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iPhone 7 Bluetooth connectivity with Ford SYNC malfunctions

I'm using my iPhone 7 with my 2016 Ford Fusion with SYNC. The Bluetooth connection worked flawlessly with my iPhone 6S. Today, the iPhone 7 experienced significant connectivity issues, including regular dropouts, dropping the connection entirely, and music just stopping playing. Not a cellular data issue as the songs were on the iPhone. Resetting network settings, turning bluetooth on/off, and dropping/re-connecting to the car did not fix the issue. No equipment or other things have changed except the switch to the new iPhone.


I fully don't expect there to be a "solution" other than a software update or returning this phone, but has it happened to anyone else?

Posted on Sep 17, 2016 1:19 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 25, 2017 10:52 PM

I ended up returning my iPhone 7 Plus (model A1784) and repurchased an iPhone 7 Plus (model A1661). So far the music skipping and random disconnects while on calls is gone. I did a lot more research on these Apple forums before going into the Apple Store and ultimately deciding to return and repurchase. There is another forum that has 43 pages of responses about the same issue. I posted a very long response there and am including a link if you'd like to go there and get more information. It's worth a read as it may help and will explain my logic for doing the return and change in models.


Re: iPhone7 Bluetooth issue in the car

253 replies

Aug 7, 2017 7:34 PM in response to JLB3

I had the same issue with a 2015 F-150, contacted apple support via the app, they sent me a new iphone 7 in the mail. Just tested it out and no issues! My last iphone 7 would disconnect every 2 or 3 minutes, just talked to 3 different people for an hour with no interruptions. Contact apple support and request a new phone.

Aug 20, 2017 10:05 PM in response to Ferdness

I'm with Vodafone in Ireland. My sister also is and bought the same iPhone 7 plus but there was no problem with it in the Ford Focus. I finally used the service app chat but the diagnostic did not show up anything so they sent me to an apple service centre as there are no shops near. As I was able to demonstrate the problem they replaced the iPhone. I have no problem with the new iphone. It has to be a hardware issue. While you are still looking for a fix from apple try using a cheap Bluetooth speaker €20 euro. Connect the iPhone to it in the car and then to the ford sync at the same time as it appears to help the phone to maintain the connection to the car.

Aug 27, 2017 4:23 AM in response to sag2007

I have the same problem with both new versions of Android OS and Apple iOS on my Ford Fusion 2015. If Ford is not going to test with the iPhone 7 then we are all out of luck since it is probably the software update to iOS causing the issue and that means anything newer that the iPhone 5. Turning off automatic address book sync is not a tenable solution since how are you supposed to make hands free calls without an updated phone book? Looks like my next vehicle will be a Toyota or Honda. Don't get me started on their lack of traffic feature on the GPS in the Ford Sat Nav. Sirius blames Ford. Ford blames Sirius. Not good customer service.

Sep 12, 2017 6:20 PM in response to Zippy0to60

I have 2015 F150 and recently upgraded from iphone 6 to iphone 7. Same bluetooth disconnect problem while talking on phone everyone else has described while my iphone 6 was flawless for 2 years. My wife and I upgraded at the same time (about 6 weeks ago) to A1778 models with T-Mobile. I have done everything Apple requested including reset, restore, etc. with no solution. I have now triple confirmed that while my phone has the problem, my wife's phone works flawlessly when used in the exact same way back-to-back. The only difference between the 2 phones is rose gold vs jet black which I hope is not the problem because, well, I don't want a rose gold phone. Apple is sending me a new phone and I will let you know what happens. Thanks to everyone for helping figure out this obvious hardware problem.

Sep 22, 2017 5:00 AM in response to JLB3

So my IPhone 7plus was working fine with the ford explorer I am renting in the UAE and now it does not - by which I mean the phone is communicating with the car, but no sound is coming out. The same is true for the Phone. I used to be able to plug the phone in as a USB device (after turning bluetooth off) and it gives the same result -- connected but no sound.


- i have IOS 10.3.3 (14G60) - I cannot remember when it upgraded, but I am guessing it was quiet recently. I see that version 11 is now available -- so here we go. I hope to have the same success as others.

Oct 23, 2017 10:04 AM in response to Gerald Edgar

It is NOT sync causing the issue. Other manufacturer's phones work well in both of my Ford vehicles, as did older iphones. There is a problem with Bluetooth connectivity. I am on Ford Sync 3 (v.2.0) and have an iphone 7 (ios 11.0.3 latest!!), today's date is Oct 23rd, 2017--AND THIS IS STILL AN APPLE PROBLEM. My sister's Samsung Galaxy works well in her Ford Fusion, and in my two Ford vehicles. Friends with other brand phones have no trouble connecting and hearing their map app's audio through SYNC.


IT IS DEFINITELY APPLE. Exactly how many years does it take to fix this??

Oct 23, 2017 1:21 PM in response to gpmacuser

I downloaded IOS 11.1 beta 4 this past Saturday, first time I have ever downloaded Beta software. It fixes mt Ford Sync 3 connection issues, bluetooth connection to my Sony Speaker, notifications now work, hectic feedback works and battery drain has gone. It was an Apple IOS issue......I was on IOS 11.0.3 and had so many problems until now. Hopefully when 11.1 is issued to the public all will be solved :-)

Oct 23, 2017 8:24 PM in response to simonb1964

That’s very interesting simonb1964.... Thank you for adding some very strong evidence to back up my observations. I will be trying the beta.


After their failed diagnostic attempts, the best both Ford and Apple support could suggest was a workaround involving plugging the phone into a USB port. It does allow me to hear Apple and Google maps through SYNC—but c’mon....no BlueTooth? How’s that “customer experience” now?!


To make things even more frustrating for users, this is apparently

a problem that goes back years and resurfaces every now and then seemingly correlated with new iphone releases.


Anyway, I remain optimistic that non-beta ios 11.1 will help out a lot of users. Best of luck people!

Oct 29, 2017 9:54 PM in response to gpmacuser

I have had the same issues with my iPhone 7 plus, with ford explorer 2015 (Sync my touch). I tried everything but still had same issues. Recently updated my phone to 11.0.3, and it seems the issue is resolved, however i wont bet on it. I still need to try for the next few days, take at least 5 or 6 calls from my car, before i confirm apple has fixed this.


It really is frustrating to be honest.

Oct 30, 2017 6:44 AM in response to wasiq_8601

Thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences. I am still staying on 11.0.1 for now, but I suspect 11.1 will be out soon and I will likely test that out. 11.0 and 11.0.1 have absolutely solved my Sync handsfree issues for me and I am just hoping they don't break this again in future updates. This thread will be important to everyone moving forward to hear how others experiences are with updates. Please keep providing your experiences.


Derek

Nov 29, 2017 8:19 AM in response to JLB3

I have had the same issue with my Ford. My iPhone 7 always worked but a few days ago it decided to to stop working on my BT. I did everything to try and connect but nothing worked. Eventually I decided to disconnect the battery of my car which ultimately rebooted my whole system. I immediately was able to connect my phone to the BT and it works perfectly again. My main issue was not being able to pick up sync on my phone.

iPhone 7 Bluetooth connectivity with Ford SYNC malfunctions

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