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iPhone SE Bluetooth issues

I have a new iPhone SE and have so far paired it to a 2014 BMW 328i and a 2011 Kia Optima and a 2015 Kia Santa Fe. In all cases, I have terrible quality bluetooth call reception... the audio while on a phone call is extremely scratchy and distorted.


If I pair an iPhone 6S to each of these vehicles (same iOS version - 9.3.1), I do NOT experience these issues and calls are clear.


When I use the iPhone SE to make phone calls outside of Bluetooth, I have no issues and calls are clear.


This bluetooth issue on my iPhone SE does NOT impact Bluetooth music streaming. Only sounds scratchy / distorted with phone calls.


Apple, so far, is blaming the vehicle manufacturers despite there being multiple vehicle models and brands involved.


BMW and Kia state this must be an Apple problem.


Apple Genius bar is absolutely no help -- they state they can't report "software issues" to Apple and are only able to replace bad iPhones.


I'm at a complete loss as to how to get this to Apple's attention so they can fix the issue.


For now, I don't know what to do. All I know is that Bluetooth audio is very important to me in California since it is illegal to use your phone except in a hands free manner.


Anyone know how we can get this information to someone at Apple that can actually do something about it?


Robert

Posted on Apr 4, 2016 5:27 PM

Reply
934 replies

May 18, 2016 8:22 AM in response to 81mrg81

81mrg81 wrote:


Yeah, I've noticed. But he is partially right. We shouldn't have to remove old profiles, turning off and on stuff and doing other tricks. It should be all supported.

But in my case it didn't have to be iphone's fault. It is possible that car's unit is not playing by the rules.


Removing old BT profiles is one age-old method of fixing BT problems, and is not exclusive to the SE or Apple. The problem is in the BT protocol itself....unlike a true standard like wifi, it allows such garbage to happen with its certified devices.

May 18, 2016 8:44 AM in response to dcpmark

I think dcpmark is really Tim Cook incognito 😁. I wanted the SE to work and am envious of it as a concept. But it was such a nightmare and even now with the "Update," a very high number of people are still having problems getting this thing to work correctly. Other devices - they push an update, you install it, and good to go. Why does this one need all the hoops to work? Why are so many people having to do so much to make it work? How come some do this and some do that and "Make it work?" Sounds like a DUD to me. Just Sayin..... I'll keep my 6. I'm very happy with it and it will likely be my last iphone after this experience.

May 18, 2016 9:00 AM in response to MotleyDiver

MotleyDiver wrote:


I think dcpmark is really Tim Cook incognito 😁. I wanted the SE to work and am envious of it as a concept. But it was such a nightmare and even now with the "Update," a very high number of people are still having problems getting this thing to work correctly. Other devices - they push an update, you install it, and good to go. Why does this one need all the hoops to work? Why are so many people having to do so much to make it work? How come some do this and some do that and "Make it work?" Sounds like a DUD to me. Just Sayin..... I'll keep my 6. I'm very happy with it and it will likely be my last iphone after this experience.


Ha! Not Tim but I'll take his stock options.


Tim Cook doesn't seem to care that the SE is successful here in the US, or he would have made sure there was enough to meet demand. He was too worried about its success in China, and would prefer US consumers buy the more expensive iPhones with higher profit margins, IMHO.


I, on the other hand, quite honestly have a vested interest in keeping this platform alive for many years to come.....I had the 6, and couldn't stand the size of it. I'm hoping they will continue to update the internals of the SE body. If not the SE may be MY last iPhone. I came late to the iPhone game....the 5 was my first iPhone because I was waiting for LTE, and I loved my old HTC Incredible. Not a Samsung fan, but there is much to offer in the Android world.

May 18, 2016 9:12 AM in response to dcpmark

My sentiments exactly - I don't like the size of the 6 either. I think Apple's reason for not shipping more to the US was about a known issue they refused to admit. I'm usually not a conspiracy theorist, but this just smells fishy to me. I also wanted the smaller size. It is a niche market and thus I doubt we'll see much of it. Therefore...I'll see you in the Android forums next year. I think SE is going to Flop. We'll see.

May 18, 2016 9:29 AM in response to MotleyDiver

MotleyDiver wrote:


My sentiments exactly - I don't like the size of the 6 either. I think Apple's reason for not shipping more to the US was about a known issue they refused to admit. I'm usually not a conspiracy theorist, but this just smells fishy to me. I also wanted the smaller size. It is a niche market and thus I doubt we'll see much of it. Therefore...I'll see you in the Android forums next year. I think SE is going to Flop. We'll see.


Apple sold 30,000,000 4" iPhones last year, hardly a niche market. The SE is their response to the market demand for a new 4" phone with current specs and performance. It was a great idea to use the 5's chassis and screen, with most of the 6s's guts.


FWIW, I'm very happy with my SE. Sure, I wish it didn't take 6 weeks to fix the BT issue. I don't regret waiting. I have no investment in it flopping or succeeding. For my purposes, it's a great phone. To each his own, there are many alternatives.

iPhone SE Bluetooth issues

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