Bluetooth Blues

Question

Bluetooth Blues

I have a Mid 2013 13-inch Macbook Air that I've just upgraded to Catalina. I have been using a Bose Soundlink Color Bluetooth speaker without issue for a long time. Since upgrading, when I use the Music app with my MacBook connected to the speaker, it plays for a while and then intermittently disconnect with the message "The Bluetooth device 'Bose Color Soundlink' is currently in use. Please select another device."

I've reset the Soundlink so that no other device is pair with it. I deleted com.apple.Bluetooth.plist from Library/Preferences and rebooted the Macbook. Nothing helps so far.

What am I missing?

MacBook Air

Posted on Oct 12, 2019 11:24 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 29, 2019 5:06 PM in response to Timothy Etherington

It looks like the 10.15.1 update fixed it. Been playing problem free for a good 5 minutes now.

I hope I didn't just jinx that. :)

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Answer 2

dafydd66

Level 1

4 points

Nov 26, 2019 5:09 AM in response to Timothy Etherington

I get this too, and trying to be diagnostic about it (I have skull candy headphones that use Riff Wireless)

Deleting com.apple.Bluetooth.plist - longest time without disruption, followed by

Turning Bluetooth off and on

Disconnecting and reconnecting device

For it it's always that the device disconnects my mac reverts to the 'disconnected state' but still thinks it's connected to the headphones. So for example, connected state plays music but non-connected state is mute. When the bluetooth disruption happens, it goes mute but says it's still connected to the device.

I also get this when the device isn't even connected

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Answer 3

Oct 12, 2019 4:52 PM in response to Timothy Etherington

UPDATE: I just reconnected my Beats Studio³ and they are rock solid, no problems at all. Turned them off and went back to the Soundlink and I'm having the same problem. Also forgot to mention that I ran the Bose Updater to make sure the Soundlink is running the most current firmware and it is. Also also forgot to mention, the sound pops a lot for a while with the Soundlink.

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Answer 4

Nov 1, 2019 10:20 AM in response to Timothy Etherington

Nope, I jinxed it! Soundlink Color is connected via Bluetooth and played music for about a second then kicked me to the internal speakers. Still connected via Bluetooth but I cannot choose the Soundlink as an output. Turned off the Soundlink and turned it back on, Bluetooth connected and the sound playing through it. So it looks like we're almost there!

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Answer 5

Oct 19, 2019 8:29 PM in response to Timothy Etherington

Okay, now its dropping my Beats Studio³ every few minutes. It looks like when my wife's iPad connects to my MacBook Air (how do I stop that, BTW) that it kicks off the Beats.

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Answer 6

Oct 21, 2019 8:52 PM in response to Timothy Etherington

This problem is device non-specific. The same thing is happening to me when I use Music to play out of my iMac (2017) to my Insignia Bluetooth stereo receiver.

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Answer 7

Oct 24, 2019 4:38 PM in response to Timothy Etherington

Zapped my PRAM (do they still call it that?) and it didn't help. Still dropping my Beats Studio³ on occasion. Still looks like it is when my wife's iPad connected unbidden to my MacBook Pro.

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Answer 8

Nov 23, 2019 11:02 AM in response to Timothy Etherington

Having same problem with Beats Solo 3. Nearly tried everything and still no solutions. I hope it will get fixed in 10.15.2.

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Answer 9

Oct 18, 2019 3:08 PM in response to Timothy Etherington

Still not working. I can play music from my iPhone to the Colorlink speaker without incident. Just tried it from my MacBook again and got this error:

Also, why is it when I search for "Bluetooth" this post doesn't come up?

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Answer 10

Oct 19, 2019 8:49 PM in response to Timothy Etherington

Nope, it just dropped the Beats Studio³ with nothing else connected via Bluetooth and then a moment later Bluetooth dropped the Beats. Reverting to a headphone cable. Any support on this one would be appreciated.

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Answer 11

mrodby

Level 1

9 points

Oct 28, 2019 2:48 PM in response to Timothy Etherington

Definitely not device-specific. My AirPods have started doing that since updating to Catalina too. And not just Music - Microsoft Teams randomly stops using my AirPods as either microphones or speakers in the middle of a conference call, again only since updating to Catalina. Both worked fine before that update.

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Bluetooth Blues

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