How Do I Undo A Forgotten Device On My iPhone?

Oops! You have just pressed “Forget This Device” on your iPhone by accident. 

What can you do to reverse this action? Is it even reversible? 

You are trying everything you can think of to get that device back to being remembered, but you might be encountering some problems.

Your iPhone does not come equipped with a simple button that lets you restore that forgotten device and it’s way more complicated than doing it on your Mac, so how are you supposed to unforget a device on your iPhone?

How Do I Undo A Forgotten Device On My iPhone?

To undo a forgotten device on your iPhone, go to open Settings, General, then Reset. The Reset tab will show you the following options: Reset All Settings, Reset Contact Settings, and Reset Network Settings. The option you want to pick is “Reset Network Settings,” then follow the prompts.

What prompts do you need to follow to unforget a Bluetooth device on your iPhone? What other methods might be helpful? 

And what should you do if every method fails? 

Read on to find out.

There is no simple and quick fix that lets you “unforget” a device on your iPhone. 

However, there are some steps that you can take to get it back. 

The simplest way to “unforget” a Bluetooth device is to get it back into discoverable (pairing) mode then re-pair it with your phone. 

You can try resetting your network settings to make your iPhone “unforget” a particular Bluetooth device.

Unforget a Bluetooth Device on Your iPhone

Start off by opening your Settings and going to General, then Reset. 

From there, select Reset Network Settings. 

Click confirm to tell your phone that this is indeed what you wish to do.

This method only takes a few minutes to reset all of your settings for both Bluetooth and WiFi. 

Ideally, it should let you connect your device again without any hassle.

Don’t panic when the Apple logo comes onto your screen and it then goes blank. 

This needs to happen for the reset to take place. 

Once you see your normal Home screen, you will know that the reset is finished.

While the system reloads itself, it should gather up the forgotten devices. 

Go in and check to make sure they’ve been un-forgotten by opening up Settings > Bluetooth and seeing the list of previously connected devices. 

The forgotten device should now show up. 

Go ahead and reconnect it.

Try Turning Your Devices and Bluetooth Off and On Again

If resetting the network settings does not work, you might need to try turning your devices (both the iPhone and forgotten device) off and on again.

Just press and hold your iPhone’s power button, then slide the button to turn it off.

Hold off on doing anything for about 30 seconds so that the phone can fully shut down. 

Then, press the power button to turn the phone on.

You should be able to reconnect the forgotten device from the Bluetooth tab once the phone is back up and running.

Should this problem continue, you might want to try going to Settings > Bluetooth and toggling the button off and on again. 

When Bluetooth is on, the button is gray. When it is off, the button is blue.

Turn Device Pairing Mode Off and On Again

Of course, simply turning your devices off and on again might not fix the problem. 

If it fails to work, your next step should be turning off Device Pairing Mode, then switching it on again. 

Some minor software glitches can prevent a device from connecting.

Check out your Bluetooth device. 

It should have a button somewhere on it that enables you to pair it with your iPhone. 

Bluetooth headphones, speakers, and earbuds all have a switch. 

Locate it, then flip it off. 

This turns off its Device Pairing Mode.

Give the device about 30 seconds to shut down, then flip the switch so that Bluetooth is once again enabled.

Then check your iPhone’s recognized devices to ensure that this particular device has been unforgotten.

Will a Device Firmware Update Resolve This Problem?

The previous steps might not solve the problem if your iPhone needs a firmware update. 

Conducting a Device Firmware Update (DFU) might resolve this issue. 

You will need to back up your data before engaging in this difficult restore process.

Putting your device into DFU Mode will reset it to factory settings. 

This is why a backup is essential; otherwise, you will lose your contacts, apps, photos, videos, bookmarks, passwords, and more.

Start off by connecting your iPhone to your computer. 

If you have a MacOS Mojave 10.14 or PC, open iTunes. 

If you’re running a MacOS Catalina 10.15 or newer, use Finder. 

It does not matter if your phone is on or off. 

You’ll need to press Sleep/Wake and the Home button on the iPhone 6s or lower. 

If you have a 7, press Sleep/Wake and volume up/down at the same time.

Once you see your phone on iTunes or Finder, release the buttons. 

The phone’s screen will go black.

(If it doesn’t, try the process again.) You can now restore your phone through Finder or iTunes.

On iPhone 8 or higher, put the phone into DFU Mode by pressing and releasing the volume up button followed by the volume down button – and do it quickly. 

Then press and hold the side button until the screen turns black. 

Again, your phone can be on or off while doing this. 

When the screen goes black, hold the volume up and down buttons down, count out five seconds, release the side button, but keep holding the volume down button until Finder or iTunes pops up.

You will know that your phone is in DFU Mode if you see iTunes or Finder. If the Apple logo comes up, you’ve held the volume down button for too long and will need to repeat the process.

Also, you need to bear in mind that, while DFU Mode erases the phone’s code and lets you begin anew, DFU Mode can actually damage an already damaged phone even more. 

So, proceed with caution.

What To Do If Everything Else Fails

Frustratingly, these methods will not work 100 percent of the time. 

Your iOS system could be the real culprit here. 

If this seems to be the case for you, you might want to report this issue to your device carrier. 

You might even wish to visit the nearest Apple Store to have a technician look over your phone and address the issue. 

It is entirely possible that damaged hardware or software could be preventing you from pairing your iPhone with your Bluetooth device.

Unforgetting A Device On iPhone

For most users, un-forgetting a device on an iPhone is a relatively small problem with a simple solution. 

Turning things off and on again can be an effective method for getting your iPhone to remember a device. 

However, that will not always be the case. 

A DFU might be in order, or your phone might have a more severely damaged component that is preventing the devices from pairing. 

Getting your phone looked at by a technician will be your best bet if that is the case. 

But, on the whole, playing around with your settings and doing some resets should get your devices pairing up together once again.