My Iphone6 still will not pair with Subaru bluetooth

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Level 1

7 points

My Iphone6 still will not pair with Subaru bluetooth

Still cannot pair my iphone 6 phone with the hands free in my 2014 Subaru Outback. The Subaru will recognize car multimedia and play stored music, but does not recognize or connect the phone. I've tried everything, reset the network settings, deleted phone and multimedia from car and from phone; renamed phone, etc. When trying to pair, the phone shows that it is discoverable, but the car system simply keeps searching for it. Can easily connect just the audio player, but cannot connect the phone, either by itself or in conjunction with the car multimedia. I would have thought Apple would have this fixed by now.

iPhone 6, iOS 8.1.3

Posted on Feb 16, 2015 10:51 AM

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Answer 1

AmishCake

Level 6

9,636 points

Feb 16, 2015 12:16 PM in response to Gary21045

Your car's system may need a firmware update. You might want to contact your dealer to see if one is available.

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Answer 2

Gary21045 Author

Level 1

7 points

Feb 16, 2015 12:49 PM in response to AmishCake

Thanks. Will give that a shot.

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Answer 3

Gary21045 Author

Level 1

7 points

Feb 17, 2015 7:31 AM in response to Gary21045

I contacted Subaru. There is no firmware update available. They said the problem is with the iPhone OS. The iPhone 6 is not included in Subaru's current list of phones compatible with their Bluetooth system, although the older iPhones are. I thought the problem was to have been solved with version 8.1.3, but I guess that didn't happen. Very frustrating, to say the least.

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Answer 4

AmishCake

Level 6

9,636 points

Feb 17, 2015 1:45 PM in response to Gary21045

That's a real shame, and especially with them blaming it on Apple that way. It's too bad they can't issue a firmware update in order to keep up with the latest technology.

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Answer 5

Gary21045 Author

Level 1

7 points

Feb 17, 2015 2:21 PM in response to AmishCake

From what I've read on various sites, this problem is not unique to Subaru, but seems to be a major issue with IOS 8, and applies to many other auto makes. I had no problems at all pairing my old IPhone4 to the Subaru.

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Answer 6

Gary21045 Author

Level 1

7 points

Mar 4, 2015 7:47 AM in response to Gary21045

When can we expect Apple to update iOS8 again to correct the lack of Bluetooth connectivity in many late model vehicles? I was at the Apple store a little over a week ago. The person, who said he could help with a service problem, had no clue what I was talking about. I called the Subaru national office while in the store and was told that Apple is fully aware of the problem and that we're still waiting for a solution.

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Answer 7

AmishCake

Level 6

9,636 points

Mar 4, 2015 8:33 AM in response to Gary21045

Apple cannot be expected to update their OS to work with every car manufacturer. It's up to the car manufacturers to update THEIR systems to work with Apple updated OS in my opinion.

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Answer 8

Gary21045 Author

Level 1

7 points

Mar 7, 2015 7:21 AM in response to AmishCake

If that's the case, then why this comment from CNN in September 2014?

"They say Bluetooth connections are either not working at all, or only partially. Some iPhone 6 owners say they can play music in their cars but not receive or send phone calls.

It doesn’t affect everyone, but complaints are flooding in from people who drive Acura, BMW, Honda, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Porsche vehicles."

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Answer 9

Mar 7, 2015 7:28 AM in response to Gary21045

Does your iPhone connect to any Bluetooth accessory at all? Speakers, headset, photo printing kiosks, etc.? Are you updated to the newest iOS for your iPhone?

If yes, then your iPhone Bluetooth is not at fault. It is a firmware issues with the vehicle's Bluetooth.

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Answer 10

Gary21045 Author

Level 1

7 points

Mar 7, 2015 7:33 AM in response to TJBUSMC1973

The audio player feature on the iPhone connects fine, but the phone will not. I have 8.1.3 on the phone.

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Answer 11

Ralph9430

Level 7

21,732 points

Mar 7, 2015 7:46 AM in response to Gary21045

I see it has been several weeks and you still do not seem to have a resolution to this problem. What year and model of Subaru do you have?

I purchased a 2015 Forester in January. The dealer had a Delivery Representative that went over everything in the vehicle and showed me how things works. As part of that process she paired my phone 6 (iOS 8.1.3) with the Forester. I've had no problems with the phone connecting for Hands Free calling. The iPhone 6 is definitely compatible with the Hands Free system in my Forester. My one disappointment was that the phone does not recognize my Contacts on the phone so for those people I need to call I must manually enter their contact info into the car. But I can receive calls from anyone, whether their contact is in the car system or not.

The Subaru pairing process is not as intuitive as it might be. I suggest you look through the manual that came with your system and find out how to remove the phone from the system. Then follow the pairing steps carefully one more time. If that doesn't work, try to make an appointment with a dealers Delivery Representative. I don't think that requires you to go to the dealer where you purchased the vehicle.

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Answer 12

Gary21045 Author

Level 1

7 points

Mar 7, 2015 8:00 AM in response to Ralph9430

I have a 2014 Outback that I bought in Dec. 2013. My previous IPhone4 worked perfectly. I bought the iPhone6 this past October, and have had no success in getting the phone to work on Bluetooth. Subaru's web site shows that the iPhone6 is compatible with 2015 models; however the iPhone6 does not show up on the list of compatible phones for the 2014 model year. I have absolutely no problem in following the steps required to pair; as I mentioned before, the audio player, identified as "Car Multimedia" works fine; just completely unable to make or receive phone calls via Bluetooth. If I try to pair, using "phone only" the system will not connect.

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Answer 13

Ralph9430

Level 7

21,732 points

Mar 7, 2015 8:11 AM in response to Gary21045

That is frustrating. Since the iPhone 6 was not announced until late in 2014 that could be one reason it is not listed as being supported. It did not exist when the 2014 model was produced.

Have you posted this question on a Subaru owners forum? I frequently check the Forester forum here:

http://www.subaruforester.org/

For the Outback:

http://www.subaruoutback.org/

Since many more Subaru owners visit those forums you might get more help there.

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Answer 14

Mar 7, 2015 8:34 AM in response to Gary21045

Then that's an issue with the vehicle's Bluetooth, not the iPhone's. If it was the iPhone, then the audio play function wouldn't work.

Subaru is deflecting and trying to pass the buck. It is Subaru's responsibility to make sure that their accessory works properly with the primary device.

The iPhone is a primary device. It is not an accessory.

Apple's only involvement would be having its engineers work with and act as consultants for Subaru's engineers. It is Subaru's responsibility, but Apple may be helping them out.

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Answer 15

Mar 10, 2015 3:24 PM in response to Gary21045

It's not the phone. I have a 2012 Impreza Ltd. It probably doesn't have the same radio as yours, but it may not matter. I went nuts for months trying to pair a new phone with it, and nobody but nobody could help - not the phone manufacturer, not the carrier, not the Subaru dealer, not SOA. I finally found info on some web site that gave me a clue, and figured out the problem, and I'll bet it's the same for you: a.,The profile for a previously paired phone does not get removed from the radio by un-pairing it, and b., You cannot remove the profile via the controls on the radio itself. It's a freaking perfect storm of stupidity, and the manual, if it covers this at all, is undecipherable.

What you have to do is to access the setup procedure from the steering wheel controls, and follow the prompts to remove the current phone. You should be able to use the radio controls to perform any step they can access at this point, if you have trouble doing it via voice commands. Once the profile is removed through this process, simply pair the new iPhone, and everything should work perfectly.

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