Bluetooth Keyboard

[yukari]

I have 2018 15" MBP. It seems with 10.14.2, I can not use the bluetooth keyboard on startup. It was the same problem with Mojave 10.14.0. Then with 10.14.1, it was fixed. I could login at the startup screen with my bluetooth keyboard.

With 10.14.2, once again I can not use bluetooth keyboard to login as it does not register at all. Only after I have login, I can use the bluetooth keyboard.

Anyone else have this problem?

 

[J.Gallardo]

I don't use bt keyboard with a MBP... but just in case: check Bluetooth panel in System Preferences; in "Advanced" there's a box to tick (the last one) that perhaps has something to do with that.
Hope it helps.

 

[yukari]

Thanks! I’ll give it a try tonight.

 

[yukari]

Well, that didn't work. When I checked Bluetooth panel, it already had "allow bluetooth device to wake this computer" checked. I unchecked and rechecked the selection to no avail.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Not sure what you mean by "using BT keyboard on startup" ?

I have an iMac with a BT keyboard and I cant use the BT keyboard until it has started up and connected.

Things like safe boot are problematical ....I always put a cable in for that.

 

[getrealbro]

Not exactly the same issue, but... Our Late 2013 iMac 27" does not recognize its Apple BT Keyboard (2nd gen) when I hold down the Option Key during boot ( i.e. to get a list of bootable volumes). But our Late 2014 Mac Mini does recognize its 1st gen Apple BT keyboard. This is true regardless of the OS version.

GetRealBro

 

[J.Gallardo]

I try to avoid using Bt devices, as they always are potentially problematic. I use a wired Apple extended keyboard with my 2017 iMac (I gave default bt kb my wife to use it with her iPad).
As some posts have suggested, hardware gen. seems to be important...
(We live in a strange world, where people needs tu cut the wire of desktop systems keyboards & , at same time, they don't mind having to physically attach a keyboard to an iPad).
Advice: I'm not tech savy. In the past, I tried to resolve some obscure bluetooth glitch with a tool app made by Apple (Bluetooth Explorer). With it, you can observe & fiddle on bt devices; but I gave up and just kept wired.
I don't remember where did I get it from (google if you're interested).
I hope someone knows much more than I do ... There should be a fix! (mice use to pair without problem).

[doublepost=1545318635][/doublepost]I guess at the end, there's always a possible workaround:
can someone figure a Script to place as start-up item, to check&pair known bt keyboard?
I mean, making what you are doing manually an automatic process.

 

[yukari]

Not sure what you mean by "using BT keyboard on startup" ?

I have an iMac with a BT keyboard and I cant use the BT keyboard until it has started up and connected.

Things like safe boot are problematical ....I always put a cable in for that.

When I first turn on my 2018 MBP, I can not login using bluetooth keyboard as the MBP does not respond to any typing on the bluetooth keyboard. I have to use MBP's own keyboard to type in the password.

However, once it has been turned on, it recognizes the bluetooth keyboard. It can recognized it even when waking up from sleep. Only when I first turn the MBP on that it does not respond to bluetooth keyboard. It responds to bluetooth mouse as I can move the cursor around but with the keyboard nothing happens.

 

[J.Gallardo]

I have 2018 15" MBP. It seems with 10.14.2, I can not use the bluetooth keyboard on startup. It was the same problem with Mojave 10.14.0. Then with 10.14.1, it was fixed. I could login at the startup screen with my bluetooth keyboard.

With 10.14.2, once again I can not use bluetooth keyboard to login as it does not register at all. Only after I have login, I can use the bluetooth keyboard.

Anyone else have this problem?

I re-read again and I think perhaps it's easier at the end. Start with known issues. Corrupted .plist file?
Seems like kb connects when User logs-in. Should pair at Admin level. Are you the only User? In SystemPreferences/Security&Privacy/General, you can choose to avoid and surpass log-in screen (at least in my iMac).

 

[yukari]

I re-read again and I think perhaps it's easier at the end. Start with known issues. Corrupted .plist file?
Seems like kb connects when User logs-in. Should pair at Admin level. Are you the only User? In SystemPreferences/Security&Privacy/General, you can choose to avoid and surpass log-in screen (at least in my iMac).

Yes, I am the only user. I like to have the log-in window in case my MBP accidentally gets in the wrong hands to avoid others getting access to my work as I have many confidential files for my clients.
[doublepost=1545321135][/doublepost]So apparently, others have observed this issue. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mojave-question.2161485/#post-26929318

SDColorado notes it worked with 10.14.1 (just like mine did) and the problem returned with 10.14.2 (just like mine).
Very strange.

 

[monokakata]

On startup, my BT kb doesn't connect immediately. If I type my password as soon as the prompt appears, it won't be recognized.

After 10-20 seconds, though, it will be.

It's annoying but I live with it.

Waking from sleep is fine -- it's very rare that hitting the spacebar doesn't cause an immediate wake.

 

[yukari]

On startup, my BT kb doesn't connect immediately. If I type my password as soon as the prompt appears, it won't be recognized.

After 10-20 seconds, though, it will be.

It's annoying but I live with it.

Waking from sleep is fine -- it's very rare that hitting the spacebar doesn't cause an immediate wake.

That's interesting there is 10-20 second delay.
I've not waited that long. I have to give it a try and see if mine is just delayed, like yours, or is simply not working during startup.

 

[Mike Boreham]

When I first turn on my 2018 MBP, I can not login using bluetooth keyboard as the MBP does not respond to any typing on the bluetooth keyboard. I have to use MBP's own keyboard to type in the password.

However, once it has been turned on, it recognizes the bluetooth keyboard. It can recognized it even when waking up from sleep. Only when I first turn the MBP on that it does not respond to bluetooth keyboard. It responds to bluetooth mouse as I can move the cursor around but with the keyboard nothing happens.

Understand, but not sure I can help....so your BT keyboard has not connected at the point where the login screen appears and does not connect until you login with the MBP own keyboard I assume.

I also have to be a bit patient with my iMac after the login screen appears after a startup. If I start typing as soon as the login field appears, the first few keystrokes will be missed...but I don't have to wait 10-20 secs.

 

[J.Gallardo]

An annoying thing about Bluetooth is that it tends to "corrupt" or slow down over time, seems it has to go through longer and longer checking or something...
Another recommended procedure is going back to "zero" Bluetooth state, forgetting devices & pairing again, but, BETTER, erasing related preference files and caches and starting from fresh to reach the most efficient connection.

 

[yukari]

An annoying thing about Bluetooth is that it tends to "corrupt" or slow down over time, seems it has to go through longer and longer checking or something...
Another recommended procedure is going back to "zero" Bluetooth state, forgetting devices & pairing again, but, BETTER, erasing related preference files and caches and starting from fresh to reach the most efficient connection.

I tried deleting bluetooth .plist and restarting. Still no luck. Apple Magic Mouse connects w/o any problem, but my Logitech keyboard does NOT connect until AFTER login.

Strangest thing is that it worked with 10.14.1 but NOT with 10.14.0 and now 10.14.2