Connect a Bluetooth Device with No PIN to Linux

This article is for those who are trying to connect a Bluetooth device with no PIN to Linux, but encounter a prompt for a PIN every time they try to connect the Bluetooth device. I found the first and second steps in this bug report on Ubuntu Launchpad.

  1. Write ClassicBondedOnly=false in the file /etc/bluetooth/input.conf using a text editor.
  2. Run systemctl restart bluetooth in the terminal.
  3. Run bluetoothctl in the terminal.
  4. Set your Bluetooth device in discovery mode.
  5. Once the [bluetooth]# prompt shows, type scan on in the terminal and press Enter.
  6. Once the MAC address of your Bluetooth device shows in the output and the [bluetooth]# prompt is once again ready for input, type connect, a space, and your MAC address, then press enter.

Your Bluetooth device should now be connected. If it is not, ensure the Bluetooth device is set in discovery mode before running scan on and you are entering the right MAC address in step 6. I hope this list of instructions saves you the hour it took me to figure them out.