Hi all, first post, having issues connecting to my TomTom Rider 550.
Was working like a dream until the TomTom My Drive app was removed from my iPhone 15, running iOS 26.3.1.
Now I cannot get a stable Bluetooth connection, will show connected / not connected / connected etc etc, I have deleted all instances of each device on the other device and reconnected.
I have tried other iPhones of various vintages and software, still the same. BUT tried a friends Android phone and all was well, so my assumption is an iPhone / TomTom incompatibility?
The only way I can get a stable connection is to use the phone as a hotspot and connect that way BUT as soon as I am out of range, ie paying for petrol, off for food etc there is no auto connect and I have to go through the same hotspot pairing procedure which is a bit of an annoying faff.
I have tried this as posted elsewhere on the forum, but with no success. I am off to Garmin XT2 unless I can get this sorted!! Thanks in advance for any workarounds.
First of all, go to your iPhone settings, then make sure
1. WiFi is Off.
2. Bluetooth is On.
3. Mobile Data slider switch is to the right and showing a green colour (On).
4. Turn on Personal Hotspot and within the settings, slide “Allow others to Join” to the right which then turns green, then in the popup that follows choose “Bluetooth and USB Only” and NOT “Turn on WiFi”
Essentially, using the “Bluetooth and USB Only” pairing hotspot in your iPhone settings allows for a single stable connection and has less of a drain on your iPhone’s battery compared to the WiFi hotspot setting.
Next:
1. - Delete the MyDrive app on your iPhone
2. - Delete old Bluetooth pairings of the Rider on your iPhone
3. - Connect the Rider to your iPhone via Bluetooth over the standard way (press the “No” request to download and use the MyDrive app to set up the Bluetooth connection)
4. - DO NOT pair your Rider via the MyDrive app if you later decide to install
5. - In your Rider settings, “forget” the current WiFi connection as this will only be required for downloads and likely to take priority over the Bluetooth connection.
6. - Within the Rider Bluetooth menu settings for the connected iPhone, I have Data for Traffic & other services turned on but NOT for Smartphone messages OR “See who is calling” and if your headset allows it, High quality (A2DP).
7. - You are still able to install and use the MyDrive app (signed into your account) afterwards and use it for sending destinations/routing but importantly - don’t pair your Rider within the MyDrive app.
The problem lies within the MyDrive app (pairing through the app).
*Apple introduced new Bluetooth security permissions from iOS 13 and TomTom had tried to modify the MyDrive app to make the two separate Bluetooth connections work effectively for traffic data and calls/texts, but is now unlikely to be resolved.
When the iPhone’s Bluetooth hotspot has been turned on, I then power on my Rider for the first link, then power on my Sena for the second link.
I am using my Rider 500, (a Sena 5s communication system and iPhone 12 Pro Max **paired directly for music/calls), a Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker AND 2 Apple AirTags alongside this way successfully for the last 4 years and no loss of the traffic connection.
Was working like a dream until the TomTom My Drive app was removed from my iPhone 15, running iOS 26.3.1.
Now I cannot get a stable Bluetooth connection, will show connected / not connected / connected etc etc, I have deleted all instances of each device on the other device and reconnected.
I have tried other iPhones of various vintages and software, still the same. BUT tried a friends Android phone and all was well, so my assumption is an iPhone / TomTom incompatibility?
The only way I can get a stable connection is to use the phone as a hotspot and connect that way BUT as soon as I am out of range, ie paying for petrol, off for food etc there is no auto connect and I have to go through the same hotspot pairing procedure which is a bit of an annoying faff.
I have tried this as posted elsewhere on the forum, but with no success. I am off to Garmin XT2 unless I can get this sorted!! Thanks in advance for any workarounds.
First of all, go to your iPhone settings, then make sure
1. WiFi is Off.
2. Bluetooth is On.
3. Mobile Data slider switch is to the right and showing a green colour (On).
4. Turn on Personal Hotspot and within the settings, slide “Allow others to Join” to the right which then turns green, then in the popup that follows choose “Bluetooth and USB Only” and NOT “Turn on WiFi”
Essentially, using the “Bluetooth and USB Only” pairing hotspot in your iPhone settings allows for a single stable connection and has less of a drain on your iPhone’s battery compared to the WiFi hotspot setting.
Next:
1. - Delete the MyDrive app on your iPhone
2. - Delete old Bluetooth pairings of the Rider on your iPhone
3. - Connect the Rider to your iPhone via Bluetooth over the standard way (press the “No” request to download and use the MyDrive app to set up the Bluetooth connection)
4. - DO NOT pair your Rider via the MyDrive app if you later decide to install
5. - In your Rider settings, “forget” the current WiFi connection as this will only be required for downloads and likely to take priority over the Bluetooth connection.
6. - Within the Rider Bluetooth menu settings for the connected iPhone, I have Data for Traffic & other services turned on but NOT for Smartphone messages OR “See who is calling” and if your headset allows it, High quality (A2DP).
7. - You are still able to install and use the MyDrive app (signed into your account) afterwards and use it for sending destinations/routing but importantly - don’t pair your Rider within the MyDrive app.
The problem lies within the MyDrive app (pairing through the app).
*Apple introduced new Bluetooth security permissions from iOS 13 and TomTom had tried to modify the MyDrive app to make the two separate Bluetooth connections work effectively for traffic data and calls/texts, but is now unlikely to be resolved.
When the iPhone’s Bluetooth hotspot has been turned on, I then power on my Rider for the first link, then power on my Sena for the second link.
I am using my Rider 500, (a Sena 5s communication system and iPhone 12 Pro Max **paired directly for music/calls), a Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker AND 2 Apple AirTags alongside this way successfully for the last 4 years and no loss of the traffic connection.
