Pairing
Find a device
The sidebar lists the devices the adapter knows. Put a new device in pairing mode and start a scan to find it.
Phones and computers start the pairing themselves. For those, make the adapter visible for pairing on its page.
The pairing timeline
Each device page shows the path from an unknown device to a working connection as one timeline. A device goes through these stages:
| Stage | Done when |
|---|---|
| Pairing | Both sides generated a shared key. |
| Saved pairing | The key is stored, so it survives power-off and reboot. |
| Permission to connect | The device may connect without asking. |
| In range | The device is measured in range, or connected. |
| Connection | The device is connected. |
| Input device | The kernel bound a driver. This only applies to input devices. |
| Audio device | The audio server made it available as a sound device. This only applies to audio devices. |
Each step offers the action that moves it forward, and explains its current status and the Bluetooth mechanism behind it, for the radio the device uses. A step that needs attention opens by itself. The audio device step also lets you choose the audio profile.
Pair a new device
Start pairing on the first step. Bindrune then pairs, confirms the bond, trusts the device and connects, and the timeline follows along:
If the device asks for a passkey or PIN, the question opens inside the step. A stray key press can’t accept a pairing:
When another device asks to pair
A request from a device you are not looking at never takes you away from the current page. Bindrune tells you which device asks and lets you open it to answer on its timeline. A connection request from a device that isn’t trusted waits on the timeline the same way, and is denied if nobody answers in time:
When pairing fails
The timeline stops at the step that failed and shows the reason with what to do next:
Reconnect a paired device
A paired device keeps its completed steps. Headsets and controllers usually reconnect by themselves when they are in range; connect the others from their timeline:
The connection policy is set per device: it can connect without asking, ask each time, or be rejected.
Forgetting a device deletes its keys and trust for this adapter, so it has to pair again before it can connect.