Pro tip: if your Bluetooth scanner keeps dropping out in the field, it's almost never the scanner itself — it's your phone trying to be helpful by saving battery.
What you're seeing
Scanner pairs fine, works for 10–20 minutes, then suddenly stops scanning. Sometimes it reconnects on its own, sometimes you have to re-pair it. Super annoying when you're in the middle of a job and need to check parts.
Why it happens
Most modern phones aggressively power-manage Bluetooth connections when the screen is off or when the FieldPulse app isn't in the foreground. The scanner thinks it's still connected, but the phone has basically put that connection to sleep. When you try to scan, nothing happens until you wake the phone back up.
How to fix it
iPhone users:
- Settings > Bluetooth > tap the (i) next to your scanner
- Make sure "Connect to This iPhone Automatically" is enabled
- Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and ensure FieldPulse is allowed
- Pro tip: disable "Low Power Mode" in battery settings — it nukes Bluetooth reliability
Android users:
- Settings > Apps > FieldPulse > Battery
- Set to "Unrestricted" or "No restrictions" (exact wording varies by manufacturer)
- Settings > Bluetooth > gear icon next to your scanner
- Enable "Phone audio" or similar to keep the connection alive
Scanner-specific: Some Zebra and Honeywell scanners have a "keep alive" interval you can configure in their companion app. If yours supports it, drop it from 300 seconds to 60 seconds. Burns a bit more battery but stays connected.
If nothing else works
Some Samsung and Xiaomi devices are just brutal with Bluetooth power management. If you're on one of those and still having issues, the only reliable fix I've found is keeping the FieldPulse app open and the screen awake while scanning. Not ideal, but it works.
I've been running scanners in the field for six years across three different companies. This pattern is consistent enough that I always disable battery optimization for FieldPulse on every new device during onboarding. Saves a lot of headaches later.