Samsung TV Stops Automatically Connecting to Samsung Bluetooth Soundbar

I have a Samsung KU6300 series smart TV which I bought from Best Buy a few years ago, along with a Samsung MM55 soundbar that I picked up from Costco.

The soundbar pairs with the TV via bluetooth, and automatically turns on with the television. The only connection to the soundbar is for power - I do not use HDMI ARC, optical input, etc. This works fantastically well with no noticeable lag/delay - until it doesn’t.

Every few months, the soundbar will still paired, but will refuse to turn on with the TV and connect. I have to manually turn the soundbar on, and then manually switch the TV sound output to the soundbar.

Here’s how to get it working again:

  1. Turn on the soundbar.
  2. On the soundbar remote, press the source/input button until the soundbar display says BT Ready.
  3. On the soundbar remote, press and hold the play/pause button for 5 seconds, until the soundbar display says ON - TV Remote.