Some M1 Mac mini users experiencing Bluetooth connectivity issues

By Joe Wituschek
published

Apple New Mac Mini Logic Pro Pro Display Xdr
Apple New Mac Mini Logic Pro Pro Display Xdr (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Some M1 Mac mini users are experiencing Bluetooth issues.
  • It is unclear if it is related to the M1 Mac or macOS Big Sur.

While almost everyone has praised the experience of using one of Apple's new M1 Macs, some users are running into Bluetooth connectivity issues. A number of users have reported that, when trying to use Bluetooth devices, they will either lose connection entirely or it will become intermittent, making productivity difficult.

Users have posted specifically about the M1 Mac mini on Reddit, saying that they can't get a reliable connection for all sorts of Bluetooth headphones including Apple's own AirPods. Other users have complained about losing connection to their Bluetooth keyboard or mouse, whether it be an Apple or third-party product.

Patrick Tomasso took to Twitter to talk about the issue and posted a video showing all of the devices he tried and still experienced the same issues.

Mac Mini, I love you.. but you're bringing me down. I'm going crazy trying to figure out the bluetooth issues with this machine. I thought maybe a few of us had an isolated issue but forums/reddit are popping up now all over. Let's talk about it.

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It is currently unclear what exactly is causing the issue. Some believe that it is related to the housing of the Mac mini. Others believe that it is actually an issue with macOS Big Sur. Some users say that they have experienced similar Bluetooth issues with Intel Macs as well.

Apple has yet to acknowledge any kind of widespread issue or release a fix for the affected users. You can watch Patrick Tomasso's video describing and showing the issue below.

Joe Wituschek
Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.

2 Comments
  • I have a new mini M1 chip and have started having the problem. I didn't notice it at first because I use a logitech mouse and keyboard and was using the little usb connector and that seems to let them work fine. However, if I listen to music with bluetooth headphones, every few minutes there is a burst of interference, then it returns to normal. It makes listening to music impossible.
    I love this mini, but have to wonder just who tested it, they must have found the same problem prior to it going out on the market. I thought it might be from my having too many devices on, but after turning off my watch, and other electrical devices, it still happens.
    So, I can attest to the fact that those with logitech can find their usb connector and that seems to work for me, but nothing works with my bluetooth headphones.
    Hugh
  • In case anyone sees this and has the same problems, I want to mention that I corrected the audio dropout/interference problem by turning off wireless for my computer. As soon as the little line was through the greyed out wireless menu icon, the problem went away. I can now use bluetooth headphones not from apple.
    Still cannot connect anything but an apple keyboard or mouse unless I use the logitech usb unifyer.
    I wonder if getting rid of bluetooth PAN might help.
    Hugh