searching is the animated circular "connecting" icon that never connects.

And the answer is in, straight from the horse's mouth:

I called Apple support and after troubleshooting and then talking with his supervisor, the rep let me know that an iPad or iPad mini WILL NOT connect through Bluetooth with a MacBook Pro and other OS systems! It is not part of its functionality.

The rep himself was even surprised by this when the supervisor told him! So apparently this little tidbit of info is on a "need to know" basis, heh. It's odd though, I did thorough google searches of the problem before posting here and calling in, and didn't find one answer. Am I the first person ever trying to pair my iPad or iPad mini to my MacBook?

I do have to say that it's odd that I can connect my non-Apple phone to my MacBook Pro through Bluetooth and transfer files, but I can't with my iPad mini. I think I know why this is from reading around, but still it's strange.

Anyway, now here is a direct answer for people googling this problem in the future.

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chrfr said:

What are you trying to do by pairing the iPad to the computer via Bluetooth? There's nearly no functionality available between the two.
The iPad does not support mice or trackpads so those will not show up. The keyboard will only show if it's in pairing mode.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the answer...As you can see I figured out I can't do it. I was trying to pair them so I could transfer music, books and photos through Bluetooth. This is my first tablet (and first iOS), so I'm learning about what to do and what's possible and what's the best way. I knew with my non-Apple phone, I could transfer all these things through Bluetooth between my MacBook Pro and my phone so I was used to using Bluetooth in this way.

I know the Cloud is an option, but it's only limited space or costs and only for Apple stuff. So now I'm looking into how I can do it over wifi (I think iTunes has a wifi sync thing I'll try to set up now) or through cable.