Is anyone else experiencing AirPods Pro (3rd gen) disconnecting during FaceTime, WhatsApp and normal calls on iPhone 15 Pro?

Question

Is anyone else experiencing AirPods Pro (3rd gen) disconnecting during FaceTime, WhatsApp and normal calls on iPhone 15 Pro?

I’m posting here to see if anyone else is experiencing the same issue, as I’ve now run out of options with Apple Support.

I’m using an iPhone 15 Pro together with AirPods Pro (3rd generation), and I consistently experience disconnections during calls — specifically on FaceTime and WhatsApp. The audio will suddenly drop or switch away from the AirPods mid-call, making them unreliable for any conversation.

What’s frustrating is that:

I’ve updated to the latest version of iOS
Apple tested my iPhone 15 Pro and confirmed there are no hardware issues
I requested and received a brand new replacement pair of AirPods Pro (3rd gen)

Despite all of this, the issue still persists exactly the same.

At this point, I’ve essentially given up trying to resolve it through replacements or standard troubleshooting, as it clearly doesn’t seem to be a faulty unit.

Is anyone else experiencing similar behaviour, particularly with call audio on FaceTime or WhatsApp? If so, have you found any reliable workaround or fix?

Any insight would be appreciated, as this seems more like a software or compatibility issue than a hardware fault.

AirPods Pro 3

Posted on Apr 18, 2026 2:36 PM

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Answer 1

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v1v3km

Level 5

6,662 points

Jun 27, 2026 10:39 AM in response to Diego_R_BIM_Architect

Since you've already tried replacements and confirmed your hardware is healthy, the issue you're experiencing is likely a deep-seated software conflict between the iPhone 15 Pro's Bluetooth stack and how VoIP apps like FaceTime and WhatsApp handle low-latency audio. The "audio drop or switch" mid-call is a classic symptom of the Bluetooth daemon on the iPhone crashing and restarting.

One reliable workaround that has helped others with the iPhone 15 Pro specifically is to disable "Automatic Ear Detection" and "Automatic Switching." Even if you only have one device, the system's attempts to look for other devices or confirm the earbud is still in your ear can trigger a protocol error during a sustained VoIP call. Go to Settings > Bluetooth > [Your AirPods info] and toggle these off.

Another thing to try is to reset your iPhone's Network Settings. This is more aggressive but it clears the entire Bluetooth and Wi-Fi cache, which can resolve persistent connection instability that a normal reset doesn't touch. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Also, check if you have any other Bluetooth devices nearby that might be competing for the connection, like an Apple Watch or a Mac. Temporarily disabling Bluetooth on those devices during a long call can help diagnose if it's an interference issue.

Since this seems to be a widespread software-related concern on the 15 Pro, make sure to also report it via the Apple Feedback site (apple.com/feedback). The more users that report this specific VoIP disconnection pattern, the faster it will be prioritized for a future iOS update.

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