- Fixed iOS reconnect failures when the device drops BLE bond keys mid-session (every 13-23 min on affected devices). iOS would cache stale keys and all reconnect attempts would fail, requiring a manual forget/re-pair in Settings. The app now detects the pairing error and clears the stale bond automatically before retrying

Author: MrAlders0n

lib/providers/app_state_provider.dart

@@ -260,6 +260,8 @@ class AppStateProvider extends ChangeNotifier with WidgetsBindingObserver {
   int _reconnectRestoreGeneration = 0;
   static const int _maxReconnectAttempts = 3;
   static const Duration _reconnectDelay = Duration(seconds: 3);
+  static const Duration _reconnectDelayAfterBondError = Duration(seconds: 5);
+  bool _lastReconnectWasBondError = false;
 
   // Map navigation trigger (for navigating to log entry coordinates)
   ({double lat, double lon})? _mapNavigationTarget;
@@ -2241,6 +2243,7 @@ class AppStateProvider extends ChangeNotifier with WidgetsBindingObserver {
     _cancelPendingAutoPingRestore();
     _isAutoReconnecting = true;
     _reconnectAttempt = 0;
+    _lastReconnectWasBondError = false;
     _connectionStep = ConnectionStep.reconnecting;
 
     // Remember auto-ping state before cleanup
@@ -2309,8 +2312,11 @@ class AppStateProvider extends ChangeNotifier with WidgetsBindingObserver {
     debugLog('[CONN] Auto-reconnect attempt $_reconnectAttempt of $_maxReconnectAttempts');
     notifyListeners();
 
+    // Use longer delay after bond errors to give iOS time to clear stale keys
+    final delay = _lastReconnectWasBondError ? _reconnectDelayAfterBondError : _reconnectDelay;
+
     // Delay before attempting reconnection
-    _reconnectTimer = Timer(_reconnectDelay, () async {
+    _reconnectTimer = Timer(delay, () async {
       if (!_isAutoReconnecting) return; // Cancelled while waiting
 
       try {
@@ -2320,6 +2326,7 @@ class AppStateProvider extends ChangeNotifier with WidgetsBindingObserver {
         // If we get here and connection step is 'connected', success!
         if (_connectionStep == ConnectionStep.connected) {
           debugLog('[CONN] Auto-reconnect succeeded on attempt $_reconnectAttempt');
+          _lastReconnectWasBondError = false;
           _onReconnectSuccess();
         } else if (_isAutoReconnecting) {
           // Connection failed but didn't throw - try again
@@ -2331,6 +2338,10 @@ class AppStateProvider extends ChangeNotifier with WidgetsBindingObserver {
       } catch (e) {
         debugError('[CONN] Auto-reconnect attempt $_reconnectAttempt failed: $e');
         if (_isAutoReconnecting) {
+          // Check for iOS apple-code 14 (Peer removed pairing information)
+          // The MeshCore device cleared its bond keys — clear iOS stale bond before retrying
+          await _handleBondErrorIfNeeded(e);
+
           // Reset step back to reconnecting for UI
           _connectionStep = ConnectionStep.reconnecting;
           _connectionError = null;
@@ -2341,6 +2352,19 @@ class AppStateProvider extends ChangeNotifier with WidgetsBindingObserver {
     });
   }
 
+  /// Detect iOS apple-code 14 bond errors and clear the stale bond before retry
+  Future<void> _handleBondErrorIfNeeded(Object error) async {
+    final errorStr = error.toString();
+    if (errorStr.contains('apple-code: 14') || errorStr.contains('Peer removed pairing information')) {
+      _lastReconnectWasBondError = true;
+      final deviceId = _rememberedDevice?.id;
+      if (deviceId != null) {
+        debugLog('[CONN] Bond error detected (apple-code 14) — clearing stale bond for $deviceId');
+        await _bluetoothService.removeBond(deviceId);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   /// Called when auto-reconnect succeeds
   void _onReconnectSuccess() {
     // Cancel timers

lib/services/bluetooth/bluetooth_service.dart

@@ -86,6 +86,12 @@ abstract class BluetoothService {
   /// Used for remembered devices to ensure name is available during connect
   void cacheDeviceInfo(DiscoveredDevice device);
 
+  /// Remove BLE bond/pairing for a device
+  /// On Android: removes the system bond entry
+  /// On iOS: best-effort — calls cancelPeripheralConnection to nudge CoreBluetooth
+  /// into clearing stale encryption keys (used after apple-code 14 errors)
+  Future<void> removeBond(String deviceId);
+
   /// Dispose of resources
   void dispose();
 }

lib/services/bluetooth/mobile_bluetooth.dart

@@ -397,13 +397,26 @@ class MobileBluetoothService implements BluetoothService {
         return; // Success - exit retry loop
 
       } catch (e, stackTrace) {
+        final errorStr = e.toString();
+
         // Check for Android error 133 (GATT_ERROR) - a well-known Android BLE stack issue
         // that typically succeeds on retry
-        final isError133 = Platform.isAndroid && e.toString().contains('android-code: 133');
-
-        if (isError133 && attempt < _maxRetries) {
-          debugLog('[BLE] Error 133 on attempt $attempt, retrying after delay...');
-          await Future.delayed(_retryDelay);
+        final isError133 = Platform.isAndroid && errorStr.contains('android-code: 133');
+
+        // Check for iOS apple-code 14 (Peer removed pairing information)
+        // The remote device cleared its bond keys — clear iOS stale bond and retry
+        final isBondError = Platform.isIOS &&
+            (errorStr.contains('apple-code: 14') || errorStr.contains('Peer removed pairing information'));
+
+        if ((isError133 || isBondError) && attempt < _maxRetries) {
+          if (isBondError) {
+            debugLog('[BLE] Bond error (apple-code 14) on attempt $attempt, removing bond and retrying...');
+            await removeBond(deviceId);
+            await Future.delayed(const Duration(seconds: 2));
+          } else {
+            debugLog('[BLE] Error 133 on attempt $attempt, retrying after delay...');
+            await Future.delayed(_retryDelay);
+          }
           // Force cleanup before retry
           try {
             await _bleDevice?.disconnect();
@@ -470,6 +483,19 @@ class MobileBluetoothService implements BluetoothService {
     debugLog('[BLE] Cached device info: ${device.name} (${device.id})');
   }
 
+  @override
+  Future<void> removeBond(String deviceId) async {
+    try {
+      final device = fbp.BluetoothDevice.fromId(deviceId);
+      debugLog('[BLE] Removing bond for $deviceId');
+      await device.removeBond();
+      debugLog('[BLE] Bond removed for $deviceId');
+    } catch (e) {
+      // removeBond may not be supported on all platforms/devices — log and continue
+      debugLog('[BLE] removeBond failed (continuing): $e');
+    }
+  }
+
   @override
   void dispose() {
     _isDisposed = true;

lib/services/bluetooth/web_bluetooth.dart

@@ -262,6 +262,11 @@ class WebBluetoothService implements BluetoothService {
     // No caching needed - this method is for mobile remembered devices
   }
 
+  @override
+  Future<void> removeBond(String deviceId) async {
+    // Web Bluetooth does not support bond management
+  }
+
   @override
   void dispose() {
     _notificationSubscription?.cancel();