skierrob2

Q: iPhone SE Bluetooth issues

I have a new iPhone SE and have so far paired it to a 2014 BMW 328i and a 2011 Kia Optima and a 2015 Kia Santa Fe. In all cases, I have terrible quality bluetooth call reception... the audio while on a phone call is extremely scratchy and distorted.

 

If I pair an iPhone 6S to each of these vehicles (same iOS version - 9.3.1), I do NOT experience these issues and calls are clear.

 

When I use the iPhone SE to make phone calls outside of Bluetooth, I have no issues and calls are clear.

 

This bluetooth issue on my iPhone SE does NOT impact Bluetooth music streaming. Only sounds scratchy / distorted with phone calls.

 

Apple, so far, is blaming the vehicle manufacturers despite there being multiple vehicle models and brands involved.

 

BMW and Kia state this must be an Apple problem.

 

Apple Genius bar is absolutely no help -- they state they can't report "software issues" to Apple and are only able to replace bad iPhones.

 

I'm at a complete loss as to how to get this to Apple's attention so they can fix the issue.

 

For now, I don't know what to do. All I know is that Bluetooth audio is very important to me in California since it is illegal to use your phone except in a hands free manner.

 

Anyone know how we can get this information to someone at Apple that can actually do something about it?

 

Robert

Posted on Apr 4, 2016 5:27 PM

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Q: iPhone SE Bluetooth issues

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  • by MotleyDiver,

    MotleyDiver MotleyDiver May 16, 2016 8:02 AM in response to grantfromhickory
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 8:02 AM in response to grantfromhickory

    You're right Grant. And guess what? It makes phone calls on BT! Can your SE do that yet? Ha ha . Here's your sign!

  • by grantfromhickory,

    grantfromhickory grantfromhickory May 16, 2016 8:12 AM in response to MotleyDiver
    Level 1 (19 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 8:12 AM in response to MotleyDiver

    Hey DS I have a 5s cause my SE had problems and I returned it, so yes it can.  It also has 8.2.1 which has a better App Switcher and its faster IMO

  • by MotleyDiver,

    MotleyDiver MotleyDiver May 16, 2016 8:20 AM in response to grantfromhickory
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 8:20 AM in response to grantfromhickory

    Cool. Thought you had an SE and was one of the many people on here defending that junk. My bad. All my best.

  • by boswelltbear,

    boswelltbear boswelltbear May 16, 2016 8:28 AM in response to MotleyDiver
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 16, 2016 8:28 AM in response to MotleyDiver

    My SE makes BT calls

  • by grantfromhickory,

    grantfromhickory grantfromhickory May 16, 2016 8:32 AM in response to MotleyDiver
    Level 1 (19 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 8:32 AM in response to MotleyDiver

    NOOO... the screen was worse (red tint) the sound was worse (noticeably lower and less clear from built in speaker,  headphones and through BT) and the battery was no where near what Apple stated.  I also hated iOS9 .  Why pay for something that is a step back.  One thing that was an improvement was the antennas used, seemed to cover more areas and connect back quicker after dropping out of a no service zone.  Not worth it for me when the iPhone 7 is just around the corner, I could still probably run my 5s for another 1.5 to 2 years with no problems

  • by grantfromhickory,

    grantfromhickory grantfromhickory May 16, 2016 8:38 AM in response to boswelltbear
    Level 1 (19 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 8:38 AM in response to boswelltbear

    1294.gif

  • by MotleyDiver,

    MotleyDiver MotleyDiver May 16, 2016 8:50 AM in response to grantfromhickory
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 8:50 AM in response to grantfromhickory

    Grant I'm with you on SE quality. About 30 pages ago in this tread I laid out my story. In a nutshell - I was suckered into going from my 6 to SE because of size, processor etc. I paid $150 to do so when it first came out - cheaper than eBay/craigslist to get the smaller phone. My experience went downhill from there. Apple wanted to charge me ANOTHER $150 to switch back to the 6. I was stuck. So that's the back story. After a relentless pursuit to get them to waive the $150, today they finally did. I couldn't wait for the 7 because I needed this now. The specs of the 6 are fine with me. It was the size that I didn't/don't like. I'll live with it for now, but I'm not likely to get another iPhone when this one is obsolete. I keep phones about 3 years on average.

  • by dcpmark,

    dcpmark dcpmark May 16, 2016 10:05 AM in response to Itsbarbara
    Level 1 (28 points)
    May 16, 2016 10:05 AM in response to Itsbarbara

    9.3.2 is now out for public download. Don't forget to post about your BT perfomance after you install the update. From the release notes:

     

    "iOS 9.3.2 fixes bugs and improves the security of your iPhone or iPad. This update:

     

    • Fixes an issue where some Bluetooth accessories could experience audio quality issues when paired to the iPhone SE"
  • by akordion,

    akordion akordion May 16, 2016 10:10 AM in response to dcpmark
    Level 1 (10 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 10:10 AM in response to dcpmark

    Downloading it now - funny how they put it: "fixes an issue where some BT accessories experience audio quality issues...."

  • by MotleyDiver,

    MotleyDiver MotleyDiver May 16, 2016 10:22 AM in response to dcpmark
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 10:22 AM in response to dcpmark

    Yeah I see that. Unfortunately I literally went this morning and exchanged my SE Junk back to an iPhone 6 at no charge. I hope this works out for those who kept their SE, but I fear it's a sign of things to come with this version. Oddly enough, no one knew at the store this morning, when I asked, if an update was due. That is what happens when you have a company ran by a bunch of young people who really lack the experience to deal with the public - they're all clueless. One would think at least a manager could've said "We anticipate an update release later today or this week." But NO. No one below Mr. Cook has any idea what is going on.

  • by MotleyDiver,

    MotleyDiver MotleyDiver May 16, 2016 10:24 AM in response to akordion
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 10:24 AM in response to akordion

    Yep. It's the #1 item, yet, walk into any store and ask - they are all clueless. Great product, lousy leadership. The product sells itself. Everything up to this SE has been top quality. This thing has been and I think will be a disaster. Apple isn't even shipping them, they are so terrible. I stopped in a Verizon store in the mall just to see and the salesman said "We can't get them and haven't been able to for a long time. We stopped promoting them to customers." Sad.

  • by grantfromhickory,

    grantfromhickory grantfromhickory May 16, 2016 10:32 AM in response to MotleyDiver
    Level 1 (19 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 10:32 AM in response to MotleyDiver

    And everything after it will be too, phones and Apple hasnt been the same since Jobs died and the stock price is showing it.  Days for Apple is declining, early prototypes show the 7 will be like the 6 - 6s with different antenna lines and different OS, that aint going to cut it.  It takes someone like Jobs with OCD to stay on top of stuff like this and to get the products we want

  • by grenadegage,

    grenadegage grenadegage May 16, 2016 10:33 AM in response to skierrob2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 16, 2016 10:33 AM in response to skierrob2

    still downloading the 9.3.2. Its been 10 mins...

    Is it working for anyone else?

  • by andro89,

    andro89 andro89 May 16, 2016 10:35 AM in response to dcpmark
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 16, 2016 10:35 AM in response to dcpmark

    I upgraded. It's fixed.

    It took them one month approx, not bad as they had to test final version, but they fixed this in beta within 14 days? Not bad...

     

    Regarding being so silent about it, I believe there is company policy and admiting such software bug would have big impact on stock price.

     

    Not so happy with their approach, but kinda understand it.

  • by MotleyDiver,

    MotleyDiver MotleyDiver May 16, 2016 10:40 AM in response to andro89
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    May 16, 2016 10:40 AM in response to andro89

    Wow, you must've been sitting in your car, checking for the upgrade, downloaded and installed via carrier then made a phone call all within 30 minutes since this just released at 1000 PST.

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