Handoff not Working on iOS and Mac – How to Fix

Continuity and Handoff are features built into your iOS devices and Macs. It allows the devices to work more seamlessly together. With Continuity, you have instant access to a personal hotspot on demand. The ability to send and receive SMS messages and to make and also take phone calls from your Mac. It also has the ability to pick up where you left off on one device from another. in this article we are gonna show you how to fix if handoff not working on Mac.

Although they can work well at times. There is always the lingering chance that the functionality may not work right for you or connectivity may be flaky. In this piece, we will go over several troubleshooting steps. That you can take if your Continuity and Handoff experience is not going as expected.

Continuity is not working

So you have tried over and over, and for whatever reason, Continuity and handoff just are not working for you between your iPhone and your Mac. What should you do?

Check your System’s Requirement

The first thing you should do is make sure you are using a supported device. And Handoff are not working. Although iOS and macOS support the feature, not all devices support it.

Apple notes that the following Macs are Continuity:

• MacBook Air (mid-2012 and later)
• On MacBook Pro (mid-2012 and later)
• MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, early 2015)
• iMac (late 2012 and later)
• Mac Mini (late 2012 and later)
• Mac Pro (late 2013)

Apple also notes that the following iOS devices are compatible with Continuity and handoff, not working:

• iPhone 5 or later
• iPad Pro
• On iPad fourth-generation
• iPad Air or later
• Also iPad mini or later
• iPod touch fifth generation or later

Troubleshooting Continuity on iOS

We will divide these troubleshooting steps between iOS and Mac to make things a little easier to follow. This way, you can check each device individually. Instead of sorting through the troubleshooting steps yourself. First, we will start with what you should do to troubleshoot issues on iOS.

Make sure to Turn on your WiFi and Bluetooth

Some iPhone users never bother to make sure that they are using Wi-Fi. I know this to be the case with my parents and grandparents. Because when they are able to use the internet using a high-speed LTE connection. They think it means they are on Wi-Fi. I’m sure other elderly people out there also think the same way. And you really have to be of the tech-savvy generation to know the difference. Between a cellular connection and a Wi-Fi connection.

Because a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection are required. If your handoff is not working. You should make sure you have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on in the first place. To do this, you can simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen to launch Control Center. And make sure the Wi-Fi toggle button and Bluetooth toggle button are both lit up.

iOS Devices are on the Same Network

Even though both your iOS devices are connected to Wi-Fi. This does not mean they are both operating on the same Wi-Fi network. Often times, there are multiple Wi-Fi networks around you. And your devices will connect to any network they are familiar with so long as it has the strongest signal.

Check to make sure that both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Because this is an important requirement of Continuity.

On your iOS devices, go to the Settings app and just verify that you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. To check that just look at the network name:

Ensure that your Handoff is enabled on your iOS Devices

If your Handoff is not working, then make sure you have it turned on in the first place. A lot of times, the feature will be turned off by users who are wanting to preserve battery life. Or users will turn on Low Power Mode, which disabled Handoff automatically to save power.

To check that. Just go to the Settings > General > Handoff. And make sure the Handoff switch is turned on. If after all these troubleshooting steps everything looks good. And Continuity still is not working right. Then the problem might be on your Mac’s side. Below, we will go over Continuity troubleshooting steps for your Mac. Let’s start this.

Make sure that your Carrier Supports the Personal Hotspot Feature

If your carrier does not support Personal Hotspot on your iPhone. Then you are not going to be able to take advantage of Instant Hotspot on demand. When you need internet access on your Mac or other iOS devices. Then you can check and see if Personal Hotspot is supporting or not. Just try to turn it on from the Settings app. If it works, you are good to go. If it does not, then this could be the reason Instant Hotspot is not working for you. And maybe you need to get in touch with your carrier to fix this.

Enable the Message Forwarding on your iPhone

In order for SMS messages to appear on your Mac. You need to have text message forwarding enabled on your iPhone. You can also forward messages to any other iOS device with this feature. To make sure that you have enabled your text message forwarding. And to configure what devices text message forwarding will go to. You have to open the Settings app on your iPhone. Then go to Messages > Text Message Forwarding and turn on the devices of yours that you want SMS messages to be forwarded to.

Troubleshooting Continuity on MacOS

Next up, we will give you a few troubleshooting steps. That you can follow on your Mac if Continuity and its related features handoff are not working. Also if troubleshooting iOS did not fix the problem.

Make Sure to Turn on Wifi and Bluetooth

Just like on your iOS devices. If not having Wi-Fi or Bluetooth turned on, then it may cause hiccups in Continuity-related features. You can simply click on the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth icons in your Menu Bar. To ensure that they are turned on. If one or the other is not, then make sure you enable it at this time.

Ensure that your iOS device and Mac are on the same Wi-Fi network

Some Continuity features only work when your iOS device and your Mac are on the same Wi-Fi network. Such as using your Mac to take and make phone calls and using your Mac to send and receive SMS messages. If your devices are on different networks. Then your Mac and iOS devices won’t be able to find each other on the network and a connection will be unable to establish.

To do this, You gotta open the Wi-Fi menu in your Mac’s Menu Bar. Then ensure that you are on the same network as is displayed in the Wi-Fi preferences. That pane from the Settings app on your iOS device.

Make sure that you Enables the Handoff on your Mac

If your handoff is not working. Then you may also want to make sure that your Mac has Handoff enabled. Sometimes, users turn this feature off not knowing what it is, and later forget to re-enable it when they want to try a new feature like Handoff. To check if it is enabled or not. You gotta open the System Preferences app from the menu in your Menu Bar. And then open the General preferences pane. Now look to see whether or not Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices is enabled. If it is not clicking on the checkbox to turn it on.

Mac’s FaceTime app is  taking phone calls

Mac’s FaceTime app is the app that handles incoming and outgoing phone calls on your Mac. if your iPhone is connected to the same Wi-Fi network. It makes sense to check to make sure that FaceTime is configured to handle phone calls. If this part of the handoff is not working for you.

To do this, you gotta launch the FaceTime app on your Mac. Then go to FaceTime > Preferences in your Mac’s Menu Bar. From this menu, you will ensure that the Calls From iPhone option is enabled.

Sign out and Backup into your iCloud account

If all of that fails. Then try signing out of your iCloud account on your Mac and then signing back in. iCloud plays a critical role in many Continuity features. So any kind of bug related to it may impact your experience.

Well, to do this, you have to open the System Preferences app from the menu in your Mac’s Menu Bar. Then click on the iCloud preferences pane. From here, click on the Sign Out button. And then attempt to log back in again.

Conclusion

Now you have the ability to find out why continuity and handoff features are not working. Guys if you still have further queries related to this article. Then feel free to ask me in the comments section below. Have a Great Day!

Also See: The Popular Game Path of Exile coming to iOS and Mac