Question Unusual Bluetooth Device Labels Showing Up — Help Me Solve This Mystery, Please!

[Evans051820]

Hello, Tom's Guide Community!

After thoroughly searching the forums, I believe that I have discovered a new issue that no one else has experienced—Google returned zero results for this problem as well. I've attached two Flickr links of screenshots for your viewing: one of the Bluetooth list, and one showing my phone's model, build, OS, etc. I tried posting the screenshots here, instead of the links, but I couldn't find that option. I am still learning the system, so please bear with me as this is my first post ever in this community. Thanks in advance for any advice, input, or feedback.

I recently purchased a new, inexpensive set of Bluetooth headphones to use while mowing the grass. When I opened the Bluetooth settings to begin pairing and hit "scan," a bunch of weird device labels showed up in the "available devices" list. It's hard to explain, but the screenshot shows it all. Has anyone come across this before? Neither the new headphones nor any other Bluetooth devices will connect since the issue started last night. A normal phone power cycle didn't fix the problem, and neither did a "network settings reset." I don't feel comfortable trying anything else until I hear back from the community. I finished mowing, and the wired headphones are working fine in the meantime, so whenever you have a chance to reply is fine with me—no rush.

https://flic.kr/p/2oR2ezt

https://flic.kr/p/2oR3NtS

Thanks again,

Drew 🙂

 

[Wolfshadw]

Just off the top of my head:

What would be the model number of the headset you purchased?
Did you fully charge the headset before attempting to pair them?
Are any other devices currently paired with the phone?
Has the phone's Bluetooth worked before?

-Wolf sends

 

[Evans051820]

Just off the top of my head:

What would be the model number of the headset you purchased?
Did you fully charge the headset before attempting to pair them?
Are any other devices currently paired with the phone?
Has the phone's Bluetooth worked before?

-Wolf sends

I appreciate the reply, but I already took them back to Marshall's so don't have specifics. It was cheap, $10 set of wireless earbuds on the super clearance shelf (ya, I definitely wasn't shopping for quality, LOL), but I did fully charge it before trying to pair. It's worth mentioning that it was the first Bluetooth device, in probably a month or so, that I had to go in and pair for the first time. Additionally, I haven't used any of my existing Bluetooth devices in a couple weeks at least because I let my step-son have them when his broke. 😔 In other words, I can't say for sure that the issue wasn't present prior to last night, since I had no reason to go in and check the devices list and discover all the weird listings. With that said, I believe that It's probably something with the phone itself. I'm used to seeing numerous Bluetooth Devices around me when I've clicked "scan" in the past—whether at home or in a public & populated area. However, they always populate with an easily identifiable name such as "Bose", or "Beats Studio 3" for example. Unfortunately, since last night, these weird coded names have been the only devices showing. It's almost like the the weird names replaced all the names I would normally see. Sorry, that's the best way I can think to describe it. I shared a link to an updated screenshot at the bottom of this post. I've never seen any of these names before, but I'm most curious what "unit sleeping" & "trbl:UNS (-1.0)" mean exactly. I could understand if a single device had a weird label, but I can keep scrolling down and there are several such examples. Just to clarify, none of the devices listed in the long list have normal-looking names—only weird names like the two examples above. Maybe the Bluetooth service became corrupted? I am a loss to be honest, I just really don't want to hassle with performing a factory reset (which would only help if the root cause is software-based). Have you ever seen labels like "unit sleeping" or "trbl:UNS (-1.0)", or have an idea as too what could cause this? 🤔

https://flic.kr/p/2oR4R2S

Thank you for your assistance in this matter,

Drew

 

[Wolfshadw]

Again, just off the top of my head:

Unit Sleeping probably means that a device that has previously been paired with this Android phone is in a non-discoverable state (off/not in range), but is supported.

trbl:UNS (-1.0) (I am purely guessing at this point) means:
trbl = Trouble
UNS = Unsupported
(-1.0) = Bluetooth pairing options/state

Since you mentioned that they were earbuds (two of them) that's why there are two listings (left and right earbud).

Again, this is purely speculation as my Google-Fu is as good as yours is right now.

-Wolf sends

 

[Wolfshadw]

Another possibility is that UNS is some sort of Bluetooth off-shoot that isn't fully recognized and just isn't supported by your phone. (I am finding things like Tenho UNS when searching)

-Wolf sends

 

[Evans051820]

Thanks, Wolf!

Before I consider a Factory reset, I'll continue investigating the issue to see if I can find a solution. Fortunately, I can still use my phone effectively without relying on Bluetooth for anything. If I come across any fresh information, I'll make sure to share it here, in case others encounter the same problem.

Thanks again,
Drew 🙂