Handoff won’t connect

I’m trying to connect my new iPad and iPhone 7 with my MacBook Air using Handoff, but can’t get any of them to see any other. Each time I try, I get the report that they were unable to connect “as this device is not supported.” What am I doing wrong?

Handoff usually just works, but when it doesn’t, it can be very hard to fix. Basic checks are simple: On your MacBook Air, open About This Mac and then click the System Report button to open the System Information window. Select Bluetooth in the left-hand pane and check to see whether the main pane shows Handoff is supported.

Check that your Mac and iOS devices each have both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on, and are signed into the same Apple ID on the same Wi-Fi network. Enable Handoff in the General pane on your Mac, and on each iOS device in Settings > General > Handoff.

From there, it’s a case of trying various little magic tricks which may or may not get it working…

On each device, sign out of iCloud, and back in again. On your Mac, try trashing the Bluetooth preference file at /Library/Preferences/com. apple.Bluetooth.plist, and resetting the SMC and NVRAM. For your Mac and devices, restarting them or shutting down and starting up again can suddenly get them to work.

If after trying all these you still have no joy at getting Handoff to work, your best bet is making an appointment at your nearest Genius Bar and getting them to try. It’s possible that you have a hardware problem, or perhaps your Wi-Fi router is playing up.