Bluetooth explained

Use your Nokia phone to connect to other devices, without cables.

Bluetooth in brief

  • a quick, easy way to connect electronic devices without using cables
  • devices like phones and headsets automatically connect when in range (10m)
  • works through walls and around corners
  • connect 3 or more devices at once
  • use devices from many different manufacturers

What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a standard way for small electronic devices to talk to each other simply, quickly and without wires, within a range of about 10 metres.

Bluetooth-enabled devices automatically connect to each other when they’re in range and switched on – for example, when you get into your car, your car kit and phone will set up their own connection without you having to touch your mobile.

With A2DP (stereo Bluetooth) you can even stream audio and video with stereo sound over a wireless connection from your phone to your headphones, car stereo or TV.

Find Nokia accessories that support A2DP

Bluetooth lets you share information, pictures and audio between devices with no wires, no setup, and no cost. You have the choice of approving or rejecting connections from other people’s devices, keeping your information secure.

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Does my mobile phone have Bluetooth?

Find out which Nokia phones use Bluetooth technology

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Why use Bluetooth?

Just activate Bluetooth on the devices you want to connect – your mobile phone and your laptop, for example – and they’ll find each other and ask you to confirm the connection. What you do next is up to you…

  • email on the go without Wi-Fi – with Bluetooth your laptop can use your phone’s GPRS connection
  • don’t re-key your contacts when you upgrade your phone – use Bluetooth to copy your address book from one phone to another
  • keep your calendar up to date – synchronize your phone and PC schedule and to-do list with no need for cables
  • listen to music and radio on your handsfree headset, without wires – the music will stop automatically if you get an incoming call
  • get full stereo sound with A2DP-enabled accessories such as Nokia’s BH-504 headphones
  • keep your information safe – back up the contents of your phone to a computer
  • instantly share photos video or music with friends
  • automatically connect your phone to your handsfree kit every time you get in the car, with no cables or setup needed
  • save power – Bluetooth is very power-efficient, which means it’s perfectly suited to battery-powered devices like mobile phones
  • play multiplayer games with online platforms like the Nokia N-Gage
  • don’t be tied to one company – Bluetooth is an industry standard, so devices from different manufacturers can work together
  • connect around corners – Bluetooth uses radio waves, so unlike an infra-red connection it works through walls and around corners


Find a Nokia mobile phone that has Bluetooth

Find a Nokia Bluetooth headset

Find a Nokia car kit for your phone

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Bluetooth: the top 5 questions

  • Can you help me set up my Bluetooth?
  • Why is it called “Bluetooth”?
  • Is Bluetooth secure?
  • Who owns Bluetooth?
  • How does Bluetooth work?

Can you help me set up my Bluetooth?

Read our step-by-step guide to using Bluetooth for the first time.

Why is it called “Bluetooth”?

Bluetooth is named after another great unifier, the 10th-century king Harald Blatand (literally, “Bluetooth”), who brought Norway and Denmark together into a single kingdom.

Is Bluetooth secure?

The risk is very low, but it’s possible that determined hackers with specialist equipment could use Bluetooth to gain access to data on your phone. If you’re worried about security, remember:

  • Unless they have very expensive equipment, the potential hacker will need to be within 10 metres of your phone
  • Never pair with a device if you don’t know who it belongs to
  • Use non-discoverable mode to make breaching your security significantly harder
  • For complete protection, just turn your mobile phone’s Bluetooth off when you’re not using it

How does Bluetooth work?

Tiny chips in every Bluetooth mobile device broadcast and receive low-power radio signals at between 2.40 and 2.48 gigahertz – roughly the same as the frequency used by household gadgets such as baby monitors and garage door openers.

When two or more Bluetooth-enabled devices come into range of one another, they start a conversation to decide whether they need to share data. If they do, they form a temporary network between themselves – usually you don't have to do anything.

Find out more about Bluetooth mobile technologyfrom the Bluetooth Special Interest Group

Who owns Bluetooth?

Bluetooth isn’t owned by a single company. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is a community of over 2,500 organisations – including Nokia – that decides how the standard should work and what a product needs to do to comply with it.

Find out more about the Bluetooth Special Interest Group

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