Matter commissioning often starts over Bluetooth LE: your phone reads a QR code or manual code, establishes a secure session, then hands off to Wi-Fi or Thread. Passcode timeout means that BLE window closed before the hub joined — common when the phone wanders away, VPN is on, or another app already half-commissioned the device.
Quick checks
Stand within a meter of the accessory. Disable phone VPN and Bluetooth toggles once. Kill vendor apps running background pairing. Use good lighting for QR scans; typed manual codes must match label exactly. Confirm phone and hub share the same LAN (not guest Wi-Fi).
Break timeout loops
Remove ghost device entries in Google Home, Apple Home, or SmartThings. Factory reset accessory per OEM guide only after cleanup. Power-cycle hub, then accessory. Retry with one ecosystem — not Apple and Google simultaneously. Update phone OS and hub firmware; BLE commissioning bugs ship in patches.
Verify
Commissioning should pass the passcode step within two minutes. Device toggles from the primary app before you add multi-admin shares.