On launch, the app will automatically begin to scan for nearby Bluetooth LE devices.  Devices are presented in a table view in the order in which they were discovered.

Don't forget to turn on Bluetooth on your device! Airplane Mode turns off BLE.

iPhone

The following images depict the app when used on the iPhone. The Android app looks similar.

The device list will display all BLE devices discovered by the app (not just Bluefruit hardware) - so you may see a quite a few "" or <Unknown> entries for devices that don't advertise their name, as seen above.

  • To refresh the list and start a new scan, simply swipe down on the current list.
  • Each device's signal strength is displayed in the left side of its row.

If you tap on the device entry (not on Connect), you'll see more detail about a particular device:

iPad

The following images depict the app when used on the iPad

Tap the middle of a device's table row to reveal its relevant advertisement data.

  • Any device listed with a "Connect" button at the right can be accessed in Info mode.
  • Any device listed as "UART Capable" can be used with all modes - Info, UART, Pin I/O, & Controller.
To use the Bluefruit Connect app with your device it must be "UART capable"! All Adafruit BLE devices implement the UART interface, but other devices may not

Multiple UART Mode

The Multiple UART feature allows to monitor incoming data from, and send data to multiple devices simultaneously.

To use it:

  • Activate the Multiple UART Mode switch
  • Tap Connect next to each device you'd like to include
  • Tap the Start button below the Multiple UART mode to begin.

Once connected, you can choose UART or Plotter module to view incoming data from all connected peripherals. In the UART module, you can send data to one or all connected devices at once.

Connect

Tap the Connect button on the UART capable list entry you wish to use and choose a connection mode from the menu that appears.

Troubleshooting

If you’re having trouble finding your Bluefruit device in the scanned peripherals list, ensure the board is powered and not paired with any other BLE devices. If the problem persists, it could be due to caching issues in the iOS or Android operating system. For a fix, try the following:

  • Cycle Bluetooth - Turn your mobile device’s Bluetooth radio off and on again in the Settings app.
  • Relaunch App - Quit the Bluetooth LE Connect app and restart it. (instructions for iOS & Android)
  • Cycle Power - Restart your mobile device by powering it off and restarting.

Doing one or both of the above solves most peripheral scanning issues. If you're still having trouble, try searching the Adafruit Support forum for your issue.

This guide was first published on Feb 20, 2015. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (Scan for Devices) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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