Ubuntu 16.10 on DELL XPS 13 9360 - (how) to pair bluetooth headphones

Question

On my XPS 13, I am baffled on how to pair my QC35s. They appear in the list, but when trying to pair Ubuntu just says "Failed to pair". No logs in /var/log/syslog and I'm stumped.

Thanks for the help

Answer 1

This may or may not solve the problem. It relies on bluez, so if it is not of any value, please tell me, and I'll remove the answer.

Launch bluetoothctl

$ bluetoothctl

Setup bluetooth

> agent on
> default-agent
> power on
> discoverable on
> pairable on

Setup scanning (at this point, turn on your headset and setup it up to be discoverable)

> scan on

Wait about 30 seconds or so, and type

> devices

Make a note of the MAC address of your headphones.

Copy the MAC address of your headphones, and type

> pair <MAC Address>

If it says at the bottom of the output "Pairing Successful", type

> trust <MAC Address>

And finally

> connect <MAC Address>

Hope that helps :)