Bluetooth audio stuttering issues on my iPhone 16e

Is anyone having issues with Bluetooth audio stuttering? I just upgraded to the 16e from the 13 mini and any Bluetooth device keeps hitching. The sound pauses for a second then picks back up. I’ve tried factory resetting without using an iCloud backup to see if that solved the issue but it still happening. I’m wondering if this is just early adopter troubles or an iOS 18 bug. It’s been driving me nuts!



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 16e, iOS 18

Posted on Mar 5, 2025 8:00 AM

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Posted on Mar 6, 2025 1:15 PM

Over on reddit others have confirmed that it's related to having multiple bluetooth connections (e.g. fitness tracker + headphones) at the same time. Moderators, can you escalate this to Apple please?

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Mar 6, 2025 3:20 AM in response to SravanKrA

this is probably the most generic and useless answer ever.


We've got the same problem, no issues on 12 and 13 Pro, but audio stuttering from every source when playing from 16e and various bluetooth headphones, even beats one.


It surely is a bug, and one I hope will be fixed fast

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Mar 6, 2025 12:27 PM in response to oarriaga08

I have the same issue on my iPhone 16e. Stuttering on all devices I use - Nakamichi car audio, Sony wh1000xm3, also bose soundlink 2.


I was not having any issues with iPhone SE 2 or Samsung devices. Only the new iPhone 16e. Interference is not the issue since I’ve tested it also in isolated environments.

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Mar 7, 2025 9:53 PM in response to oarriaga08

I’m having the same problems too on my 16e but I’ve noticed it only happens when I have more than 1 Bluetooth device connected. I have used my Bluetooth headphones on this phone and they worked just fine until I connected my Fitbit watch along with it. I don’t know if it’s some type of interference that’s causing the stutter but when I have the headphones connected by themselves, the stutter disappears.

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Mar 8, 2025 3:05 PM in response to oarriaga08

Also having difficulty. Stutters on headphones 1-3 times every song (works in car without stuttering). Or while watching videos. Have tried disconnection headphones and reconnected without improvement. Nothing else is connected. Try 2 other Bluetooth headsets (all different brands Sony, sennhesier, hyper x) that work perfectly on other devices. It’s seems to appear when I shut off the screen and open it back up. Seem slightly better when I turned off AI (but that could just be me). Doesn’t stutter in car just headsets.

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Mar 9, 2025 3:43 AM in response to oarriaga08

Just upgraded from an iPhone Xr and same problem here with my iPhone 16e. Music stops playing for a fraction of a second and the comes back. Happens both on my Bose QC35 and a brand new pair of AirPods I just bought. Pretty annoying for a new phone. I didn’t had any other bluetooth connections while having this problem.

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Mar 9, 2025 11:36 PM in response to oarriaga08

Bought iphone 16e few days ago, I am having this stuttering problem with my airpods pro 2 and airpods 3 aswel, works fine on my old iphone. The audio is stuttering even with my airpods being the only bluetooth device connected. Hopefully this can be fixed via ios update and its not a faulty hardware issue.

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Mar 11, 2025 6:52 AM in response to oarriaga08

Been on call with US support, tried some things and answered some questions.

I've got a follow-up planned for tomorrow in which we'll try to replicate the problem and gather some logs with various profiles to better understand the problem.


It's tedious, but if you're a little bit skilled in tech I advise you to waste some of your time to report this and keep up with their demands, so it can be addressed and fixed more quickly

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Mar 11, 2025 7:53 AM in response to francescgo

same here - Bluetooth only stops stuttering when I disconnect my Oura Ring. Apple need to sort this - clearly there is a bug. I contacted support and they ran diagnostics and said everything was fine then sent a standard message sating Engineers were working on resolving issues and to keep an eye on forums etc...

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Mar 11, 2025 6:37 PM in response to oarriaga08

I had the problem 5 minutes after opening it. I went back to Apple the following Monday, and was told that no one had raised the problem. They reset the whole thing. It seemed to be ok after one song. But on the way back, it started again. The guy at Apple told me that if it started again, to wait for an OS update. I didn't feel like waiting for an update. I went back one more time, and finally got the cell phone exchanged yesterday. Everything seemed great, I tested the music and podcasts without headphones. I didn't know it was a Bluetooth problem because that's all I use for music. I'll just return the iPhone 16e one more time. I wouldn't be if I tried my luck with an iPhone 16...


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Bluetooth audio stuttering issues on my iPhone 16e

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