Watch Phone Calls Will not go through headset/earbuds

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mikevit Author

Level 1

13 points

Watch Phone Calls Will not go through headset/earbuds

Hi All!

I'm using current hardware and software....

Watch Series 6 Cellular w OS7.5

iPhone 12 mini w IOS14.6

My bluetooth earbuds (not AirPods) are connected to my Watch. I can listen to music through the earbuds. However, when a call comes in, I answer it on the watch and only get silence and the caller cannot hear me. On the Watch I then select "Apple Watch" for audio and can hear the call from the watch itself, which isn't very useful. If I switch audio back to the earbuds I get silence again.

I tried resetting the network settings on the iPhone but that didn't fix the issue. I've found other posts with the same/similar problems on Communities, but no solution other than resetting the network settings.

Thanks,

Mike

Apple Watch

Posted on Jun 6, 2021 10:15 AM

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Answer 1

jcasapple

Community Specialist

Jun 7, 2021 11:15 AM in response to mikevit

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the confirmation that your earbuds work in calls when paired with iPhone. We shared the guide as a reference for the steps to unpair your Watch, and pair it back.

Have these earbuds worked with your Apple Watch while in calls in the past? Since the issue remains after unpairing and pairing, will it be possible to pair another set of earbuds with your Watch, to see if the same issue occurs?

If so, this will help to further isolate the root cause. If it's only occurring when this specific set of earbuds is paired with your Apple Watch, we recommend reaching out to the manufacturer of your earbuds at that point.

Take care!

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Answer 2

jcasapple

Community Specialist

Jun 7, 2021 11:53 AM in response to mikevit

Hi Mike,

As it's expected that you'll be able to hear calls on Apple Watch through compatible Bluetooth accessories, we do recommend reaching out to the manufacturer of your earbuds at this point to inquire about a possible resolution or workaround. There may be an option to reset the earbuds themselves, or to update their firmware.

Have a great day!

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Answer 3

mikevit Author

Level 1

13 points

Jun 7, 2021 10:53 AM in response to jcasapple

Hi,

Thanks for your assistance.

Yes the wireless earbuds work property when paired to the iPhone. And to confirm I just paired them with the phone and accepted an incoming call which worked as expected.

After testing with the phone, I paired the earbuds with the watch, accepted and incoming call and initially the sound comes from the watch directly, so on the active watch phone app I select the wireless earbuds, and then I get silence. So again on the active watch phone app I reselect the watch itself as the audio output and the call is still active and the sound now comes from the watch.

Sorry, but I'm way beyond that guide which tells you to make sure the battery is not dead and the device is not in airplane mode. That guide is very basic and is a guide about pairing earbuds to the watch. To be clear, my earbuds are paired to the watch via bluetooth, and they work for listening to Apple Music, but not for a phone call.

Thanks,

Mike

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Answer 4

mikevit Author

Level 1

13 points

Jun 7, 2021 12:12 PM in response to jcasapple

It's notable that after I purchased an Apple Watch Series 6 I discovered it would not work with my iPhone 6, so needed to upgrade iPhone to use the watch. Now presumably the only way to be certain with compatibility is to upgrade my earbuds to Apple AirPods. Apple has a very impressive and enviable business model. No wonder EU and other governments are challenging it.

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Answer 5

mikevit Author

Level 1

13 points

Jun 7, 2021 11:21 AM in response to jcasapple

Hmm. Okay, I'm sensing that this is a problem that might be unique to me and unfortunately I don't have another bluetooth device that I can use to check. Seems strange that the earbuds otherwise work with the watch. Also interesting that other people have had an issue with earbuds and the watch phone app (although those people appear to have resolved the issue by resetting network connections.

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Answer 6

jcasapple

Community Specialist

Jun 7, 2021 10:25 AM in response to mikevit

Hi Mike,

We appreciate you reaching out through Apple Support Communities for help with this issue using your Bluetooth headphones with Apple Watch. Let's get to the bottom of this together.

Are you able to hear audio in your calls if they are paired with your iPhone? If not, let us know if it'll be possible to test your Bluetooth earbuds in phone calls with another device. This will help to isolate the issue to the earbuds themselves, or your Watch or paired iPhone.

Have you had a chance to unpair your Bluetooth earbuds from Apple Watch in order to pair them back and test again?

Let us know if the information in this guide helps:

Use AirPods and other Bluetooth accessories with Apple Watch - Apple Support

We're here for you if you've got any questions.

Have a great day!

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Answer 7

mikevit Author

Level 1

13 points

Jun 7, 2021 11:37 AM in response to mikevit

One more thing. On the watch, I open the phone app, go to keypad and dial a number from there. When I tap each number on the keypad I can hear the corresponding beeps through the earbuds. When I press the call (green handset) button the sound output immediately switches from the earbuds to the watch.

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Watch Phone Calls Will not go through headset/earbuds

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