Bluetooth Handsfree Issues On iOS 7.1

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jkg1971 Author

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Bluetooth Handsfree Issues On iOS 7.1

I have a 2010 BMW 335i with iDrive and Nav. I also have an iPhone 5s.

Since updating my iPhone to 7.1 I've noticed that the audio, presumably both ways, is no longer routing through the car's speakers and mic. I can pair the devices just fine, access the address book and initiate calls from iDrive but the audio only comes through the iPhone. I also used to have the ability to select the BMW as audio output while connected to the car but that option isn't there anymore.

So far I've un-paired and re-paired the devices and rebooted both the iPhone and iDrive. I have not done a networking reset on the phone as I don't really want to have the phone re-learn all the access points and devices it's paired with but if this has worked for anybody I'll give it a try.

I'm not sure if this is a BMW issue or an iOS issue but the only thing that has changed is me upgrading the phone to 7.1.

Anybody else having the same or similar problem?

If not, I guess a call to Apple is in order.

iPhone 5s, iOS 7.1

Posted on Mar 22, 2014 3:06 PM

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Answer 1

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jkg1971 Author

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Mar 22, 2014 4:23 PM in response to jkg1971

Did a little more digging and R. Berardi had the answer in this post...

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5984427?answerId=25158477022#25158477022

Un-pairing/re-pairing/restarting the iPhone, in that order, corrected the problem.

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Answer 2

abton

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Mar 24, 2014 3:04 AM in response to jkg1971

Had exactly the same issue with 7.1 using the Alpine hands free in my Volkswagen Golf. Unfortunately the unpair/pair/restart doesn't seem to fix the issue.

The iPhone does not automatically route the audio through the hands free. You need to use the phone and tell it to route the audio, which while driving defeats the purpose of having a hands free.

If the phone is unlocked when the call is made then the menu appears from the bottom of the screen and I can select the hands free device. If the phone is locked then nothing happens and I have to unlock and try and select the hands free (all while driving! not very safe!).

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Answer 3

Sep 12, 2014 9:15 AM in response to jkg1971

My wife just bought a 2014 Sienna and we (successfully) paired it with her iPhone 5 running IOS 7.1. We have the standard audio system, not the Entune one with the navigation screens. But then I got ambitious and thought that since Toyota has an "audio device" I could pair it up as an audio device and then she could use the iPhone as a handsfree phone AND to stream music from the iPhone via Pandora. That was a big mistake.

Once I paired it as an audio device and fired up Pandora, while the music streaming worked fine, the phone functionality went away. I know by doing research in this we are by no means alone. This appears to span multiple vehicles from multiple manufacturers, so suspicion heavily points toward IOS 7.1 breaking something in the BT links with multiple vehicles.

Yeah, I know how to unpair and re-pair as a phone. That'll no doubt work...for a phone. She can plug her iPhone into the car audio via cable, which is what we used to do 10 years ago. Not at all acceptable for 2014 however, when everything is BT enabled. Come on Apple, fix this in IOS 8.

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Answer 4

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

230,317 points

Sep 12, 2014 9:27 AM in response to HFlashman

I'm not sure this is an iOS issue. I have my 5S paired with my Hyundai and can use it as a phone and to stream music. It worked well with my 4, 4S, and 5 as well. If you have removed the device from the vehicle's list and removed the vehicle from the phone's list and then re-paired them and it still does not work with music, then I suggest that you contact the dealer to see if there are issues with the system. The Bluetooth stack in the phone supports both functions, and is the latest Bluetooth firmware.

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