Bluetooth--more than one setting?

[picandies]

BT Icon:

On the RPI screen, top right, there is a bluetooth "icon" you can click on it & make bluetooth connections to your devices. I've used that with various success. However, I just noticed under the "pi" icon/preferences menu, there is also a bluetooth manager. Clicking on that brings up another bluetooth icon next to the previously described. Are these the same thing? If not, what are the differences? Is there a reason to choose one vs the other?

[Douglas6]

Have you installed 'blueman' at some point? That's a Bluetooth GUI widget similar in functionality to Simon Long's widget. They can conflict, I would recommend uninstalling blueman.

[picandies]

Oh, the one under preference is indeed Blueman (2.0.4)...good call....must have come with the pi, or I don't remember installing it. I'm not familiar with Simon Long or his widget ...is that the one included on the main desktop bar? Actually, it seems like Blueman is more informative in this case, more selections & options.

[Douglas6]

Yes, Simon is behind much of the Raspbian desktop. Blueman does have more capabilities (file transfer, for example), but I don't think it's integrated with Raspbian's use of BlueALSA, et. al. Blueman is not installed by default on Raspbian.