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iPhone 12 magnets disrupts Bluetooth in car

Has anyone else experienced choppy connectivity when connecting their phone to Bluetooth after upgrading to iPhone 12? Both my mom and I have experienced delays with connectivity and choppy playback.

iPhone 12, iOS 14

Posted on Feb 27, 2021 11:25 AM

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Posted on Feb 27, 2021 4:46 PM

No we are not using both iPhones with the same car. I drove an E class Mercedes and the other is a Chevrolet. My moms phone has poor connecting with her own car and my phone has poor connectivity with my car. I have used iPhone 8 with my car with no issue, I have used galaxy z flip and galaxy note 20 ultra with no issues. It’s only the iPhone 12 that has issues connecting. I have never paired my phone in my moms car and she has never paired her phone in mine. We do not live in the same house. Apparently this is a well know issue with iPhone 12. I will go to my local Apple store and have them fix it thanks.

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Feb 27, 2021 4:46 PM in response to MrHoffman

No we are not using both iPhones with the same car. I drove an E class Mercedes and the other is a Chevrolet. My moms phone has poor connecting with her own car and my phone has poor connectivity with my car. I have used iPhone 8 with my car with no issue, I have used galaxy z flip and galaxy note 20 ultra with no issues. It’s only the iPhone 12 that has issues connecting. I have never paired my phone in my moms car and she has never paired her phone in mine. We do not live in the same house. Apparently this is a well know issue with iPhone 12. I will go to my local Apple store and have them fix it thanks.

Feb 27, 2021 11:51 AM in response to MrHoffman

I’ve tried playback with my sound bar for my tv and it worked fine, but the phone is a good distance away from the sound bar than it would be in a car. Both cars my need a firmware update but I’m not sure how to go about that or if we will have to go to our respective dealerships and see if they can update them.


there are more magnets and radios in iPhone 12 than any other iPhone device because of their MagSafe connectivity so that may disrupt the Bluetooth signal.


wasn’t sure what your first question was saying, sorry.

Feb 27, 2021 12:03 PM in response to goldenone19

Upgrade your vehicle dashboard firmware, and try again. How that happens depends on the vehicle. One vehicle I just upgraded uses a specially-formatted USB flash drive, and the manufacturer provides directions for downloading the firmware and building and using the USB flash drive. Others might involve the dealer.


Magnets aren’t involved with Bluetooth nor with Bluetooth interference. Not unless you’re whirling the magnets quite fast to generate electrical power, that is. And you’re not.


Bluetooth is a short-range protocol, and I would not expect any issues within a radius of 10 meters, absent interference.


As for the first question, I was asking whether you’re testing both iPhones with the same car, and that does appear to be the case here.

iPhone 12 magnets disrupts Bluetooth in car

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