You can use Bluetooth to connect some devices to your phone without a cord. After you pair a Bluetooth device for the first time, your devices can connect automatically. If your phone is connected to something through Bluetooth, at the top of the screen, you'll find a Bluetooth icon . Learn how to connect a Bluetooth device.
Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 15 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.Turn Bluetooth on or off from the Settings app
- Swipe down from the top of the screen.
- Tap Bluetooth .
Tip: To save battery, turn off Bluetooth when not in use. Bluetooth is off in Airplane mode.
Step 1: Pair a Bluetooth accessory
Important: Your devices stay paired until you unpair them.
Option 1: Use the Settings app (all Bluetooth accessories)- Swipe down from the top of the screen.
- Touch and hold Bluetooth .
- Tap Pair new device.
- If you don't find Pair new device, check under "Available devices" or tap More Refresh.
- Tap the name of the Bluetooth device you want to pair with your device.
- Follow any on-screen instructions.
- Make sure:
- Your Bluetooth accessory works with Fast Pair. Accessories that work with Fast Pair say so on their boxes. Many also say "Made by Google" or "Made for Google." Find accessories in the Google Store.
- Your phone or tablet is using Android 6.0 or higher.
- Your phone or tablet has Bluetooth and Location turned on.
- Turn on your Fast Pair accessory and put it in pairing mode. Make sure your accessory is near your phone or tablet.
- When you get a notification, tap Tap to pair.
- You'll get a "Device connected" or "Pairing complete" notification.
- If your accessory needs to be set up, tap Set up now.
Tips:
- If you don’t get a notification:
- On your phone or tablet, open Settings app.
- Tap Connected devices.
- Under “Available devices,” select the device you want to pair.
- If your fast pair accessory doesn't show in the notifications, manually pair your Bluetooth device.
- To learn more, go to Find Fast Pair accessories.
Step 2: Connect
- Swipe down from the top of the screen.
- Make sure Bluetooth is turned on.
- Touch and hold Bluetooth .
- In the list of paired devices, tap a paired but unconnected device.
- When your phone and the Bluetooth device are connected, the device shows as "Connected."
Set up, unpair, or find a Bluetooth accessory
Unpair, rename, or pick actions for a Bluetooth accessory- Swipe down from the top of the screen.
- Touch and hold Bluetooth .
- If your accessory is listed under "Available media devices," next to your device's name, tap Settings .
- If no accessories are listed under "Previously connected devices," tap See all. Next to your accessory's name, tap Settings .
- Make your change:
- To change the accessory's name, at the top, tap Edit .
- To disconnect, tap Disconnect .
- To remove the device from your phone completely, tap Forget .
- On some devices, you can turn other settings on or off.
- Open your device's Settings app.
- Tap Connected devices Connection preferences Bluetooth.
- Make sure Bluetooth is turned on.
- Tap Device name.
- Enter a new name.
- Tap Rename.
- On your phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
- Tap Google Devices & sharing Devices Turn off Scan for nearby devices.
For Fast Pair devices and car kits that support Android Auto Projection, the Android device uses automatic categorization.
If your device doesn't automatically categorize your Bluetooth device, you can manually select your Bluetooth device type:
- On your Android device, open the Settings app.
- Tap Connected devices.
- In the list of connected devices, select a device’s settings.
- Select "Audio device type:"
- Not set
- Speaker
- Headphones
- Car
- Hearing device
- Other
Tip: Setting the correct device type can help:
- Improve the spatial audio experience on specific audio device types.
- Improve the hearing health and loudness measurement features.
How Fast Pair handles your data (Fast Pair accessories only)
Google collects certain info to quickly pair your Bluetooth devices with devices that use your Google Account. Some of this functionality uses Google Play services. For example, Fast Pair collects:
- Personal info for functionality purposes, like the name you call a Bluetooth device during setup.
- Performance data and usage info for analytics purposes.
Opt out of Fast Pair scanning
If you don't want to receive Fast Pair notifications for pairing, you can opt out of Fast Pair scanning in the settings.
- On your phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
- Tap Google Devices & sharing Devices Turn off Scan for nearby devices.
Delete Fast Pair accessories
The data that Fast Pair collects is encrypted in transit. To find and delete Fast Pair accessories and tags that are saved to your account:
- Fast Pair accessories like earbuds:
- On your phone or tablet, open the Settings app.
- Tap Google Devices & sharing Devices Saved Devices.
- Find My Device-compatible tracker tags: Learn how to remove a device from Find My Device.