iPhone 4/iOS 4 bluetooth muffled on other end

Wouldn't it be great if Apple simply said "Yep, seems to be a problem with Bluetooth connections. We are going to fix it".

After all, Steve says he "Loves his customers". I'm not feeling it.

Please call apple support--don't just post on here--get it on record. Ask to talk to a senior rep.

1800 my apple

Ticket opened with Apple support

Is it me or does it seem that most of the people having issues are using Plaintronics or Jawbones. Are there not other issues with the Motorolas BlueAnts or is Plaintronics just more popular ?

Motorola H17 and H715 does not work on 3 different iPhone 4 that I've had...

I have it happen on my Jawbone ICON, Plantronics Backbeat 906, and Motorola S305, BlueBridge Mini-Jack RX. I have to say the muffled sound is the least of my problems. The frequent intermittent drops, the inability to see my bluetooth devices until I cycle the bluetooth on and off, and the weak transmission distance from the source is equally annoying. (It should be noted that I have a 3GS and everything was fine until I upgraded to 4.0.1.

Guys, finally some good news (I guess). Took my iphone4 to the Genius bar tonight. Explained the problem of caller hearing our voice muffled. Initially, he went through the routine of how he has never heard this complaint before till now blah blah. I told him bluntly how all the apple stores and the apple customer support over the phone have been saying that to everybody complaining about this bluetooth problem even the number has grown significantly now. I also made him read this forum's thread so that he can understand the magnitude of this issue. I told him about the different theories going around such as WiFi interfering with bluetooth operation or the Noise cancellation mic picking up our voice when talking through Bluetooth handsfree set etc. I also asked if he is aware of this issue being rectified in the OS4.1 to which he replied that as far as he knows all they fixing primarily is the proximity sensor issue.

I told him that I already tried their phone support once but all they could suggest was resetting the phone to factory settings and if it still doesn't work get a replacement. He went to settings>General>About and said if there is hardware problem then the bluetooth device's number wouldn't be displayed there which obviously wasn't the case with my phone. So he said the device must be good and so there is no need for replacement.

He then suggested that he take it inside because he has some kind of "bluetooth tester". After 10 mins, he came out and said he was actually able to replicate that problem of the caller on the other end hearing out muffled voice and so he contacted Apple's main tech center or whatever that place is called and they clearly informed him that they are aware of this issue and working on it and a fix would be issued in the OS4.1 when its released. Also apprarently that tech center had received these complaints already and are working on it. The diagnosis run on my phone would also be sent to their tech center in order to help them fix this software bug. He did mention that in OS4.0 Apple had written the code for bluetooth from the scratch which might I have led to the bugs not existent in the previous versions ⚠.
When asked for a release date for the OS4.1 he replied that he expects it to take like two months(!) though the OS4.0.1 got released very quickly.
So to summarize it does look like apple is aware of this frustrating issue and are going to have a fix for that in OS4.1. I hope all these are true and not just some marketing gimmick by apple's PR & Marketing to prevent people from returning the phones before the 30day period ends. All said and done, it is incumbent on Apple's part to atleast respond to customers properly. I understand it takes time to fix things. But customers are more frustrated by the silence rather than the actual problem itself. Anyways, keeping my fingers crossed and holding on to the iphone...

My call to Apple Care earlier this week elicited a similar response, although I was led to believe that a fix in OS 4.1 was days rather than weeks away.

The bottom line is that this bluetooth problem is a far, far bigger glitch than the aerial snafu, and Apple's bacon has been saved (if you'll excuse the mixed metaphor) by the fact that very few people use bluetooth. I'm giving them one week to fix this, then my iPhone 4 goes back. In 10 years of using Apple products, that's the first time I've ever considered returning a product (even the Cube).

I have been reading these threads with trepidation over the last few weeks as I use Bluetooth every day with my phone.

For the commute to work and hands-free calling I use the Sennheiser MM450 headset which is absolutely sensational. And I am pleased to report that after having my phone for a couple of days there appear to be no problems whatsoever with this set. The only slight flaw is that the talkthrough feature (where you can press a button on the headset to mute music and open the mikes to hear someone talking to you) seems to only work for ten seconds then the music cuts back in. Watching a movie last night, I was amazed to see that the lip-sync was perfect which was not the case on my iPod Touch. So chuffed about that too!

On the phone side, callers tell me that I am clearer than I was with my previous handset (non-Apple) and I love the fact that I can hear my ringtone instead of a generic tone.

I still haven't got round to running test on my car kits which are Parrot CK3100, but will update when I have.

I know that many have had problems after four or five days of use and I will certainly update everyone if I run into trouble, but so far so good and if you haven't already looked at the MM450, check them out. They are pricey but worth every penny.

I just got off the phone with apple support reporting this today. I was told to reset network settings tried that see how it works. He stated he would escalate it but the rep told me the best thing to do was report it at apple.com/feedback. Submitted my feedback on this and told them how android seems to be looking better by the day.

Slashgear is now reporting this issue, which is great. They're asking for reader comments if you're having problems:

http://www.slashgear.com/ios4-bluetooth-problems-reported-patchy-connections-sho ddy-audio-2395177/?utmsource=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3Aslashgear+%28SlashGear%29&utmcontent=GoogleReader

I use and iPhone 4 with my infinity G37 handsfree system. It worked fine on my 3GS and people were always surprised to hear that I was hands free. With the new iPhone 4 and iOS4 people complain that my voice is muffled when they call me, although I can hear them fine. It doesn't seem to be a problem when I call out. Obviously frustrating. Apple please fix.

I justed talked with Apple support. The rep confirmed that there are IOS 4 issues impacting multiple blue tooth headsets. My two examples are the Jawbone 2 and Blue Ant Q1. Both Apple and headset makers are working on it, but no resolution date known.

Hey just curious, when you guys are using Bluetooth headset, are you switching from iphone to headset during the call?? Whenever I make call/receive while connected to Bluetooth, my Plantronics - Voyager Pro works perfect! I made several calls to test it out, whenever i'm on the call and try to turn on bluetooth and get connected, everyone said it sounded really muffled and really really low, but when bluetooth is already connected before i make call/receive they said i sound crystal clear. I'm not sure if this might help others but it worked for me.

ShinobiX, you are ABSOLUTELY correct. If my call STARTS in my BT headset (Plantronics Voyager Pro), my calls are not muffled whatsoever. I have tested this with 20+ calls. However, when I switch to the headset AFTER the call has already started, I sound very muffled to the person on the other end.

I can easily recreate this by:

1. Starting the call with bluetooth (sounds fine)
2. Switching audio to the iPhone itself (sounds fine)
3. Switching back to the bluetooth = muffled!

😀 nice i'm glad it works for you! hopefully everyone won't have to suffer bluetooth issues anymore ^_^

Do you know how you can tell if someone doesn't own an IPhone?


If you see them talking on a bluethooth!