iPhone 11 pro Bluetooth dropping calls

The beta download fixed the issue of the calls dropping on Bluetooth. The only issue that persists now is a cracking/popping sound on occasion when connected in the car, but not if the audio is switched to speaker/iPhone. Even though the sound is still connected via Bluetooth to the vehicles system.

I’ve installed the 13.2 beta 4 (even though I generally try to avoid installing beta software), and so far it seems to have fixed this problem — but since the issue occurs randomly, I’m going to reserve judgment for a bit as I test. Simona, I don’t understand the last part of your message “... but not if the audio is switched to the speaker/iPhone. Even though the sound is still connected via Bluetooth to the vehicles system.” Can you possibly explain this in a bit more detail? Thanks.

Rhsauer... my iPhone is connected to the vehicle via Bluetooth. When I have the audio going on the speaker in the vehicle, on occasion, the sound starts to crack/pop and then becomes inaudible. I leave the Bluetooth connection on with the vehicles system but switch the sound either to the phone or phone speaker option, sound doesn’t crack/pop anymore. Again, this is happening very infrequently. There are no set parameters to recreate the problem.

The same exact thing is happening to me on my 2019 Highlander. I just left dealer and they said there are no updates. Apple just told me I have to wait for Toyota do come out with an update which is really frustrating to say the lease. I'm ready to return this garbage phone and go back to my 7 Plus which has no issues!

Same issue with my iPhone 11 and 2015 Toyota 4Runner while I use Bluetooth. I’ve sometimes dropped the call 3 or 4 times during a 10-minute conversation. Sometime it will just kick me off Bluetooth, revert to speaker phone, and the radio will not recognize the iPhone to re-connect to Bluetooth or the radio will restart.

Well, I just "upgraded" from iOS 13.2 beta 4 to the final release of 13.2, connected my Sony WF-1000XM3s to my iPhone 11 Pro Max, and tried to record a voice memo -- and the Bluetooth connection dropped almost immediately. And a second time ... and a third time. As before, this problem is persistent, but happens randomly. If you record a few voice memos, the connection will drop -- and I'm sure the Bluetooth connection will randomly drop during phone calls too, making these earphones essentially useless.

So whatever seemed like it was fixed in 13.2 beta 4 is now certainly broken again in the final release of 13.2. Also, when I connect Bluetooth earphones to my iPhone and check the connection speed on my Mac via Console I find that the earphones are generally connecting at low connection speeds -- 160kbps or 192kbps (in the case of the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pros) or even 127kbps (in the case of the Sonys). (The Jabra 65t's connect at 256kbps, so not all headphones have horrible connection speeds.) The effect on the sound quality of low connection speeds is very noticeable -- Apple Music sounds like it's transmitting 128kbps MP3s from 2004.

When I connect the same earphones to my 10.5" iPad Pro, the connection speed is generally rock solid at 244kpbs or 256kpbs. Also, this is my second iPhone 11 Pro Max and the first was just as bad -- so something is very wrong with Apple's Bluetooth implementation on the iPhone. Frankly, I'm not optimistic that this can be fixed with an OS update -- since these problems have persisted through several iOS updates, it feels more like the problem might be a hardware flaw in the iPhone's Bluetooth implementation. Ugh.

I have the new AirPod Pros coming on Thursday. I'll bet the connection on Apple's own earphones is rock solid. We'll see. But I have numerous pairs of non-Apple bluetooth earphones that are essentially borked at this point. Very disappointed in Apple.

Hi there, If you are running on the most recent iOS software on your iPhone 11, you can turn to this option which has proven to be effective. This is usually of great help especially when your iDevice has not been powered off over a long time:

just toggle your iPhone Bluetooth and restart iPhone

I wish I never did an update on my phone. That's where the problems all started! I had an iPhone 7 and when I did the latest update it would reboot my whole system in my 2019 Toyota 4Runner every 1-2 minutes. I took the issue to the Toyota dealership and they ended up telling me that my phone is old (whatever) and that I needed to get a new phone. So I did! I upgraded to the Iphone 11 Pro Max and guess what now when I'm on my phone it drops the call every 2-3 minutes. It's pretty awesome, especially since I use my phone for work. Super frustrating issue!

I have the same issue. I've always been anti APPLE. Now I remember why. NEVER had issues with my Samsung phones. Now I can't use my phone on bluetooth. For the money, the phone should be doing everything but driving the car for me. I've tried everything with no success. I probably need to return the phone and get a reliable Samsung.

WOW - I thought is problem only happened to me, now it's seen widely spread.

So upset with dropping call after about 2 minutes, and sometime varies - My vehicle is 2011 Mercedes ML350.

Come one, APPLE do something about this, hope you are not forcing us switching to Samsung or others.

Both my wife and I have iPhone XS models. They both do exactly this on our 2019 Toyota Highlander. This started with iOS 12.4. It was not a problem before that. I've experimented heavily with this issue. It clears up temporarily after a reboot, I've noticed. But fear not, it will eventually return.

I'm pretty sure this is related to notifications that come in during phone calls. My call drops tend to be centered around a push notification timing. Toyotas have a feature where they will read you text messages. I suspect something occurs whereby iOS is trying to determine whether or not a given push notification is eligible to send to the car radio and then it craps out in the process. As a result, bluetooth calls either get routed back to the phone, or flat out disconnected. No new calls can then be made via bluetooth until the car is turned off and back on again, or the phone is rebooted. I NEVER get disconnected using my phone to send music to the car. I can stream it all day long without a single disconnect. Purely call-related.

I've tried every reset type imaginable to include wiping the phone and restoring it. Nothing works. A phone that doesn't work as a phone. Way to go, Apple! I've had tickets open with them since August. They keep collecting logs from me but take so long to review them that a new version of iOS comes out and then they ask me to recreate the issue and send in more logs. Multiple times I've played this game now. Unless you recreate on whatever is the current version, they won't even look at your logs in hope that some other part of engineering fixed the issue in the latest release. There are so many releases occurring these days that it's pretty much impossible to get them logs and have them look at them before a new version comes out. Again, I say "way to go, Apple!". Seriously considering moving the entire family to Android. This is beyond ridiculous that a $1000 phone can't fulfill it's basic purpose.

We are having the same issue with our 2014 Highlander. Maybe Apple needs to reach out to Toyota to see what they need to fix. Probably will not happen as Apple thinks they are bigger/more important than Toyota. How does a company get away with putting a non functioning product into the marketplace?

Had anyone from Apple responded to this? My wife has been having the same issue in her Highlander. I haven't ran into this in my WRX but it will sporadically pause or “skip” while playing music over bluetooth (not using carplay).

Its not really a biggie but its annoying.

I called Toyota and they are downloading their latest audio software on my car, which should resolve the issue. I also downloaded the latest software to my iPhone 11 Pro. Fingers crossed it all works!

I've had an iPhone for years and tried several carriers before I found Verizon. Where I live I have great coverage and the only time I ever dropped calls was when I was traveling out of area or was in a valley. Otherwise the last two iPhones I owed worked perfectly and a dropped call was an extraordinary event. I typically text or email, but I'm old school and some of my friend prefer to talk. On average, I make 1-2 calls per day that can last anywhere from 30-90 minutes. Additionally, I commute 125 miles each way twice a week for school. Three weeks ago I 'upgraded' to the iPhone 11 Pro Max from an iPhone X. The trouble started with the first call. Not a dropped call, but I was not able to hear the receiver. Yesterday I had to call the same person back three times due to dropped calls. It happens at home where I have a Verizon tower visible about half a mile away; it happens in town where I have not had problems before, it happens on back roads where I have 4 bars, and it happens 125 miles away.

I made an appointment with the Genus bar experts and was told it was a Verizon issue, something about Verizon's new LTE. The diagnostics they ran showed "only 5 dropped calls" in the past two weeks. They were unmoved by my revelation that "only 5" was more than I dropped on my iPhone X during the two years I owned it. I wasn't buying the explanation and stated "it just seems strange that Verizon would have upgraded their towers at the exact same time I purchased my phone over the precise area that I travel." The genus extracted the software on my phone and upgraded it to the most recent. As I mentioned before, I'm still having the same issue. I have purchased AppleCare and plan to pursue it.

Particulars:

iPhone 11 Pro Max

13.2.3

Problem: Dropped calls, not able to hear person on other end for several seconds, even though they can hear me and are trying to communicate

Situation: Bluetooth devices (LG and Beats Solo); Toyota bluetooth; speaker phone.

Possible fix: Turn off bluetooth (worked after the 3rd dropped call)