Bluetooth

99% of people who have had connection issues with their Bluetooth car systems have been user error. Not that I'm saying you're not doing it right, but the odds are you're not. And yes, I was one of the people not doing it right. I have a 2010 Mercedes and I called them as I couldn't get them to pair at all. It was my fault and once they walked me through the process, it paired and has everytime since. I had to join the iPhone and the car's bluetooth with a passcode and in my case, the car had to find my phone, not the phone find my car. So, call your car company to make sure you're pairing them correctly.

I don't have bluetooth in my car and if my phone rings while I'm driving, I ignore it. There is no call so important it can't wait until I'm parked.

No offense, but what is your point? The OP asked for help pairing her phone with her car. At least she's being responsible and not holding her phone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other. IMHO, it should be law in all states that phones must be handsfree while driving.......

Being responsible is not using the phone at all while driving. If you're concentrating on listening to what the other person is saying, hands-free or not, you aren't paying attention to the road. When you're behind the wheel, you should be doing one thing and not attempting to multitask.

You are not alone. There are a couple of threads concerning bluetooth connection problems. I am at this very moment in the process of restoring my phone to see if I can get my phone to connect to my car. It pairs up just fine at first, then disconnects shortly after. If I turn off my car, the phone does not connect at all when I restart it.

I don't think this was a thread about using handsfree/non-handsfree/not using anything at all while you're driving... but anyway

So what kind of cars are everyone having problems with? I have a Ford Sync GPS unit (yes its a Microsoft thing...) and my iPhone 3G was choppy while playing music over bluetooth, but iPhone 4 is flawless thru the iPod and Pandora apps. The voice works great too but I haven't had a chance to plug it in thru USB to see if it will work right... my 3G never did work right, but it worked good enough to use on shuffle.

2007 Acura RDX.

I've also updated my iPhone 3G to iOS4 recently, and now the pairing with my Bluetooth (genuine Volvo kit) doesn't work anymore. I have tried and tried again, but no go. iPhone sees the Volvo, but the Volvo cannot see iPhone. Please help?!

bmwraw8482 wrote:
I don't think this was a thread about using handsfree/non-handsfree/not using anything at all while you're driving... but anyway

Yes, the OP stated it was a car hands-free kit.

But yeah, make sure you read the manual. It seems that all models of phones have different ways to connect whether it be bluetooth, wifi, etc.

But I also agree with Tamara, the "hands-free" device is still distracting you from driving and not a good idea (probably more-so than just picking up the phone).

Cobbyco wrote:
We are lucky enough to have two iPhone 4s in our house but neither will connect to our car hands free kit. It's so 1980's not having hands free and means we must risk death/arrest or pull over when the phone rings.

Is this a common problem?

It varies on several devices. iOS4 is the probable cause of the BT connection issue as the protocols were changed/updated. Your vehicle/car kit may not be able to recognize the new protocols added. You can visit your car kit's manufacturer site and inquire on connecting issues with iOS4 devices. There may be a firmware update for it.

Another method is formatting the i4 as many have stated problems with a couple of features. A few suggested not to use your backup and start as a new iPhone.

This is a known but not understood bug. One thing I have been asked to attempt is to see if the connections drop more or less if WiFi is turned off.

I have had bluetooth connection problems with all three of my bluetooth devices and iOS4.

Can people experiment and see if having WiFi on or off impacts the bluetooth reliability?

Not whether it is connected to WiFi, but whether or not having WiFi enabled or disabled impacts it...

I am having similar issues. IP4, connected to a 2009 Toyota Bluetooth system. Worked flawlessly with my 3G.

I have erased all settings, rebooted phone, tried every way of pairing. Phone is always in a plastic holder 3 inches from stero or in cup holder. Result, static for the other end. No one can hear me and my calls get s garbeled and fade in and out. I hear just fine.

My 1G and 3G all work great, but not the iPhone 4.

I have not yet contacted Apple. I keep hoping I will find a solution on these boards.

Try disabling WiFi in the phone settings, and see if that helps. (Wifi and Bluetooth operate on the same frequencies). Based on Apple's questions to me I am wondering if the bluetooth implementation in iOS4 is susceptible to WiFi interference.

Just something to try - it may not have any impact.

I'd recommend doing these steps.

Settings > Bluetooth > Bluetooth off > Wait 15 seconds > Bluetooth on > Put Car into searching/scanning mode > Check iPhone for list of devices > Attempt to reconnect.

If it sees it, but doesn't pair, try "Forget this Device" then toggle off bluetooth, restart phone, toggle on, and retry.

Message was edited by: Eatyourfriendz