bluetooth music issues after iOS6 update

The new OS use Bluetooth 4.0 and AVRCP 1.4 (audio video remote control profile), which by definition should be backward-compatible with the Bluetooth 2.0 and AVRCP 1.3 versions used in Kenwood head units.

I guess I just, you know, like, read "The new OS use...AVRCP 1.4" along with, gee, i don't know, like www.google.com to find that Apple went to AVRCP 1.4 in iOS6. It's just reading though, I could totally be wrong. Especially since I can see from google that it is reported both ways, some saying in ios 5 and others in ios 6, so not sure.

Either way, I use Apple products, but I don't drink the kool aid. It worked properly before and it doesn't now. The stereo didn't change, but the OS did. Apple broke it and now they need to fix it.

The way it actually is suppose to work is this:

The receiving device device (Head unit), let say it is running version 1.2, should run 1.2 and older, not anything newer, they can predict the future or else we would just have version 1 and there would be noting else to change. Now the communicating device (iPhone), with iOS 6 it is running 1.4, it should handle version 1.4 and older. So with this, this phone and head unit connected would be connecting using version 1.2, it is the newest common version supported between the 2 devices.

You're missing the point; backwards compatibility is a two-way street and both Apple and the implementor of th head end need to support it.

I think I get what you're saying here but you're saying it in a way that makes me feel like I need to wash my brain out after reading it. Backward compatibility is not a two-way street, that's ludicrous. The best the older device can do is comply with the standard at the time. In this case, later versions of the protocol have been designed to ensure backward compatibility as long as the newer device is fully compliant with the newer standard, and the older device was fully compliant with the older version. Which leads us back to square one: if the new iOS is not fully compatible with many older bluetooth devices, one or both of them is not fully in compliance with their claimed version of the standard.

At this point none of us knows for sure (and frankly I for one don't really care that much) whether Apple or the accessory manufacturers are the ones not in compliance. What I've been maintaining all along is simply that it was irresponsible and customer-hostile of Apple to release this update without more thoroughly testing it with a wider range of accessories. Even if Apple's code complies perfectly with the standard and the fault lies totally with accessory manufacturers, in customers' eyes this update has caused something to stop working that used to work. No one who doesn't work for one of these companies cares one lick about whose fault it is.

Yes that might be the case with Mazda, but that does not make sense for the rest of the brands having issues. All of these cases of the Bluetooth issues all have 1 thing in common, it worked fine, then after updating to iOS 6, it did not work. Then it should be obvious that there was a change in the update causing this issue. If the stereo manufactures knew there might be an issue affecting Bluetooth, don't you think they would have tested it under the beta an have a fix, or at least an announcement of this issue shortly after iOS release. There might be issues with all the protocols used by the manufactures, but if apple wanted to discontinue that being used, they should have announced that.

You guys are cracking me up. Because Pioneer is working out a patch for Apple's fault, some of you are saying this isn't an apple issue. Apple released a version of blue tooth that is NOT backwards compatible and since Pioneer is going to keep their customers happy by releasing a patch for Apple's negligence. Pioneer's fix will correct 33% of the $5000+ in equipment I have that is not working due to Apple's shady iOS release.

If 6.1 isn't released by the 19th, all of my iphone 5's are heading back to at&t.

spanks127 wrote:

You guys are cracking me up. Because Pioneer is working out a patch for Apple's fault, some of you are saying this isn't an apple issue. Apple released a version of blue tooth that is NOT backwards compatible and since Pioneer is going to keep their customers happy by releasing a patch for Apple's negligence. Pioneer's fix will correct 33% of the $5000+ in equipment I have that is not working due to Apple's shady iOS release.

If 6.1 isn't released by the 19th, all of my iphone 5's are heading back to at&t.

I'm with you. I am willing to concede that it is possible that it might not be Apple's fault, but that just doesn't seem likely. I mean, *all* of these different devices and manufacturers all have firmware that somehow manages to break backward compatibility? Just doesn't seem likely. Apparently it's possible, but more likely that Pioneer is fixing something that someone else broke because it's good customer service to do so.

Yes, Apple either did not test it or not as well as before, but pioneer should have tested it during beta to find out that there was an issue before the final release. Apple should not be responsible for making sure every little feature works with pioneer's stereo, but they should have tested one on each version of the protocol, perhaps they did and they all worked for them, I don't know their process.

Apple made a bad update, other companies did not check compatibilities until it was too late.

spanks127 wrote:

...Why would it be Pioneer's, or any other companys responsiblity to insure that future versions of apple software stick to the working protocols that are on millions of peripherals out there? Pioneer should not be forced to change prior setups due to apple's negligence of not offering a backwards compatible version of blue tooth?

This.

True. Can't say for sure. But still, it's not like we are talking about 1 or even 2 manufacturers. This is multiethnic manufacturers all being affected in the same way. I guess if they all adopted the same implementation (this parrot or whatever) and it doesn't adhere to the standard, then that would make sense. I just hope that isn't the case. We will know soon enough by way of an update (or not) from Apple. I still don't think that Pioneer issuing an update means anything though.

As far as Ford SYNC systems are concerned, Bluetooth

issues are not just limited to iPhones. One scan of the

SYNC forums will show you that Bluetooth connectivity

issues are, for lack of a better term, adventures at times.

Something that has worked in the past is making sure

WiFi is turned off before entering the car. Don't know

why, but in the past, many SYNC users found out

turning of WiFi resulting in pairing and full operation.

The other common solution to Bluetooth issues with any

phone was to do the "fuse pull" hard reset of the SYNC system.

In my case, my 2012 Focus is working quite well with

my iPhone 4S and iOS6. Voice commands for making

calls for people in my address book work fine.

Music, however, I playback through the USB connections.

Even on this system, the audio quality is an order of magnitude

better over USB than on Bluetooth. I find listening to music

on any Bluetooth based system upsets my stomach with its

compression effects and artifacts. Then again, I didn't grow

up in a generation being trained to accept lower quality MP3/AAC

music media.

I didn't have an iPhone prior to this iPhone 5, so I made a new connection for the phone when I paired it to my car's bluetooth. Everything seemed fine, except for the metadata. Then I got in the car one time and it tried to resume the stream. I had sound for a second, then I saw the bluetooth connection drop and reconnect. The sound stopped, yet the phone was still playing. If I switched the phone's output to speaker, it was playing fine, but still not playing through the car's speakers. Phone audio no worky either. I can now consistently break it. Just leave my car's audio input to bluetooth and turn off the car. When I get back in and start the car, it will pair, start the music, then drop it and reconnect, yet I've lost all audio.

My work arounds are to either make sure I take the car's input off of bluetooth and put it on the radio/aux/iPod before turning the car off. Otherwise, if I forget, I have to try and hurry when I get back in the car to get it off the bluetooth input before it initiates playback, else I have to take it off bluetooth and turn the car off and back on.

Sometimes it does resume fine, but it's not predictable.

I just hope that when I'm not actually using bluetooth, it connects fine. I really have no way of knowing it has connected fine in that situation unless I actually check it every time I get in the car. Seems tedious. I already can't remember to take it off bluetooth input before I turn the car off. I'd hate to get a call while driving, only to find my audio is all borked. Wouldn't be the end of the world obviously, but would suck.

Message was edited by: crankerchick

I am not techy savy but this is what I noticed with the navigation music system in my car. I can add 4 different phones it will recognize and delete at will too. However, when I want to listen to music it only recognizes 2 portable players. When I deleted all the phones I went into the setting for audio and saw that under portable player it had listed my old iPod and my old phone and there was no way to delete them!!! So, I had to reset the entire system and delete all personal data. After I did this and paired/sync my new phone it added to the settings on phone and then I went to audio setting and under portable player it had added my phone too and there was now an empty slot. Hope this helps.

Exactly the same issues, Pioneer DEH-6400BT. worked perfectly with 5.1.1 on iphone 4. new iphone 5 on ios6 is pants with the pioneer. does nothing til you select play on iphone and will not respond to car controls. Regardless of whether this is an apple issue or a pioneer issue, it is annoying. something changed at apples end to kill the connection though. At least it still streams music (manually setting it off of course), but not having steerinng wheel controls is a real pain

Look. Its plain to see that Apple messed up on the Bluetooth testing. This is an ios6 issue. Beta testers discovered the issue and it didnt get fixed in time for release. Why? I think that it was due to the presure Apple was under to release iphone 5 due to market presures (samsung?) FFS it doesnt even pair with apples own mac book pro running lion which was suppose to be more like ios. Its just dumb mistake. Apple dont own bluetooth technology. They dont own the protocol or its profiles. They are users of it like everyone else except they made some coding errors in this release. Its thier problem, they will fix it, if not then they are stupid. One thing is for sure i will not update my ios again untill ive check the forums for feedback.

This is really some kind of insanity. I, and lots of others, installed the APPLE iOS 6 upgrade on our phones. Before the upgrade, many people used their iPhone Bluetooth features without any trouble on their Kenwood, Alpine, Pioneer, etc., etc., car stereos. Here comes the APPLE upgrade and we, in good faith, perform the upgrade. POW! No more BT functionality as before. So let's see... APPLE upgrade - 1. Car Stereo upgrade - 0. So by not doing something to address the APPLE upgrade, the stereo manufacturers are somehow at fault here?

As consumers who spent good money on both iPhones AND expensive car stereos, I for one couldn't give a rat's butt how or who gets it fixed. I want the easiest and fastest patch available ASAP! All the ******** back and forth about APPLE or whoever isn't doing anything to fix the problem. I absolutely love my iPhone and I can't see using anything else. But this "who struck John" crap needs to go by the wayside and SOMEBODY needs to FIX THE PROBLEM!