LG Remote Not Pairing - "Bluetooth service needs to be initialized"

Is your LG remote not pairing? When your Magic Remote fails to connect do you see the message "Bluetooth service needs to be initialized"? My LG remote doesn't connect about half the time, and I didn't find any reliable solutions although lots has been written about the problem. (See www.avforums.c...)
UPDATE: The "wait for 22 seconds" method only works 9 out of 10 times. But if I see a "Wired network connected" message in the upper right corner of the screen before 22 seconds then if I wait for 22 seconds it doesn't work. Instead, I have to click the OK button as soon as I see the "Wired network connected" message. So the updated advice is to click the OK button after 22 seconds or when you see the "Wired network connected" message, whichever comes first.
UPDATE2: Commenter Rasmus Løfgren has this suggestion. The last time my method from the video didn't work, I tried this, and it worked! Thanks. Here's his method:
"I found out the best solution was a soft reset of the TV:
Turn off the TV, pull out the AC power plug, press and hold the power button on the TV for at least 20 seconds. Put back power plug, and turn on TV."
UPDATE3: If anyone at LG wants to tackle this problem, please start looking at the interaction between the establishment of a wired network connection and the remote pairing. When the method above does not work (1 out of 10 times) then I always see the "Wired network connected" or "Wired network disconnected" message appear. So it appears to be related to that.
UPDATE4: KZbin member Jeff Behringer reports in the comments that this works for the remote of a 2022 OLED model as well.
UPDATE5: KZbinr member @nello315 reports in the comments that this alternate method works for him: "The only way I could get it to work is unplug the cord and then when the TV is restarted it automatically pairs strait away after pushing the scroll wheel or any other button." He wrote that it will later unpair randomly however.
** Original description **
Here is how to pair the LG magic remote that works for me. Before you turn on your TV, sit the remote on something solid. Press the red power button at the top left of the remote. Do NOT pick up or touch the remote but instead wait 22 seconds. Press the "OK" button (the scrolling wheel in the middle). Now you can pick up the remote and you should see the cursor working again.
This works for my LG model UH8500 with Magic Remote model AN-MR600. Good luck.

[@jasonharding5328]

I have remote model number AN-MR18BA... I stumbled across this video after watching probably 8 or 10 others with long, drawn out instructions that didn't solve this issue... As simple as it is, this solution worked PERFECTLY... Thank you, sir!!!

[@johnsonwang4293]

A solution that worked for me is to open the back of the tv up, unscrew a few screws and clean the wifi/bluetooth component of the TV. In my case, I unplugged and plugged it back in. This fixed everything for me.

[@bulletpeople]

I think you may be onto something. Before I switched over to an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K device for my programming the LG itself smart TV features kept failing to connect to WIFI. And I got that "Bluetooth service needs to be initialized" message. Maybe this is a common thing that underlies all our remote pairing issues.

[@MoMo-vo9rj]

Thanks for this! It’s honestly super frustrating that sooo many people are having problems with this and LG HAS DONE NOTHING. I didn’t save up money for an expensive LG tv just for it to not work half the time. Seriously, this problem has been happening for quite a while now and I’m just so sick and tired of spending hours troubleshooting this bs! I’m honestly thinking about ditching LG and try out different competitors. It’s 2022, I doubt that they don’t have a solution for this, and at least have the decency to respond to this issue instead of ignoring it and just continue to churn out more shitty TVs.

[@noel888]

Obviously, they want you to buy another TV.

[@va1fl]

Only true method that worked. Kudos to you sir. Searched the internet and found the same standard answers asking to deregister the remote etc. which don't work. As many have said, I was ready to dump the LG and never buy this brand again, OLED or not. Thank U once again.

[@joooppeli]

Thank you! 🙏🏻 This worked for me also, I already tried almost everything I could find on forums, but none of them worked.

[@bullethead1988]

Wish I’d have known this sooner before throwing my so called “broken” controller in the trash 😮 Thank you for doing this video so others will know for future reference. LG need to let people know about this themselves

[@bulletpeople]

UPDATE: There might be an easier way. The "wait for 22 seconds" method only works 9 out of 10 times. But I noticed that if I see a "Wired network connected" at around 10 - 15 seconds then when I click it at 22 seconds it does not work. So I have tried this instead: If I do see a "Wired network connected" message at any time before the 22 seconds, then I click the OK button after that. This has worked about 15 times so far. The rule then is click it at 22 seconds or click it when you see the "Wired network connected" message, whichever comes first. This is working about 99% of the time for me.

[@louburns7587]

I want to say Thank You. I tried several other suggested solutions and the 22 second method you presented is the only one that worked.

[@Mightyoverevery1]

I’ll be dog gone. It worked. Thank you for helping me fix a annoying problem. You’re a Genius ! 👍🏾

[@megadime]

Only note you have to hard reset the power. I.e unplug it from the socket. Simply pressing the power button on the remote puts the in low power mode

[@spent808]

Just bought a 2023 LG TV with this problem, tried this and it works! Thanks for the tip!

[@bulletpeople]

It's bizarre LG has not figured out what the problem is and fixed it yet. Thanks for the update.

[@jeffbehringer1262]

You are the man. Works on new remote for 22’ oled as well. Thanks.

[@arikanbjk]

Update2 , hold the power button on the TV for at least 20 seconds , worked for me immediately, thanks guidance.

[@brianalexander7625]

This worked perfect for me thank you

[@flybefree]

Every time I pressed the "ok" button, which is the roller button, I got the "Bluetooth service needs to be initialized" error on my magic remote. After trying so many different things I was able to fix it by turning the TV on, holding down the "Off" button on the magic remote until the TV turned off (10 seconds), then turning the TV on using the magic remote. When the TV turned on it displayed a message, "Pairing with remote" and 5 seconds later everything was working again, including the pointer. Hope that helps!

[@bulletpeople]

Good luck. Somewhere in Korea there is an engineer who can inspect the pairing code to tell the world once and for all what is going on here and how to fix it. Until then it is great to have folks like me and you share different ideas. I'll try that way the next time my remote pairing fails while the TV is on to see if it works for me. It would be nice if we can crowdsource these different ideas until we have found a 100% reliable solution. Mine doesn't seem to work for everyone and works for me about 90% of the time.

[@flybefree]

@@bulletpeople My remote was working perfectly until I connected the “Fetch” set top box, which is a streaming service in Australia. After that some functions on the magic remote, including the “ok” button and pointer, stopped working. I disconnected the set top box and tried lots of things for months and to get it working again. The only thing that’s worked is what I described. Now that the remote is working again I’ve done a factory reset through the settings. Hope it works for you!

[@Excel16lux]

Worked for me. Thanks

[@pv78180]

a thousand thanks, it worked for me ! 😄😀

[@go4shailen]

Thanks for the video, Waiting 22 seconds and pressing OK button didn't worked for me., My problem was with the wired LAN connection., It was not connected properly in the network socket, (backside of tv) it came out while cleaning yesterday.. :) Pulled it back and pushed it properly to the socked solved all my magic remote related problem.. (You can disconnect the wired internet and try wireless network also) Cheers...

[@bulletpeople]

I think you are absolutely onto something. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that if the "Wired network connected" message appears before 22 seconds then I have to click the OK button right at that moment. I think this issue has something to do with the TV being locked up for connecting to the remote while it is trying to connect to a wired network connection. I will try the test you did. Maybe that's all this is. I think maybe the only reason the 22 second wait works for me (90% of the time only) is because it's about the average time it takes for my wired network connection to be established.

[@audreyssharingb3670]

You're the Best No Seriously now my TV is working again...LG... Should hire you 👀🤷🏾‍♀️😁 no seriously thank you so much 🙌🏽.

[@rasmuslfgren8210]

I found out the best solution was a soft reset of the TV: Turn off the TV, pull out the AC power plug, press and hold the power button on the TV for at least 20 seconds. Put back power plug, and turn on TV.

[@bulletpeople]

Thank you. I'll try that next time I can't get it to work. I've added this to the description.

[@bulletpeople]

I tried it and it worked. Thanks! This will be my go-to method when the 22 second thing doesn't work.

[@e1kosayutub]

The 22second didn't worked but the soft reset did! Thank you for the both of you!

[@rodrigomarques8098]

This method worked on a 2019 OLED65C8. Thank you so much, it was driving me nuts, as nothing else worked!

[@pabloesposito2282]

The only thing that worked. Thanks!!

[@bladerunner61021]

I have an LG C2 and this just worked for me! Thank you very much.

[@gailanibarzanji]

You're awesome brother. Worked like a charm. Thanks a lot.

[@user-pe8cj2od1e]

Amazing thank you , don't know how you found this out but glad you did.

[@bulletpeople]

Thanks! I guess my decades working with software problems wasn't spent in vain! I think this is a software bug. I find it hard to believe LG hasn't repaired the pairing code that appears to have problems when the user is moving the remote around during the TV/remote handshaking process. Sometimes companies play dumb about an error because it would be too costly to offer a fix, so we end up with these silly workarounds!

[@markmccready67]

Thank you. This actually worked for me. I was just about to spend $1500 for a new TV.

[@davidpullinger4262]

Don't know if this helps or will work for others. I tried all suggestions on various websites and this video but nothing worked, in frustration I clicked the centre wheel about 20 or 25 times in rapid succession and it worked. Hope this will help others

[@bulletpeople]

Very cool. I'll try that the next time it fails for me. (It works about 9 out of 10 times.) I've noticed the center wheel does seem to be important in the process. (I wish LG would have a developer look at this and actually determine where the handshaking is failing and propose a workaround.)

[@myohokyo]

That worked for me. I just kept clicking center wheel about 7 or 8 times and it paired. Go figure. But the pointer is still not working which is why I unpaired it and then try to pair the remote again. I guess I now have to find a video on how to make the pointer reappear. 😟

[@Murph42000]

Same thing here smh!!

[@adrianadonis852]

It work for me I clicked the center button for about a million times thanks a lot

[@J_ohio107]

Thanks for the video! 👍just tried and My power button doesn’t even work. Totally unacceptable! Last lg tv I will ever buy

[@bulletpeople]

That stinks. These new TVs seem more like big cell phones than TVs to me. Once something goes wrong like one of the apps fail, then nothing works until you power it down completely. One thing you might try is to physically unplug it from the wall, then try to turn it on with the button on the set (usually on the underside right in the middle), and then plug it back in. That should reset it so that if the problem was caused by flaky software or out of memory errors, it might work again.

[@jeffbehringer1262]

I bought an extra remote as backup. Got it added and it worked. I put it away. After that my original still worked but not the pointer. Apparently only one at a time. I did this and was able to reverse but will need to do again if I need the new one.

[@jeffschelling2064]

Thank you. I tried everything and finally, this worked!!

[@alexandrebordonfacci5955]

Thank you for help! Hugs from Brazil

[@curtischristopherson2664]

Worked on 2022 model…thank you!!!

[@emilystaerk8183]

You're amazing! This Itty bitty little trick worked! I looked up everything and was pissed cause I thought I was going to have to buy a new TV. But my remote and TV are back to normal!! Thank you!!

[@patp550]

OMG thank you! It worked! Thank you thank you thank you!

[@mohammedalasmari1595]

I can't believe this worked for me.... thanks 👍

[@bulletpeople]

I agree. Why in the world would this silly workaround work for so many people? The engineers at LG really need to look at their device handshaking code!

[@BryanBelczak]

Thanks a million !!!! Was about to just throw out the tv 😫.. thank you 🙏🏽!!!

[@bulletpeople]

Thanks for letting me know. It's great to see when this works since this darn situation bedeviled me for a couple of years. I only figured this out after I retired and had more time on my hands.

[@zeehanshanazibrahim9813]

Very good idea on the flat surface. I did the same and it works. Thank you very much for the video.

[@bulletpeople]

Good to hear. I still get the occasional fail, maybe 1 time out of 10. Then I have to turn it off and on again. I think that happens when I wait longer than 22 seconds.

[@JustChillin247]

Thanks man. You are awesome. My remote works again.

[@strawhatironpp7524]

A huge thank you 🙏🏻 Works.

[@user-bd1uh8jr7j]

Ur a saviour

[@madd5]

I have no idea what you did there. Was your TV off when you pressed the power button on the remote?

[@bulletpeople]

Yes. Admittedly it is not a very well made video. TV off, press power button (on button) to turn the TV on, wait 22 seconds without moving the remote, click the OK button (i.e. click the scroll wheel) and pick it up and shake the remote. Good luck.

[@vincentbuzolits4681]

This is the only thing that worked - thanks

[@alansaeed6800]

This is brilliant! It worked. Thank you

[@bulletpeople]

Great to hear. It only works about 9 out of 10 times for me, and when it doesn't I have to turn it off and turn it back on. Good luck.

[@moabiekj8180]

remote: AN-MR650A, TV: LG 65SJ800V. Nothing worked. symptoms: 1. (starting with first seen) ".. network disconnected" after 1-2sec "..network connected" randonmly every x-xx minutes 2. (problably at same time) LG magic remote wheel doesn't work, remote microphone (oral commands) doesn't work actions: 1. new ethernet cable - no change 2. change batteries in remote - no change 3. open remote, clean and so on - no change -> uncle KZbin more advices: 4. unpair, and pair again remote (Home/Recents + Back for 5-10sek) - no change, /from this point TV shows: "Bluetooth service needs to be initialized" and nothing works/ 5. use OK (wheel) after 22sec TV's turning on - no change 6. try it with 1 min pull out the TV's AC power plug and then turn it on - no change OMG.. 7. and now the worst: for a few last days TV randomly turns off and on for 1sec (looks like the signal was lost) every x-xx min (similar to network disconnected.. connected in 1.) is it all connected to each other?? 7a. I used different device and diff. HDMI socket in TV and new HDMI cable - no change -> so this is TV's issue.. 8. I made TV reset - no change 9. I took TV off the wall (from the bracket) - it's standing on orig. TV feet :) I cleaned dust from vent holes - maybe termal issues? --> TV doesn't turn off by itself for now (a few hours..) ugh, at least this works.. for now.. Any new ideas about remote? 11. I tried this: "I just kept clicking center wheel about 7 or 8 times and it paired. But the pointer is still not working" - same here. So, only the red pointer/microphone is missing.. (before unpairing in 4., microphone and red pointer were showing but very poor or not working) 12. new try: "turning the TV on, holding down the "Off" button on the magic remote until the TV turned off (10 seconds), then turning the TV on using the magic remote. When the TV turned on it displayed a message, "Pairing with remote" " - didn't work for me. TV turns off suddenly, not after 10 sec.

[@bulletpeople]

I've noticed that the 22 seconds mentioned in the video is exactly two seconds after the LG webOS bottom menu (i.e. the one that shows all the different channels you can choose from) disappears. On my model that menu appears at the bottom after a few seconds and then disappears at about 20 seconds. So nowadays instead of counting to 22 I just click the power button (i.e. the on/off button) on the remote while the remote is sitting on a hard surface to turn on the TV, wait without touching the remote until that bottom menu disappears and then 2 seconds later I click the scroll-wheel button while picking up and shaking the remote. It works about 99% of the time now. Good luck.

[@moabiekj8180]

​@@bulletpeople Hello, I found solution, 100% working for me. Hardware issue. It was about WiFi module and cable connected to it inside TV. You need to clean cable sockets, they may have oxidized or lost contact in other way. I used contact cleaner, but if you don't have one, probably you need only to put in take out WiFi cable to/from a socket a few times. Thank you for your inspiration anyway.

[@bulletpeople]

@@moabiekj8180 Wow. That is way beyond my normal capabilities although I may give it a try. I found this video that shows how to get access to the wifi module on an LG TV, and it doesn't look too hard although it will take a lot of moving things around to get at it. If that is in fact the problem, I'd be glad to go to that trouble in order never to have this problem again. I probably waste 5 minutes a week doing the 22 second workaround. So is this the wifi module you are talking about: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYPVc41oetpoY6s And if that is corrrect, then you are saying clean up the contacts on the WiFi cable or just pull it out and put it back in a few times? Thanks.

[@lesliebaeza6751]

Thank you!! It worked!!!

[@kushagra694]

Awesome thanks for this.

[@muukkivi2733]

i am wordless, how is this possible!!?? 😅 worked for me

[@sniperwolfjs]

Still didn't work for me, still shows bluetooth service needs to be initialized

[@bulletpeople]

Sorry to hear that. You could try this. Don't do the click at 22 seconds. Instead wait for the initial menu to drop down. (IT is the menu shown here: www.lg.com/us/experience-tvs/smart-tv/use/images/use-feat-1.jpg.) Then wait two seconds and click the wheel while waving the remote. That works 95% of the time for me.

[@davidrees9563]

I have been chasing this problem for months now. BUT I also lose blue tooth connection to my headphones. It all worked well 12 months ago. I will try everything in these posts in the hope it will solve both problems. Has anyone else noticed blue tooth output to headphones also not working??

[@eddytalk1]

Thanks it worked for

[@Soultied2christ]

Thanks

[@netog4260]

Nope, did not work on my tv. Tried it few times still. Manage to manipulte the menu thru usb mouse.

[@bulletpeople]

There are some other suggestions on how to fix this that came from other commenters in the video description. Good luck.

[@120382brian]

Thankyou

[@annashazad1493]

It’s not working for me 🥺

[@bulletpeople]

Sorry to hear that. It fails for me about 1 out of 10 times. It seems to fail if I wait too long. For a while I was waiting 25 seconds but then when I brought it down to 22 seconds it seemed to work a lot more often. Try different durations, maybe 18 seconds, maybe 20 etc. And watch out for small movements while you are waiting. (It would fail if I put it on the couch and then sat down on the couch.) It's annoying that LG has not addressed this. I don't know if buying a new magic remote fixes it, but I believe they cost about $20.

[@josephmercado4363]

Mine TV keeps dropping Bluetooth

[@kingdon9690]

Mine says it's not supported but it's the remote that comes with it I've done everything and it's brand new

[@geogeorge3546]

Thanks man

[@noel888]

I spent $000 for my LG TV 5 years ago. I never read about pairing a remote, but it worked flawlessly without me ever pairing, but lately i cannot get the pointer and without the pointer your TV has degraded over 50%. Now, I cannot connect it to my WiFi, all those apps are unusable. When I try to open anything in the input sequence I see a message that I have to Initialize Bluetooth. I got miraculous to Settings and sound and there is nothing about Bluetooth. LG refuses to respond to my question or doesn't even answer to the initialize bluetooth questjion. I will never buy any LG product again for their lack of support.

[@bulletpeople]

That's so maddening. Have you tried any of the solutions listed at the link www.avforums.com/threads/lg-remote-bluetooth-service-needs-to-be-initialized.2064657 on the Avforums community? Also, I found an alternate solution that does not involve counting 22 seconds and put it in the description. Good luck getting it to work.

[@noel888]

Why did you not reveal this 'other' solution?@@bulletpeople

[@bulletpeople]

@@noel888 KZbin doesn't let me update the video itself. So I wrote the possible new solution in the video description. Here it is. Good luck! UPDATE: There might be an easier way. The "wait for 22 seconds" method only works 9 out of 10 times. But I noticed that I see on the screen a "Wired network connected" message at about 20 seconds and then when I click the OK button at 22 seconds it works. But if the "Wired network connected" message appears sooner, like at 10 seconds, then if I click it at 22 seconds it does not work. So I have tried this instead: I just wait for the "Wired network connected" message to appear and click the OK button after that. This has worked about 5 times so far. I'll post an updated video if this method works 100% of the time.

[@noel888]

@@bulletpeople Thank u. I have never seen wired network connected",,,abeit...mine is wired connected. At what time do you see that message? Is it when you try the 22 second method only? LG told me in their chat mode, to be sure that your batteries are fully loaded. Now, how does one know its fully loaded, wheater you buy a cheep group or more expensive group, and what about shelf life....how long on the shelf. I have a battery reader for a few years and each time i buy a battery, I check it out. Most of the time the needle just barely pass's the "Good Green section. It never has gone beyond to the very end of that spectrum....so much for getting a full loaded battery.

[@jenniferjaynelavealevi7276]

The ok button does not work for certain tasks such as all settings Ia or enter for info about the tv I have replaced ola batteries with new ones I do not see it on bluetooth when I scan it

[@bulletpeople]

Sorry to hear that. There are some other suggestions from other folks in the video description. Good luck!

[@sivafreefire7003]

I need help my Lg tv bluetooth service needs to be initialized how fix

[@shed.projects5150]

Did not work for me, on either of my three remotes. I certainly won't be buying any more remotes, OR LG TV's

[@bulletpeople]

Sorry to hear that. There are some other techniques that have worked for other people in the description. Good luck.

[@bigolow641]

Does not work..li get that same message after I power up and after I hit the “ok” button.

[@bulletpeople]

Sorry to hear that. Here's an idea that one of the other commenters wrote: ""I found out the best solution was a soft reset of the TV: Turn off the TV, pull out the AC power plug, press and hold the power button on the TV for at least 20 seconds. Put back power plug, and turn on TV." Good luck.

[@carlaprates5583]

Que legal, vou tentar na minha LG Nano cell 086 de 65 POLEGADAS, que sempre perde o pareamento. Sou do BRASIL.

[@deepsilver6609]

Спасибо из России, Мужик ты лучший

[@bulletpeople]

"Thanks from Russia, man you are the best." I am glad to hear it worked!

[@gregsmith451]

The LG tv has caused nothing but problems since we bought it. They are a waste of time and as such a big waste of money. And if that company is too ignorant to fix the problem which has existed for years don’t buy one. It is the first and last one I will ever buy.

[@johnlira3316]

Nice

[@user-pt4mq9yx5j]

Если не работает. Выполните сброс к заводским настройкам ТВ. Мне помогло только так.

[@bulletpeople]

FWIW, Google translates this as "If not working. Perform a factory reset of the TV. It just helped me." Here's a reminder that the factory reset didn't work for all of us.

[@woolgum]

Pressning the som On button turns off the tv. You mean pressing it while the tv is off? Nothing works here.

[@bulletpeople]

Yes, this is something you do when the TV is off. I wish it worked better. It works about 9 times out of 10 for me but when it does not work you have to turn the TV off to try it again.

[@woolgum]

@@bulletpeople I solved it by turning off the tv and pulled the power chord, waited 30 seconds or so then put the chord back and turned on the tv with the button on the tv. Then just pressed OK button on the remote. Volia. :)

[@bulletpeople]

@@woolgum Great to hear. Thanks for sharing this.

[@woolgum]

@@bulletpeople NP:)

[@69taint]

Doesn’t work.

[@bulletpeople]

Sorry to hear that. There are some other ideas described in the video description you might try.

[@hareezn.lateef5935]

Actually it didn't work for me too but i used the lower buttons from the TV behind the ON light to go to settings and reset TV initials after that the remote worked without a problem and the TV restarted as u already bought it.hope this helps

[@nooskids007]

No still won't work 😪

[@bulletpeople]

Sorry to hear that. It fails for me about 1 time out of 10, and I think that's because I waited a little too long. But I haven't found anything else that works more consistently. I just saw this for the first time. It's from LG in the UK. www.lg.com/uk/support/product-help/CT00008334-20150160196017 Good luck.

[@nooskids007]

@@bulletpeople HI thanks finally got it to work by turning the power off to the tv ,& restarting the tv manually then pressing the guide key to re-register the hand set 🖕

[@user-cr3op9pp9c]

​@@nooskids007 ممكن الطريقة

[@AhmedAli-ry3js]

Thanks for the video I’m in this problem for more than 2 years The cursor will disappear for long time and will appear for around 1 minute then disappear again And that will make Wi-Fi disconnect when cursor disappear I’m really tired of this tv I even keep it always off Your solution I don’t know It worked with me one time but I think it happened by luck I don’t know what to do

[@bulletpeople]

I wish I had a better solution. This works for me about 9 out of 10 times. When it doesn't work, I have to turn off the TV and try it again. You might want to take a look at these ideas from LG in the UK. www.lg.com/uk/support/product-help/CT00008334-20150160196017

[@nello315]

load of rubbish

[@bulletpeople]

Sorry it didn't work for you. There is a lot of extra info--including a link to another solution--in the description. Give them a try. This drove me crazy for years. Don't give up on it.

[@nello315]

@@bulletpeople the only way I could get it to work is unplug the cord and then when the TV is restarted it automatically pairs strait away after pushing the scroll wheel or any other button. but for some reason the remote has been in un synchronising on its own and not able to sync unless I unplug the power. batteries are new it could a faulty remote or corrupt TV software.

[@bulletpeople]

@@nello315 Glad to hear that.

[@tarekclown5761]

Very bad video

[@bulletpeople]

I take it then that it didn't work for you. There are some ideas that others have shared in the video description. Maybe one of those will work in your situation.