iPhone bluetooth not working in my pocket

Well, as for me -- I just did a little testing and killed all the WiFi in my house and turned off WiFi on the iPhone 4 and there's no microwave running.

Result: No change.

The more I fool with it the more it looks like a signal strength issue. It may also have something to do with the antenna shape. I dunno though, I'm no RF engineer.

Small comfort to know that I'm not the only one having problems. I've got a Plantronics Voyager Pro I bought last summer to use with my iPhone 3G. I bought an iPhone 4 (leap-frogging the 3GS) and have had repeated issues with the Bluetooth connection dropping out. This seems to happen regardless of whether or not Wi-Fi is turned on, and also happens with Wi-Fi off and the phone in my pocket.

Yesterday I was on a call with my mom who said that my voice sounded as though my head were in a bucket of water. So, add poor call quality to the list. I used the exact same headset on multiple calls with her over the last year from the iPhone 3G with no complaints about call quality.

Hopefully this barrage of complaints will help Apple sort things out. With any luck it's something that can be fixed with a software update. I have to wonder what kind of real-world testing Apple did with this device, though, as this sounds like the sort of thing their team would try out when they're not busy leaving prototypes in bars.

Ok, so I just got back from my Genius appointment at out local Apple Store and they ran diagnostics (of some sort) on my iPhone 4 and said it was functioning properly. I chatted with the guy for a while about how "functioning properly" in this case was no where near good enough. He suggested very sheepishly that maybe I shouldn't pocket the phone when using bluetooth. I smirked and we both agreed that wasn't really an acceptable solution.

He did seem convinced that based on what I described and what people have posted in the forums here, that this is a systemic issue of some sort. He seemed hopeful that the "coming soon" firmware update might resolve the bluetooth issues.

As for a phone swap, he seemed willing if I would have pressed. He did say that if I "continued to have these issues" I should come back and they would swap out for a new handset. As for myself, I don't believe that I would get different results from a new iPhone 4 handset. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that the firmware update will arrive soon and will at least help mitigate these issues.

One additional thing I discovered playing with the phone this morning is that I can reproduce the cut-outs simply by putting the phone flat up against my body -- my stomach, back, side, what have you. Pretty much everywhere except my palm.

Oh one more point of fact to clarify this as an iPhone 4 issue and NOT an iOS 4 issue:

I beta tested iOS 4 on my iPhone 3GS -- which is currently running the release version of iOS 4 -- I had no such issues with the 3GS running iOS 4. Bluetooth on my 3GS (both standard and A2DP) worked fine through beta and works perfectly fine running the release version of iOS 4.

I've always had Bluetooth issues pocket or no. It's some body shielding issue. i4 on the right pocket and Bluetooth on the left and it's no more than 3 feet down to the pocket. I put both on the left side or briefcase to headset swinging on the left and it resolves.

Good news! I finally found something that seems to have resolved my BT issues -- something I should have known well enough to try first. Something that perhaps someone at Apple support should have recommended I try to resolved the issues...

I'm speaking of course about rebooting the iPhone 4.

Not sure why I didn't think of this. Sometimes my 3G would start to misbehave in odd ways -- especially when dealing with Bluetooth devices -- I found that simply rebooting the thing would always resolve the issues.

Flash forward to today with my iPhone 4: It wasn't accepting commands from my Jawbone so I thought "Oh, time to reboot." And, when I did, all of the sudden the cut-out and garbled speech issues are no longer there!

Please give it a try and post your results!

Hey check this out..........I think I found a possible answer to why this is effed.

start recording a voice memo from you bluetooth headset. I was saying test test test etc., then hold the phone away from you as far as possible and tap on the microphone part of the actual phone.

when I play back the recording you can hear the tap tap on the microphone super loud.

I deduce that the actual phone microphone is still accepting input while using the headset. So the garbled sound while in your pocket is the friiggin phone mic rubbing on your the inside of the jean pocket??

I dont know much about this kind of thing, but it sounds like something software could fix.

Just to update my situation. Recently bought a Motorola H15 after having voice quality and connection problems with my Voyager Pro and Jawbone Prime. While the Motorola works a little better (the other party can actually hear me speak now), it still is not the clear connection that I was used to with my 3G. I am wondering if we have faulty Bluetooth chips in our phones. Could that be possible?

I should add that my brother and mom have the same exact headset from the same store (costco) and they also both have iphone 4s. Neither is having the issues that I am having. This is why I believe it is a hardware issue.

Message was edited by: negotiator50

I've rebooted the phone a few times since reading your post. I still experience connections dropping when the phone is in my pocket. For reference, that's front left pocket with my Plantronics Voyager Pro in my right ear. I'm 6' 0" so I imagine that's less than 3' distance. I've only had it drop once while driving since re-booting. Phone is probably also fewer than 3' away when driving.

I haven't had complaints about the call quality since rebooting. I can't swear that solved it as I also haven't had many calls on the Bluetooth since then. I'll keep you posted.

It's been mentioned that across the 3GS and iP4 (not sure about 3G), that iOS 4 crippled the bluetooth.

I have used Motorola H720, ROKR H9 SD, and the Plantronics 975 with the iPhone 4 and they are all significantly worse than the 3GS. Friends and family say that I sound like I am in a well. Not good. The ROKR kept cutting out and was unusable as well as sounding awful. This is not a minor problem. It is a flaw that surprises me given the number of BT users that would have tested the phone before release. Re-booting might help but it sounds like a Window world repair for an Apple product.

I am having similar problems and have been talking to Apple support today.

I have a Jawbone Icon and iPhone 3GS. The headset constantly disconnects and reconnects meaning that leaving the unit in your ear is impossible. When a call comes in more often than not the signal has been dropped and the call will not route to the headset.

Having contacted Jawbone, they replaced the headset but the problems were not resolved.

Having called Apple 3 times each agent responded differently. I have now tried resetting network settings, resetting the phone and factory restore. On the third call the agent said they couldn't help or troubleshoot at all because it is not an Apple device and to try an Apple headset which is no longer available.

However, to add another twist, the Apple store recommends the Jawbone Icon for all iPhone generations ( http://store.apple.com/ie/product/H0495B/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY).

I have also tried the Icon with two other phones (not iPhones) and 2 other headsets with the iPhone. The Icon works fine with other phones and the other headsets have the same issue with the iPhone.

So it seems an obvious iPhone problem to which end Apple are not willing to help resolve.

I have same problem with bluetooth when phone is in pocket. However, I had same problem with i Phone 3gs with previous operating systems. (wifi on or off)

I have a jawbone Prime and have the same issues with my new iPhone 4. Bluetooth connection is useless in pocket, and constantly disconnects from phone. I used the same BT headset with my iPhone 3G and never had a single problem. I purchased a bumper case hoping it would fix the problem, but of course it did nothing. How can they design a "state of the art" phone with BT connectivity issues. Shame on you apple, I hope you fix this issue very soon.

To me this is really a safety issue for those like me on the go and talking while driving.

My setup; I have a BT enabled Navigation system in my car (Honda Civic) and an ear peace (Plantronics 520). I've never had issues with staying connected using my 3G iPhone, however the iPhone4 is constantly connecting and dis-connecting from both devices.

I did remove all phones from my car and re-sync with the new IP4 with no remedy.

Once you get hooked on this way of phone operation anything less just seems un-safe especially while driving.