Bluetooth devices keep disconnecting from iPhone after iOS 17.2 Update

I had a similar issue with my current iPhone 12 Mini / iOS 17, frequently losing its Bluetooth connection to my car stereo. Through much trial and error, I found that allowing the Alexa app to use Bluetooth was the culprit, even when the app is closed. If your iPhone loses its connection to a car stereo or wireless headphones while you're out and about, and you have the Alexa app installed, I encourage you to try disabling its Bluetooth privilege (Settings --> Privacy & Security --> Bluetooth), reboot your phone, and see if that fixes it for you. A few more details:

• Car is a 2010 Mazda 3, stereo is a factory-installed premium Bose system
• I previously had iPhones 6, 8, 10, & 14 connect to the same car stereo over the years with no problems, though I can't say for sure if I had the Alexa app on any prior to the 14. I've since re-tested the 14 / iOS 17 in the car, with the Alexa app installed and allowed to use Bluetooth. The problem doesn't happen.
• Early on, I went to the Apple Store Genius Bar and the guy immediately suspected my Nord VPN app. We agreed to delete it, but couldn't test it until I got home where my car was. It didn't fix the problem.
• The problem is more pronounced when driving on residential streets, when I'm passing in and out of range of other bluetooth-enabled devices in peoples' homes. With Settings --> Bluetooth screen open, I could see unfamiliar devices appear & disappear - seemed like mostly smart TVs and wireless speakers, and would frequently coincide with the connection to my car stereo dropping out, at which point the 'Mazda' entry in the My Devices list goes from 'Connected' to 'Not Connected', and then self-recovers about 15 seconds later. When driving on the highway, the problem would almost never occur, suggesting that passing in and out of range of other motorists' phones and bluetooth-capable car stereos, isn't an issue. On a few occasions when it did happen on the highway, I'd glance to the side and see a residential neighborhood less than 100 feet away.
• The problem also happens with my Airpods Pro while walking through residential streets, though the effect is not as pronounced. It would act more like a music playback hiccup, and would remain displayed as 'Connected' throughout, whereas with the car stereo, it's more like a full-on vomit. The problem is reduced when riding the bus: further away from the sidewalk & houses, and further supports that other passengers' phones, headphones, laptops etc don't trigger the issue. The problem has never happened while riding the subway.
• I think that the Alexa app needs Bluetooth only when you're adding a new smart device to your home. If that's true, then it should be fine to leave it disabled and only allow it when you're doing that, then disable it again. That's what I'm doing now, and it's NBD.
• Why this affects my iPhone 12 mini but not the 14, remains a mystery. Smaller form-factor, different bluetooth hardware, different model-specific code running inside the Alexa app? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If none of the above solves or explains it for you, I suggest resetting all Location & Privacy settings to default. I did this by making like I was going to sell my phone: go to Settings --> General --> Transfer or Reset iPhone --> Reset --> Reset Location & Privacy. All your apps, data, and other preferences should remain intact. Then reboot phone. If the problem goes away, then you'll be started on the same journey that I took, and can re-enable Bluetooth & Location settings as-needed in order for your apps to work properly, but always make a note of what you did and when, so if the problem re-appears, you'll have a trail of evidence to identify the offending app. If things get really fouled, you can always restore from a previous iCloud backup.

Regarding observations that the problem first appeared with an iOS 17 update. Is it possible that it wasn't the iOS update itself, but by updating, you opened the door to newer versions of some of your existing apps, and one of them (which may've auto-updated right after the iOS update without you realizing it), introduced a new bug and is the true culprit? Just a thought to keep in mind. Hope this helps others.

Bluetooth interference can potentially cause connectivity issues due to the disruption of the wireless communication between devices. Bluetooth operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency range, which is also used by various other devices such as Wi-Fi routers, microwaves, cordless phones, and even some baby monitors. When multiple devices are operating in close proximity and using the same frequency band, interference can occur.

Here's how Bluetooth interference can impact connectivity:

1. Audio Streaming Interruptions: When you're streaming music via Apple Music or using Siri to play audio content, Bluetooth interference can disrupt the connection between your device (such as an iPhone) and the Bluetooth speaker or headphones. This interference can result in the audio stuttering, dropping out momentarily, or experiencing poor sound quality.
2. Bluetooth devices transmit data in packets. Interference can cause some of these packets to be lost or corrupted during transmission. As a result, the receiving device may have trouble decoding the audio or Siri commands correctly, leading to stuttering or delayed responses.
3. Bluetooth signals can be weakened by interference from other devices operating on the same frequency band. If the signal strength drops significantly, it can affect the stability of the connection between your device and the Bluetooth accessory. This can result in intermittent stuttering as the connection struggles to maintain a consistent data flow.
4. Bluetooth uses different channels within the 2.4 GHz frequency range to establish connections. When there are many Bluetooth devices in close proximity, multiple connections can create congestion on the available channels. This congestion can cause interference, leading to degraded performance for Apple Music streaming or Siri interactions.

To mitigate Bluetooth interference issues and reduce stuttering:

1. Minimize the number of active Bluetooth devices in close proximity to each other. Switch off or move away devices that are not in use or causing interference.
2. Increase the distance between your Bluetooth devices (e.g., your iPhone and Bluetooth speaker/headphones) to reduce the impact of interference.
3. Keep your devices' firmware up to date, including your iPhone and any Bluetooth accessories. Manufacturers often release firmware updates that can improve the performance and stability of Bluetooth connections.
4. Objects like walls, furniture, or large metal surfaces can obstruct Bluetooth signals and contribute to interference. Ensure a clear line of sight between your devices to optimize signal strength.
5. Some Bluetooth devices allow you to manually switch to different channels within the 2.4 GHz range. Check the user manual or settings of your Bluetooth accessory to see if you can change channels to find a less congested one.
6. If your Wi-Fi router supports it, consider using the 5 GHz frequency band for Wi-Fi connections instead of 2.4 GHz. This can reduce potential interference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals.

By implementing these steps, you can help minimize Bluetooth interference and improve the overall performance of Siri's voice / Airpods / CarPlay.

Try disabling off iCloud, forget Bluetooth devices, and do power cycle of your device.

Wait for a minute, turn on, and re-enroll Bluetooth device.

I have the same problem and turning off Wi-Fi connection fixes it at first. But when I enabled iCloud again the problem came back.

Im not enabling iCloud till Apple fixes their problem.

Posting this as it might help others. All of a sudden my iPhone was disconnecting Bluetooth from my beats and Apple Watch. At random. Sometimes on / sometimes off. Also not recognising If devices were right next to each other. Tried all the things suggested on here, updating and unpair/resetting etc. Today I visited an Apple Store who did a diagnostics. Turns out that bad damage on the back of the phone made more than 9 months before the issues started occurring …. finally took its toll. The sensors are at the back, beneath the severe cracks. And due to the age of the phone now, it’s not financially worth fixing. I need a new phone as the disconnecting will only get worse over time. 😢

So have to tried turning off location on your apps?

Sometimes this is caused by nearby third-party earbuds while they are in low power or are charging.

In these cases, a simple disconnect should clear the problem.

Same issue. If I cycle off my phone, it works again. Major pain in the _ss.

I suspect that it may have to do with airplay interfering with "regular" bluetooth transmission but I haven't yet found a solution how to turn off airplay so that the iPhone doesn't try to connect. Because I noticed that Bluetooth transmission stops whenever my phone tries to connect to an airplay device (even though I unplugged the device). If it is a software issue, it may have to do with that.

This is exactly what is happening to me! Have tried everything right down to full factory reset of phone and devices. No issues before the software update. Currently running iPhone 11 PRO with iOS 17.5.1 - Echo only connects if I place phone on top of it. Echo then attempts to play my iTune track but it sounds awful - like a really bad, interrupted radio connection with poor frequency before disconnecting again. My Sound Square speakers connect briefly, okay 3 bars and then disconnect. My car won’t connect at all. Everything worked fine before the ios17 Apple updates. @Apple please fix this bug or replace our devices.

Yes. Bluetooth does not recognise my Alexa devices unless the phone sits on top of them and even then connection is problematic. My car still can’t find my phone and vice versa. No one else has this issue with their newer iPhones… just my 11 Pro seems to no longer work. And this only started after the latest update… wish I could just remove the update. @Apple this is just not good enough!

This is literally the most annoying thing that has happened in 8 years of iPhone ownership. I’m talking on my phone for between 4 & 6 hours most work days and have multiple Bluetooth headsets and it’s disconnecting constantly from all of them, but does not disconnect from the primitive Bluetooth to AUX set up I use in my vehicle, and yes, I have taken to disconnecting that to avoid confusion and it makes no difference plus it still does it to my headset in my personal vehicle where there is no other Bluetooth available. I wasn’t sure if it was just my phone but reading these comments it absolutely seems to be a software issue.

This is also happening to me. It only started since updating to iOS 17.2. Bluetooth disconnects from my AirPods and from my car while playing music. I also noticed in my music app when I shut my car off or take my headphones out the music will continue to play on my iPhone when it should pause or stop. Very annoying.

I’ve still got the same issue, on 17.4.1

and the interference-bit is nonsense, 1st of all, BT uses frequency hopping for this reason. 2nd my 11 pro max is losing but connection both while walking and even on my motorcycle.

and I don’t carry microwaves around with me. The bug happened after 17.2, that’s the issue, not everything else

Why won’t my IPhone 15 plus allow me to reconnect my speaker, harman/kardon in the bluetooth after i accidentally told it to forget this device? On bluetooth now the devices just keeps uploading but never uploads.