iPod Touch having problems w/ Bluetooth playback

Question

Level 1

10 points

iPod Touch having problems w/ Bluetooth playback

I've had a pair of Sony DR BT21G Bluetooth headphones for a year or two, and been very happy with them. I've used them on my iPhone 3GS, my Macbook, my Droid X, an iPad, and now I'm primarily using them on an iPod Touch 4g.

I've found that when I use them on the iPod touch, I have major interference issues. If I'm walking while playing, the music constantly cuts out. If I put it in my pocket, forget about it - it's unlistenable. If I carry it, it's usually okay, especially if I hold the device at chest height or higher.

This is not the way Bluetooth is meant to work... I thought my headset was acting up, until I paired it back to my Droid X and couldn't force interference to save my life.

So is my iPod Touch faulty? I think I still have a few months left on my Applecare plan for this little guy...

Does anyone else have this kind of troubled playback with an iPod Touch using Bluetooth?

Posted on Jun 29, 2011 6:32 AM

Reply

Answer 1

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Jun 29, 2011 6:34 AM in response to DrewMG

I would make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store and demonstrate the problem with the iPod and lack of problem with the phone.

Reply

Answer 2

Aug 25, 2011 7:07 AM in response to DrewMG

I have had a similar problem. I got an iPod touch for my birthday. One of the main reasons I wanted it was to use it with my Bluetooth motorbike helmet so that I could listen to music wirelessly on my way to work. It worked perfectly to start with but has now stated skipping. When the music cuts back in it often speeds up to catch up with itself as well which is really annoying. Some days it works ok and only skips occasionally and other days it is completely hopeless. I read somewhere that switching off WiFi could help free up some memory and help with this problem but it didn't work for me. I have also tried removing the helmet from my devices and then re-pairing it but that did no good either. Otherwise I can't find any other suggestions except that it might be a loose wire in either the transmitter or reciever. Does anyone know if this is likely? My helmet works fine with my phone so that would imply that the problem lies with my iPod.

This is the first time I have had an Apple product and although I like many of the features this is really making me doubt the quality of the hardware. I have also heard that getting help from an Apple store is like getting blood out of a stone so I'd really like not to have to mess about with that. If anyone has any ideas I would really appreciate it. I'm a total novice with this sort of thing so I was expecting to find a very simple answer on the internet but no luck so far. If you manage to get yours working Drew it would be great if you could let me know how you did it.

Thanks a lot everyone!

Reply

Answer 3

DrewMG Author

Level 1

10 points

Aug 25, 2011 10:43 AM in response to stephanietheneph

Stephanie,

Unfortunately, the very next day after I started this thread, it started working just fine. I had problems for 2-3 days in a row, and not really any since then. I don't exactly know how to account for that, so I can't give you any technical suggestions.

Here's what I would do if I were in your shoes: Try pairing your bluetooth device to another music player (smart phone, laptop, anything that can play music) and see if the problem is with your helmet or with your iPod.

If you can prove that the iPod is the device with the problem, I would take it into the Apple Store. I don't know why you heard that it's difficult getting help there - I've literally had my iPhone or iPod swapped out with a refurbished model on the spot, few questions asked, at least 5 times. If you can demonstrate that it's not working as it should, they should be more than willing to work with you. I say take it in.

Reply

Answer 4

Aug 26, 2011 12:40 AM in response to DrewMG

Hi Drew,

Thanks for your help and I'm glad to hear that my info was wrong on the Apple Store. Unfortunately I don't have anything else with a bluetooth connection that plays music but I'll see if any of my freinds can help me out. The other problem is that the skipping generally occurs when I'm out on my bike so I'm not sure how I can really demonstrate this to the Apple staff. I don't know if bike engines can interfere with bluetooth signals but bluetooth helmets are pretty common so I wouldn't have thought so. Also it worked fine for a few days and nothing has changed since then. I'll take my iPod in to the store anyway when I get chance.

Cheers.

Reply

Answer 5

Aug 26, 2011 1:14 PM in response to DrewMG

I have kind of the same problem with my sony ericsson HBH-IS800. I bought it for my Ipod 4th generation because I got sick of the cables getting broken all the time. So I switched to bluetooth. But when I paired my Headset with my Ipod touch 4th gen and play some music it sounds distorded and there is a disturbance in the louder tones, which is very annoying. Is it by chance a broken bluetooth reciever? or is it software related? And if I'd buy a bluetooth connector to plug into my iPod, could that fix the problem?

Reply

Answer 6

markvq

Level 1

0 points

Apr 30, 2012 11:50 AM in response to DrewMG

I was having the very same issue. Bought another Bluetooth/AVRCP enabled speaker headset and very suddenly began having issues with signal dropouts. I also noticed that when the signal reconnected, the music would speedup and raise in pitch, like spinning a turntable faster (for those of you old enough to remember turntables). I have 4 different Bluetooth headset devices and the symptom occurred with each of them...which obviously points the finger rigth back at the iPod Touch. I contacted Apple Technical Support and after some discussion, they had me perform the following step, noting that I would need to re-authenticate (password) with any wireless networks or Bluetooth devices that require passwords. My device is an iPod Touch 3rd generation, though the process should be fairly similar on other iPod devices.

SETTINGS> GENERAL> RESET> RESET NETWOK SETTINGS>

This resulted in the unit rebooting. When it came up, I re-connected the previously paired device as it was still in the known device list for Bluetooth devices. The skipping/signal speed issues have gone away and all is well in my portable audio world again! The next step WOULD have been to delete the device and let the iPod rediscover it.

So, if you are having these symptoms, this troubleshooting/repair step is certainly worth a try. It is also the official process taken by an Apple technician. Best of luck and Happy iTunage!

Reply