How to set up Bluetooth on Ubuntu 18.04

Bluetooth correctly configured on your machine allows you to use a mouse, keyboard, headset or any other compatible accessory. In general, once you install some packages and perform someadjustments, everything will work perfectly. 

Sometimes however, you may face some issues when you try to connect your Bluetooth devices on Ubuntu 18.04. This tutorial will help you fix them.

Read: How to fix Bluetooth connection issues on Ubuntu 22.04

Installing the required packages

Before you start using Bluetooth on Linux, you need to install the necessary packages on your computer. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Install the bluetooth bluez bluez-tools rfkill packages using your Linux system’s package manager. If you are on Ubuntu or a similar distribution, open a terminal and run the command below:

sudo apt-get install bluetooth bluez bluez-tools rfkill -y

bluetooth commands

Step 2. Next, check that your Bluetooth device is not locked. You can verify this using the rfkill utility, as shown below:

sudo rfkill list

Step 3. If your Bluetooth device is locked for any reason, you can unlock it using the same command rfkill, as shown below :

sudo rfkill unblock bluetooth

Step 4. Finally, verify that the Bluetooth service is active by executing the following command :

sudo service bluetooth start

Read: How to fix WiFi not working on Ubuntu

Searching for Bluetooth devices

Step 1. Before starting to scan devices, install the blueman package and run it. To do this, use your Linux system’s package manager, and if you are on Ubuntu, open a terminal session and run the command below :

sudo apt-get install blueman -y && blueman-manager

Ubuntu bluetooth manager

Step 2. By default, your Bluetooth device is hidden. It has to be visible in order to be detected by other devices. To do this, on the Bluetooth Manager screen (blueman-manager), click on the “Adapter” menu and then on the “Preferences” option

Step 3. In the “Bluetooth Adapters” window, change the visibility setting to “Always visible” or “Temporarily visible”, according to your need. If you want, you can also define a name for your Bluetooth device. This name is what will appear for other Bluetooth devices.

Step 4. Then, start scanning the Bluetooth devices by clicking on “Search” and wait a few minutes for the search to complete. All detected Bluetooth devices will be shown in the Bluetooth Manager.

Read: How to backup and restore your Android device with ADB on Ubuntu

Pairing and connecting to Bluetooth devices

You should now be able to pair and connect to your Bluetooth devices without complications. Below you will find the steps to connect to an Android device.

Step 1 . On the Bluetooth Manager screen, right-click on the device name. In the menu that will appear, click on the “Pair” option. This will initiate a pairing request between the PC and the other device.

Step 2. Then, enter a PIN code in the dialog box and click OK. A four-digit number must be entered.

Step 3.Last but not least, on your Android device, enter the PIN you obtained above and confirm the pairing.

if all goes well, the devices will be paired and a new lock icon will appear on the device access page. On your Android device, your laptop should also appear in the “Paired devices” section.

Sending and receiving files

To send files from the PC to your smartphone, do the following:

Step 1. Open the Bluetooth Manager (blueman-manager) and right click on the device you want to send files to. In the menu that will be displayed, click on “Send a File …”

Step 2. On the screen that appears, go to the folder and select the file you want to send. Finally, click on the “OK” button. On the smartphone, a notification will appear asking you to confirm that you want to receive the file. Confirm and wait.

If you want, you can also receive files from your smartphone in a similar way.

Read: How to fix bluetooth problems in Windows 10

Now that everything is installed and configured, you can use Linux Bluetooth to handle external devices, without worrying about other details of this technology.

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