How to Stop Someone from Connecting to Your Bluetooth Speaker

There are several ways to effectively stop someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker, such as using a connection passcode, turning off device visibility, unpairing and forgetting unknown devices, and connecting an audio jack.

I’m Donovan, a longtime musician and audio enthusiast. I have years of experience working with all types of audio and have owned multiple Bluetooth speakers. I know through first-hand experience how to control access to these. 

This post will show you how to stop someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker. I’ll provide instructions on how to do this in several ways and offer some other related information to keep your speaker to yourself. 

Let’s get rolling. 

Key Takeaways

• You can stop someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker in multiple ways. 
• Using a connection passcode and turning off device visibility are two of the easiest ways to prevent people from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker. 
• Some Bluetooth speakers have an audio output jack, and when you connect a cord to the input, it will turn off Bluetooth pairing. 
• Preventing people from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker can help keep your device connected and limit the chance of security issues. 

Different Ways to Stop Someone from Connecting to Your Bluetooth Speaker

Bluetooth technology makes it easy to listen to music from your wireless speakers just about anywhere. But it can also make it easy for other people to connect to your speaker, whether you want them to or not. 

In this section, I’ll show you several different ways you can stop someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker. Knowing how to do this is important for your personal music listening preferences and can also prevent security issues. 

1. Use a Connection Passcode

Setting up a connection passcode is a great way to keep someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker. This code will be required anytime someone tries to connect, and without it, they won’t be able to pair. 

The process for setting up this code can vary, depending on your speaker model. But you can typically access everything from the settings menu on your smartphone or laptop once you start using the speaker. 

Just be sure to turn the passcode on and set it to whatever code you want and can remember. You can always turn it off at some point in the future if you no longer want or need to use it. 

You can also just change your passcode if someone has access to it and you no longer want them to connect to your speaker. 

2. Turn Off Bluetooth Visibility 

Another way to stop someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker is by turning off the Bluetooth visibility. This will prevent anyone from seeing your speaker or other device when they are attempting to connect. 

There really isn’t a setting that allows you to turn off visibility, but it has the same effect if you turn off your speaker when it’s not in use. Turning the speaker off is a good habit if you don’t want anyone connecting without your approval or knowledge. 

Some speakers might allow you to remove Bluetooth visibility altogether. Look in the settings of your Bluetooth device for this feature and enable it if possible. 

3. Reset Your Speaker

By resetting your speaker, you will remove any devices that are already connected to your speaker. This is a good way to bounce off any devices you don’t want to be connected that are already paired with your speaker. 

Most Bluetooth speakers can be reset by holding down the power button for about three seconds. The device will power down and come back on and should switch back to the factory settings with no devices saved or stored for pairing. 

A reset is different from just turning your speaker off and back on again. While powering your speaker off can remove unwanted devices, they might connect again once you turn it back on. A factory reset should remove them entirely. 

4. Used a Wired Connection or Jack 

This one might sound odd if you like to use wireless connectivity to your speaker. But if your Bluetooth speaker has an AUX input for a standard audio jack, you can plug a cord into it, and this should prevent someone else from connecting to it. 

Not all Bluetooth speakers have these inputs, so it’s not an option for everyone. And you won’t be able to use a Bluetooth connection from your own phone or other device if you go this route. But it’s a simple and effective solution if you need it. 

You’ll need to use a cord that can also plug into your source device, so get any adapters or anything else you need to continue using your Bluetooth speaker effectively. 

5. Keep Your Distance

Another way to help stop someone from connecting is to keep your distance from others when operating your Bluetooth speaker. Bluetooth connections only have a specific range they will work in, and if you’re too far away from the source device, the connection will drop. 

If you are in a crowded room or area with multiple Bluetooth devices, just grab your speaker and go to another location. If you get some distance between the other devices, they will disconnect or be prevented from connecting in the first place. 

Walls and other construction can also help prevent Bluetooth connections from getting established in the first place. So just going outdoors or into a different area of a house can also help eliminate unwanted connections.  

Additional Tips

Knowing who is connected to your Bluetooth speaker is important because potential security issues can occur when people pair to your device without your knowledge. You should always monitor what devices are connected and remove any unknowns. 

Keeping all of your devices updated regularly is another step toward better security. You’ll want to regularly update the software on your speaker and your other devices, like your phone, to get the latest security features from developers. 

Letting friends connect to your Bluetooth speaker is typically no big deal, but when complete strangers start to do it, that’s when you should draw the line. You never know if one of those people might be up to no good.  

How to Disconnect from Someone Else’s Bluetooth

A related issue to stopping someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker is knowing how to disconnect from someone else’s Bluetooth device. This can sometimes happen if you are near another Bluetooth speaker, and it’s easy to avoid. 

You really just need to turn off your Bluetooth connection on your phone or other device to disconnect. When you turn off your Bluetooth, you won’t be able to connect to any other device until it’s turned back on. 

You can also choose to forget specific devices from the Bluetooth device list on your phone. Simply select the Bluetooth device you want to disconnect from and then forget that device, and it will disconnect. 

FAQs

Here are a few quick answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related to how to stop someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker. 

How can I make my Bluetooth private? 

The easiest way to make your Bluetooth private is to set up a passcode for connectivity while also turning off Bluetooth visibility. A passcode will be required to connect any device to your Bluetooth, and turning off visibility will prevent people from seeing your device as active. 

Is there a way to lock a Bluetooth speaker? 

The best way to go about locking a Bluetooth speaker is simply turning it off while not in use. When the speaker is powered off, it won’t be able to connect to any other devices. Setting up a passcode is another way to limit access to the speaker. 

How do I force someone to disconnect from Bluetooth? 

You can force someone to disconnect from a Bluetooth device by choosing the device you want to be removed from the list of Bluetooth devices on your phone. Select Forget This Device after you select the device, and it should be removed from the list on won’t connect. 

Is it illegal to connect to someone else’s Bluetooth? 

The legalities surrounding connecting to someone else’s Bluetooth device are kind of murky. There aren’t many laws saying it’s illegal, but it brings up larger security issues and can be against the law in that sense. 

How do I know what devices are connected to my Bluetooth? 

You can look at which devices are connected to your Bluetooth device by going into the settings of that device from your phone. This should display all of the devices that are currently connected to a Bluetooth device, such as a speaker. 

Final Thoughts

You can easily stop someone from connecting to your Bluetooth speaker by setting up a passcode or turning off device visibility. But you can also manually disconnect devices through Bluetooth settings or by turning off your speaker. 

Learning how to perform a factory reset on your Bluetooth speaker is another good way to disconnect unknown devices, and it’s also good for dealing with random bugs and glitches. Just like with your phone, a simple reset can go a long way when troubleshooting. 

Do you know any other ways to stop someone from connecting to your Bluetooth? Let me know in the comments below.