Q: Bluetooth Interference - Apple Watch and iPhone 6

Really?  An iPhone 5 or 6 doesn't run BT 2.X, 3.X and 4.0? (Hint: Answer is Yes). An Apple Watch doesn't use BT 4.0 while the phone is simultaneously paired with an auto with BT 2.0? (Hint: Answer is Yes).

<Edited by Host>

I have similar connection problems with our Cadillac SRX and our Lexus.   My apple watch automatically disconnects when I take either car.  I have discovered that I can have either car and the apple watch connect by turning bluetooth off on my iPhone and back on.   However, this is a hassle if you do not discover this until you are already driving

I am having the exact same problem with my car/iphone/iwatch    

...me too - I have three Bluetooth connections in total when sitting in my car. Two go to the Car Entertainment System (Kenwood DNX4280BT) for phone and audio streaming, another one serves the Apple Watch. I'm on iOS 9.1, by the way. And I have clearly identified the Apple Watch BT connection as the one that's interfering with the other two. Mostly, I have a very rough phone connection and bad audio streaming, both with interruptions, crackling etc. then.

The workaround that I momentarily use before entering my car is to switch Flight Mode on and then again off on my iPhone which leaves the Watch in Flight mode so that the Watch's BT connection stays temporarily disabled. After a little while, when the phone and audio streaming BT connections are safely established, I switch the Watch's Flight Mode off and let it establish its BT connection to the iPhone. Then, everything works fine, but obviously it's really a hassle to go through this procedure every time I enter my car, especially when just stopping for some gas or similar.

It seems to be some sort of "timing" problem. Like I said, after the phone and audio connections are established, I can enable the Watch's BT connection safely but not vice versa.

Hope this will be fixed anytime soon, but somehow I have little hope for that...

G.

Slame problem with my new watch and my Mazda 6 and my iPhone 6s Plus.  Music syncing was perfect since the update recently of bluetooth to 4.2 by apple.

Now i get the dropping of music intermittently and the Mazda display does not show the music time counting off. Very obvious interference by my new watch. I guess I will have to put in airplane mode when driving.  I'm using watch OS 2.01 so have latest OS.

Hope they find a fix.

Russ

Further report. After looking around and finding many with this interference issue and their car sound systems bluetooth connections I found the only "solution" or work around as many have said is to have the watch on airplane mode when I am in car and wanting to use my Mazda 6 Connect system (phone calls or music).

Without doing the connections went flaky:

1) music played from phone with constant dropping of audio every 10-15 seconds, the mazda connect would not increment the time status of a tune anylong just stuck and when new tune was moved to (the music was playing and updating on my watch screen ok  -- but audio was thru the car and it was badly intermittent.

2) the connection issues had my playlist updating wonky also and even when normally synced after 10 seconds of car starting it was taking minutes. After that the flakyness of play was noted.

3)  the bad connections/interference also reset my clock to UTM time somewhere 6 hours earlier and it was hard for me to find the time to go back in my Mazda connect settings (after all it is Microsoft software LOL)

so for now I just go to airplane mode on watch and the basic function work fine just some of the interent stuff no but do not need when I am runing car anyway.

Oh just update for particulars on what I have for hardware software:

iPhone 6s 128 space grey (iOS 9.1) , Apple Watch stainless 42 mm (watch OS 2.01),  MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), iPad Air 1 128 GB (iOS 9.1), Apple TV 4 64 GB

Mazda 6 (2016 model)  with latest Mazda Connect software.

I would have edited but it seems that feature is no longer visible/available.

I'm also having interference issues with my Apple Watch and my Powerbeats 2 Wireless. I realized the Apple Watch was causing the interference through my own findings before finding this thread.

iPhone 6 Plus + Powerbeats 2 Wireless = Good

Apple Watch + Powerbeats 2 Wireless = Good

iPhone 6 Plus + Watch + Powerbeats 2 Wireless = Lots of interference. Music cuts out frequently.

I submitted feedback for the Apple Watch through the feedback link which was provided to me by customer support via chat: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

I hope there is an update that fixes this issue soon.

nick101 wrote:

 

Can I suggest you post this to the Apple feedback site (link below) - the dev won't see it her (Apple doesn't participate directly). Or call Apple support - this is the first instance I've seen of Bluetooth interference.

 

It might be that a restart would fix it - worth a try

 

http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Just gave them feedback on this recurring issue for me with my Mazda Connect system

Russ Jacobson

I also had Bluetooth interference issues with the Apple Watch but with a Logitech DiNovo Edge Keyboard, I bought a cheap Logitech keyboard and mouse to replace it and it suffered issues as well, but only when my Apple Watch was in the vicinity.

I experienced quite a similar behaviour as dino_russ. Moreover, I found that when I had completely restored my iPhone via iTunes, everything worked as intended and I didn't have to switch my Apple Watch to flight mode, no BT interferences then - but only for a few days/weeks. At some point, the trouble started over again with more and more Watch interferences coming up, audio streaming became jerky again, phone calls were messed up soundwise. I somehow have the impression that this is some sort of a weird memory leak. But then again, it doesn't really help to simply reboot the iPhone, that only helps for a couple of hours - if at all.

So I again have no choice as to put my Apple Watch into flight mode before entering my car. That's the only working method to avoid those BT interferences, at least for the time being.

Also, I noted that contacts syncing between my iPhone and my car entertainment system (Kenwood DNX4280BT, by the way) took a lot longer with the Watch enabled compared to when I put the Watch in flight mode before. Seems to be the same reason.

Best

gerofromronnenberg wrote:

 

I experienced quite a similar behaviour as dino_russ. Moreover, I found that when I had completely restored my iPhone via iTunes, everything worked as intended and I didn't have to switch my Apple Watch to flight mode, no BT interferences then - but only for a few days/weeks. At some point, the trouble started over again with more and more Watch interferences coming up, audio streaming became jerky again, phone calls were messed up soundwise. I somehow have the impression that this is some sort of a weird memory leak. But then again, it doesn't really help to simply reboot the iPhone, that only helps for a couple of hours - if at all.

 

So I again have no choice as to put my Apple Watch into flight mode before entering my car. That's the only working method to avoid those BT interferences, at least for the time being.

 

Also, I noted that contacts syncing between my iPhone and my car entertainment system (Kenwood DNX4280BT, by the way) took a lot longer with the Watch enabled compared to when I put the Watch in flight mode before. Seems to be the same reason.

 

Best

Yes you have described my symptoms exactly.   The other day when symptoms came back after a week or two without needing to go airplane mode while starting the loading of contacts and syncing of the phone part not only slowed down like they do with the watch interference as you note but they failed and then it would not sync even with watch in airplane. It forced me to completely unpair the iPhone from the car, and do a new pairing before they would again load.  I am not sure what the bluetooth issues with the watch are but it is more than annoying. The habit is simple to do but occasionally I am in hurry and forget. so it needs to be fixed apple. I have done feedback to apple on this..

Today, the new iOS 9.2 and (maybe even more important) the new watchOS 2.1 (Apple Watch) were released. Who knows - maybe Apple managed to solve the Apple Watch BT interference problem with either of those two firmware updates... I have already installed both here while being at work and will check it out later on my 30 minutes drive home. Will report in the next couple of days - keep your fingers (not your Bluetooth signals!) crossed!

Best

Today, I updated to iOS 9.2 and watchOS 2.1. While there was a major improvement as far as the interference problem, I still experienced some - but definitely not as much as previously. I only did one test for 30 mins (my 3.5 mile daily run). Will conduct another test tomorrow and post my findings.

ive installed iOS 9.2 and watchOS 2.1 and have noticed no difference in the interference problems I have been having whe using both devices with my 2015 Honda FIT.  I wasn't expecting there to be an improvement, however, since the version notes for the phone upgrade and the watch upgrade made no mention of attempting to correct the problem. Personally, I believe they'll solve it in a later update, assuming the problem can be corrected at all.