Alpine UTE73BT Bluetooth Pairing

Phone says connected, but there’s no audio streaming

Are you having a hard time figuring out your Alpine UTE73BT Bluetooth pairing? Whether you’ve got the Alpine UTE-73BT, CDE-172BT or the CDE-175BT this post covers how to set up a new phone, clear out an old phone and resolve most Bluetooth connectivity issues.

Out of all the stereos I sell – single din, double din, touch screen, CarPlay, Android Auto, Alpine, Kenwood, Sony, Pioneer, Boss, Jensen, Stinger, Grundig, etc. – these 3 Alpine models are the ones that seem to trip up the most clients when it comes to resolving Bluetooth connection issues. Unlike most head unit models on the market, the UTE73BT, CDE172BT and the CDE175BT have just 2 banks for Bluetooth devices.

Device 1 is for your main phone. This profile covers handsfree and audio streaming functions. The Device 2 bank is strictly for handsfree functions only. Additionally, unlike many Bluetooth devices on the market, this unit is not always ready to be paired with a new device.

Pairing a new device – first time powering up

If you’ve just powered your UTE-73BT up and this is the first time anyone has tried to pair a device to it, follow these instructions.

• Press and hold the sleep button, which looks like a back arrow, below the volume knob. This puts the radio into a Standby mode.
• Next you want to press and hold the music note which is also labeled “Setup”
• The first option that pops up says “General” – turn the knob until you see “Bluetooth”
• Select “Bluetooth” by pushing the knob in
• Scroll the knob to “Pairing” then push the knob in to select “Pairing”
• The first option that pops up should say “Device 1” – push the knob in again to select “Device 1”
• Now the Bluetooth icon on the radio should start blinking and the radio model number should become visible in your list of devices on your phone.
• Simply tap the radio model number on your phone and follow the prompts
• Pairing should complete

When clients usually run into trouble

Usually I see clients run into trouble when they’ve already had a device paired to the radio and they’ve gotten a new phone or perhaps they’ve done a software update on their phone and now their Bluetooth connection is intermittent. When this occurs it’s important to clear the memory from both devices. In your phone, you want to forget the device and in the radio we need to clear Bluetooth memory.

To clear Bluetooth memory from the radio, we have to go back into that same menu. So again you’ll put the radio in Standby.

• Press and hold the sleep button, which looks like a back arrow, below the volume knob to put the radio in Standy or “Sleep” mode.
• Press and hold the music note icon labeled “Setup”
• Next, scroll the knob until you see “Bluetooth” and then push the knob in to select “Bluetooth”
• Scroll the knob until you see “BT Initial”
• Push the knob into select “BT Initial”
• The default option that pops up says “No” – turn the knob until you see “Yes” then push the knob in
• The radio will now clear Bluetooth memory and you can go back to pairing and set Device 1

What if you’re still experiencing streaming or connection issues after clearing memory?

If you’re still having trouble with your UTE73BT Bluetooth pairing, it’s possible you may need to do a software update on the radio or a software update on your phone. Make sure the operating system and all of your apps are up to date in your phone. Also, if you haven’t restarted your phone in a while, it’s a good idea to simply restart your phone. Lastly, if you’re having trouble with one particular app where it crashes whenever you try to stream it, try deleting the app and reinstalling it. This usually resolves any app specific streaming issues that pop up.

Pairing a new phone to your Alpine radio shouldn’t be too difficult, but sometimes the instructions you find in the owner’s manual leave a bit to be desired. Hopefully these instructions fill in any gaps and help you with your UTE73BT Bluetooth pairing.