iPhone 4/iOS 4 bluetooth muffled on other end

Did you try a full restore after installing the 4.1 update (as well a Forget the Device and repair)? I tried after just updating to 4.1 and the caller on the other end still couldn't hear me well. The moment I switched to talking from the phone they said my voice was very clear. I then tried forgetting and repairing the device and left a voicemail on another phone and checked it. The voice clarity was not great but it is audible but I could hear some kind of static noise still. If restoring the phone works I will try that next. If it still doesn't........

I just did the full restore with the 4.1 update as well a Forget the Device and repair and checked it by calling a second phone here. Absolutely no relief. As muffled as ever.

After 4.1 (itunes) update no change on Blueant Q2 - still works very fine. Voyager Pro is still muffled. Did "forget device" and re-pair on both. Range and all functions on Blueant Q2 far better than Plantronics. Stereo headphones work on all functions and sound/range is fine.

Bad news: I was wrong! Still muffled sound in heavy wind conditions. I think there's still a problem cutting twice the noise, both the phone and the headset.

Now what?? Shall we all collectively organize an iMeeting where we can throw our iPhones into the iFire and call it an iDay?

Good news. I have a plantronics voyager pro. It worked perfectly on my 3G/3Gs (perfect call quality in both directions, and wonderful bluetooth reception on the headset even over 50 feet away and through walls).

With iPhone4 it had the muffled sound on received call problems on the iPhone 4 (IOS 4.0, 4.01, 4.02). Also, the reception was staticky when the phone was more than 30 inches from the headset.

With IOS 4.1 the problems are completely gone. I can again use my phone is both directions (inbound/outbound calls). My reception is fantastic again, I can use it at least 50 feet (or more) and through walls again.

Thank You Apple!

far182 wrote:
Good news. I have a plantronics voyager pro. It worked perfectly on my 3G/3Gs (perfect call quality in both directions, and wonderful bluetooth reception on the headset even over 50 feet away and through walls).

With iPhone4 it had the muffled sound on received call problems on the iPhone 4 (IOS 4.0, 4.01, 4.02). Also, the reception was staticky when the phone was more than 30 inches from the headset.

With IOS 4.1 the problems are completely gone. I can again use my phone is both directions (inbound/outbound calls). My reception is fantastic again, I can use it at least 50 feet (or more) and through walls again.

Thank You Apple!

far182, are you saying your Plantronics VP worked with both the 3g/3GS and the iPhone 4?

THIS IS NOT AN iPHONE 4 SPECIFIC ISSUE.

Muffled sound on other end issue happens ONLY WHEN THERE'S NOISE ON THE OTHER END. After updating you should call someone who's walking on a noisy road to check if your headset works fine or not.

This issue has been around for over two years now; it's an echo cancellation bug, I've been yelling at Apple ever since they added echo cancellation on the 3G (a couple of weeks after Apple's own bluetooth headset was released and suffered from terrible echo).

This issue was THERE on your 3G/3GS iPhones as well, don't know why you people didn't catch it earlier, maybe because you didn't use bluetooth headsets in the States up until recently. I'm still having this issue on my 3G paired to a Jabra BT530 headset. Have been for the last couple of years.

After installing 4.1 without joy, I "reset settings" on advise from another thread. It is early days, and I'm very nervous about declaring it, but....... I think it might be fixed! I'm using a blueantII, and keeping my fingers crossed!

@Thanar, I've had all generations of the iPhone and have been using a bluetooth w/ them from day1 so there is nothing wrong w/ the me in the "you" people. ("*don't know why you people didn't catch it earlier, maybe because you didn't use bluetooth headsets in the States up until recently."*

I didn't start having the muffled sound issue until I got the iPhone4 and had used the same (model) bluetooth will previous versions. Apple replaced my phone a little over a month ago and I had the problem every now and then but it was not as bad as it was prior to the replacement. I've done the update and so far, great.

Thanar wrote:
This issue was THERE on your 3G/3GS iPhones as well, don't know why you people didn't catch it earlier, maybe because you didn't use bluetooth headsets in the States up until recently. I'm still having this issue on my 3G paired to a Jabra BT530 headset. Have been for the last couple of years.

Try again dude. We didn't all just get Bluetooth headsets. Most of us have been using Bluetooth for 4-5 years. Most of us also never had ANY issues with our iPhone 3G and 3GS models. This is an iPhone 4 or iOS 4.x problem.

jkozlow3 wrote:

Thanar wrote:
This issue was THERE on your 3G/3GS iPhones as well, don't know why you people didn't catch it earlier, maybe because you didn't use bluetooth headsets in the States up until recently. I'm still having this issue on my 3G paired to a Jabra BT530 headset. Have been for the last couple of years.

Try again dude. We didn't all just get Bluetooth headsets. Most of us have been using Bluetooth for 4-5 years. Most of us also never had ANY issues with our iPhone 3G and 3GS models. This is an iPhone 4 or iOS 4.x problem.

Totally agree. I've also been using my Voyager Pro for about 1.5 years with my iPhone 3G running 3.x, 4.0 and now 4.1 and I've never had this muffled issue.
The sound is crystal clear and people can hear me well.

Therefore, I'm not considering this issue to be iPhone 3G(s) specific or even OS specific. Well, it can be a mix between iPhone 4 and iOS 4.x but certainly not related to he iPhone 3.

I've had the same experience and wanted to chime in that the iOS 4.1 update seems to have fixed my Bluetooth issue. When I switched from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 4, people started complaining intermittently that my voice was coming out garbled and distorted on their end when I was on my headset. I was able to get a recording of the garbled voice last night before the update by leaving a message on my work voicemail. It was consistently there for the 3 calls I tried. I updated to iOS 4.1 through the normal update method (not setting up as a new phone) and tested again - this time the sound from the headset was clear without any of the garbled/muffled sound. I had 3 more phone calls last night and everyone said they could hear me fine. For my headset (Plantronics Voyager 520), I'd say the issue has been fixed with the new software.

After a week of using 4.1 on my iP4 a with Plantronics Voyager Pro, here are my observations. Note that I work from home and use my iPhone & Bluetooth for roughly 5-6 hours of calls/day.

1. Not one complaint of "muffled" sound yet.

2. The headset still loses it's connection to the phone even when the phone it sitting on the table right in front of me. This has happened at least 5-6 times this week since upgrading.

3. If I get more than 10-15 feet from the phone, people consistently tell me the audio quality is terrible. My voice apparently breaks up and sounds a bit like a cyborg! I've even had complaints of this happening for a few seconds when the phone was right in front of me, but not often. My sister is the one who comments on this the most and she says "you walked away from the phone again, didn't you?". As soon as I walk back to within a few feet of the phone my voice quality is fine.

I NEVER had these types of problems with my iPhone 3G running 3.x versions of the software over a 2 year period. It doesn't look like Apple did a very good job of "fixing" anything with 4.1. Yes, Bluetooth seems improved to a degree, but certainly not "fixed".

I don't know whether to swap my phone out for another or not. It doesn't sound like that will fix anything due to similar complaints from others. 😟

If I didn't know better (and I really don't), I'd say the connectivity issue has gotten even worse for my Blueant Q2 after the 4.1 update. I called Apple, who referred me to Blueant. I called Blueant, and they acknowledged the issue and said they're working on a fix. He instructed me to register on their website so I would receive email notification when the update becomaes available. (He expects the update to be avaialble ONLY on Windows machines, so I'll have to impose on a friend.)

My worst Apple product experience EVER. I am so close to switching to a Blackberry on Verizon, and solving a whole host of issues. iphone 4 is a cool device, but a crappy phone and horribly executed. I guess Apple was bound to have a clunker eventually.