iPhone 4/iOS 4 bluetooth muffled on other end

Folks have claimed the muffled sound only exists on incoming calls. I can attest that is incorrect. I've been calling my work voicemail as a test for the passed two weeks and MAKING a call continues the muffle.

Also, some have claimed switching back and forth from BT to reg phone to speaker and then back to BT makes the sound LESS muffled. In my several tests the opposite is true. It actually sounds MORE muffled.

It's quite a drag that we have to whine and moan about this kind of issue. I certainly don't want to be a "hater" because on balance, the phone does some great stuff. It's just sad that such a staple of smart phone technology in bluetooth has to be hobbled at the launch of the device. It really takes the "new car smell" out of the purchase 😟

FWIW, I found this link post which claims that maybe if you reset your phone not from a backup and just as a new phone that the problem may be fixed... http://appletoolbox.com/2010/07/iphone-4-muffled-or-muddy-bluetooth-audio. I am thinking I saw a few people who said they are new to AT&T (possibly suggesting that they never restored from an older (e.g., 3GS) backup) and they were having similar issues... I did upgrade so I restored from my 3GS backup.

I was on the phone with Apple this morning for about 40 min dealing with this muffled bluetooth issue...I gave the tech this thread so he could see what everyone is experiencing , since he was supposedly unaware. He told me the latest software coming out in a week or so is mainly just to fix the proximity sensor and not any bluetooth issues. He advised me to swap my phone out at a Apple store and to see if that fixes the problem. I told him I'll try anything to resolve this but that I'm not going to stop till it's FIXED! I told him Apple needs to quit treating everyone like they're idiots and that the problems they're experiencing are only isolated incidents.

I also noticed some recent articles online about bluetooth issues with Iphone 4 when I did a search on google under the news tab.

Skyler1206 wrote:

walman01 wrote:
There certainly is an issue. I have narrowed my issue down to incoming calls that I answer on the bluetooth. When I call out, it's fine. When the call comes in, my voice is muffled for the person on the the other end.

Thank you! That's what I discovered as well! And two of my friends have the same identical issue! What is Apple's problem? I'm ready to start calling some TV networks so Apple can get some more bad publicity with the Iphone 4! When I spoke with Apple they told me to do a factory reset (obviously that didn't work) then I take it to their store, the tech was rude first of all, takes my phone to the back, pairs my phone with one of their bluetooths and places two calls (according to him) and everything works GREAT! So he blamed my bluetooth or he said I might just be in a s h i t area!

I purchased a new bluetooth that day and guess what? SAME PROBLEM! Thanks for nothing APPLE! Oh but everybody's getting a free BUMPER so that makes everything better!! Thanks Apple.

Message was edited by: Skyler1206

Gotta love their response is always "wait for Apple's patch"...

Either they don't have enough tester or their test coverage is way too limited. I would consider this as a serious functionality regression.

I don't have much issue with the proximity sensor. And besides, BT issue should trump the proximity sensor big time....(at least for those of us that don't want to glue the phone to our face).

Capt. Young said at 10:43 AM on July 19th, 2010:
None of these work. I have tried all of the 4 Apple so-called fixes.I also have tried 4 different bluetooth devices with the same muffled sound reported by incoming callers. My bluetooth devices work fine with other phones other than OSi4 iPhones. PLEASE APPLE fix this issue-We need the bluetooth for legal, safe car operations! My two trouble tickets with Apple have been ignored. Yesterday I AGAIN called Apple support to ask what the "Model" number means, i.e. date, location, or what.... the Apple tech. did not know, nor could she find out when she asked the supervisor. She also claimed THERE WAS NO KNOWN bluetooth issues with the iPhone 4 or OSi4! It's time to start returning the phones and waiting 29 days and return it again until they get with it! I am returning mine today and will keep doing it until Apple gets the idea.

I suspect this is just a sign that message is not spread out consistently across all Apple supports. Some Apple support is aware of the issue, and some aren't.
Unfortunately, I fear the number of awareness is way too low compared to the rest.

Even the guy I talked to at Genius bar had no idea the issue existed (even on his own iPhone4). He only said that he will file an escalation, but there is no saying as to when the patch will be available.

I think at this point, I can choose to hold onto the phone or switch to a HTC. I have until 24th to figure that out 🙂

Had same dropout problems on my iphone 3g since upgrading to OIS 4.0. My Sony ericsson pv703 heasdet and Plantronics Discovery 925 both suffered sound breaking up on the other end.
I have just purchased a New Jabra BT 530 noise cancelling headset and it works perfectly with excellent call quality.If anyone can get hold of one of these to give it a go it's worth a try as it's the only thing that sorted mine out.

I agree it might come down to having to purchase a new headset, but that's just not right why should I have to spend another $80 to $100 just do the fix something Apple caused. maybe Apple should give all of us a new headset just like they did the cases. I used to be a big Apple fan, but my doubts are growing and I no longer recommend the iPhone to anyone. It used to be all I talked about. Now Apple is making me look bad.

I too would hate to purchase a new headset just to "fix" this issue. I looked up some reviews on the Jabra BT530 and the one consistent complaint seeems to be the sound quaility. That being said, there's no need in me going from bad to bad/worse.

Of course at the moment, my BT issues seem to still be resolved (exchanged the phone a couple of weeks ago) BUT now I have the problem of people hearing/understanding me if I don't use the bluetooth and this is with the bumper. Now, I'm at a complete loss!

I also hated to buy another headset but was desperate to find a solution to the problem. I purchased a Jabra BT Extreme yesterday and it seems to have solved the problem. People on the other end say I no longer sound like I am underwater. I am hopeful that it continues to give good results and I will report back. Maybe Jabra knows something other BT manufacturers do not.

After I reset and erased my phone, things have been better but still the muffled effects come and go. I don't think a new headset is a resolution. People have done that and in a few days the muffle came back. With that in mind, I deleted the profiles I established with my two Plantronics, 510 and V. Pro and established them again. I also did the 401 update. Like you guys, APPLE MUST MAKE THIS RIGHT. Mine still drops my bt in a few feet.

I have similar issues as reported in this forum and other threads as well. I use my car's handsfree bluetooth to talk while driving as well as my Motorola Rokr s9 stereo headset. The first time I tried it the callers on the other end couldn't hear me at all. They said it was very muffled like talking from within a well. I was frustrated and setup a call back with the Apple Support Center. Meanwhile, I had to reboot my phone because for some reason it was showing No Service for a long time. Just before the call with the service rep I tried the bluetooth on both my car and the Stereo headset and the caller said he could hear me perfectly fine. I am not sure if the reboot changed anything and judging by other's experience it could crop up again.
But the service rep whose name was Scott I believe said he was not aware of this issue before and tried to tell me it was an isolated incident. But then I had included this forum's address in my complaint for setting up the call back appointment and so he saw the link and read through the forum. I also said many people are saying the issue could be with the mic picking up out voice and also there are rumours of the OS4.1 coming up with a fix for that etc. but he said he didn't know about either of these as well. He insisted they were not aware of this 'Muffled Voice over Bluetooth' issue and sounded at a complete loss on what to say. In the end all he said was I should restore the phone and if it doesn't work I should return to the store and get it replaced. I told him why I should try a restore now if its working well with the Bluetooth but he sounded very confused with his reply and in the end I was a bit frustrated and said I will call back when the issue recurs. I am going to test it in the next few days so that I have a clear decision to retain the phone or return it before my 30 day period ends on July30.
Any help in this issue would be appreciated.

count me in on the Bluetooth problems. I have a Jawbone and callers can not understand me. Also count me in on the antenna issue, proximity sensor, and maybe a compass performance problem.

iPhone 4.0 with iOS 4.0.1 and AT&T's poor service.

I have been a loyal apple follower since the Apple IIc and own several hundred shares. I have lost a bit of my blind faith with these issues and Steve Jobbs' poor response. Recall the iPhone Steve. Your value and earnings will take a big hit but not as big if you lose consumer confidence in the brand name. Don't forget Sonny.

I too am having issues with my bluetooth, and I called apple support...they told me they had never heard of the issue, and I needed to restore my phone. I did and it did not help. I have tried 3 bluetooth devices and they all sound like I am talking with a mouthful of cotton. All 3 devices worked fine with my 3GS...I also had a friend sync them with his phone...and they worked perfectly. I am starting to loose faith in Apple. I have everything Apple...and this is the most annoying "BUG" ever.

Skyler1206 wrote:
I'm having the same problem with my Iphone 4 and bluetooth. It pairs fine but everybody tells me I sound all garbled. I called Apple and reported it. Spoke with two reps. The first rep said she's never heard of this problem. The second rep said he had heard of this problem. I took my phone and bluetooth to the Apple store, their tech looked at the phone, took it into the back room and paired my phone with one of their bluetooths and came back out and said it was my bluetooth (even though my bluetooth worked with my 3G)

Went out and bought a new bluetooth the same day, paired it to my Iphone 4 and the first call out was fine. The issue is sparatic...but what I figured out is that 9 times out of 10 if I place the call to someone while using the bluetooth it sounds fine. If they call me and I try to use my bluetooth it's all muffled. As far as I'm concerned this is a big deal and Apple could care less. The reps over the phone usually just tell me to do a factory restore. I know two other people who just got the Iphone 4 with the same exact issue using various models of bluetooth. COMPLETE B S! I'm ready to return the phone if Apple doesn't fix this problem. (Although I don't want to cause I really love the phone besides the bluetooth issue!)

D-I-T-T-O-!!!!!