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iPhone7 Bluetooth issue in the car

My brand new Iphone7 seems to have bluetooth problems in my car. Everything works but the sound drops sometimes (often) when I listen to music. I didnt have this issue wiyh my 6s and IOS10. I tried to reset everything but the problem persists. The iPhone is recognized by the radio inmy Toyota, but the sound drops just as it was a radio in a tunnel.

iPhone 7, iOS 10

Posted on Sep 21, 2016 4:03 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 5, 2017 9:18 AM

I provided this to the techs weeks ago, but it seems like there was no headway. So here are the results of my trials for everyone to read:


I work in an environment where I have access to soundproof rooms. The walls are steel with padding and are about 6" thick (solid). These are "dead spots" for wireless in my building, which I surveyed and had to plan around because of the walls. I also work with deploying a lot of iOS devices, so most of my colleagues have an iPhone.


Testing environment:

I tested the area with an OptiView XG using AirMagnet Spectrum XT software. This device and software is used to measure the amount of Radio Frequency (RF) radiation in a given area to troubleshoot issues with wireless, and to help design wireless networks for large corporations. This helped me to ensure that there were no stray 2.4GHz interferers while testing, meaning that the only devices emitting 2.4GHz band RF were the "Devices" listed below (Beats Pill, Plantronics Backbeats, Braven BRV-1) and the phones.


Additionally, I tested the cars listed below in several environments with and without interferers nearby. These were less controlled, however mirrored the exact same results.


Stuttering/Skipping:

To show an example of the skipping sound that I am referring to, please take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGHFDRVA958


Bluetooth devices tested:

  • Cars: 2013 Ford Focus, 2011 Toyota Venza, 2007 BMW 335i, 2006 VW Jetta
  • Devices: Beats Pill, Plantronics Backbeats, Braven BRV-1


iPhones tested:

  • iPhone 6s - No problems
  • iPhone 6s Plus - No problems
  • iPhone 7 Plus (AT&T, A1784) - Stuttering
  • iPhone 7 Plus (AT&T, A1784) - Stuttering
  • iPhone 7 Plus (AT&T, A1784) - Stuttering
  • iPhone 7 Plus (T-Mobile, A1784) - Stuttering
  • iPhone 7 Plus (Sprint, A1661) - No problems
  • iPhone 7 (Verizon, A1660) - No problems
  • iPhone 7 Plus (Verizon, A1661) - No problems
  • iPhone 7 Plus (Verizon, A1661) - No problems
  • There were two other GSM iPhone 7 Pluses that I trialed, but I don't have the model numbers in front of me to list to provide exact details. Both had issues.


As you can see, the issues are localized to the GSM models using the new Intel modems. This further solidifies the belief that there is an existing hardware issue and not a problem with software, interference, or other manufacturer's devices. I'm not sure what else I can do to troubleshoot with the Apple reps, but after spending upwards of $5000 with Apple in 2016, I can't help but to feel neglected.

707 replies

Nov 11, 2016 4:21 AM in response to ColonelPanik

Same issue on my side, iPhone 6s Plus, almost threw my phone out of my car... Absolute disaster after upgrading to 10.1.1. Tried to switch off the LTE network, so far it works fine now, but lets make a longer ride to confirm this solution would work or not. If not, thanks to Apple poor SW updates I can't use my built-in premium BT hands-free in my car, so phoning while driving is not an option as it is not allowed and also very dangerous. But most of us do some "phone work" while driving.

Nov 11, 2016 6:11 AM in response to brunowajskop

I've been doing a lot of research into this over the past few weeks. As I suspected, it seems that the majority of people reporting this issue have the AT&T or T-Mobile versions of this phone (A1778/A1784). Additionally, as others have pointed out, the issue goes away when turning off LTE. Those models have an Intel modem. However, the Sprint and Verizon models (A1660/A1661) have Qualcomm modems. Those users do not seem to be reporting this issue, which leads me to believe this is specifically an issue with the Intel modems present in the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the iPhone.

Nov 11, 2016 11:17 AM in response to brunowajskop

I was able to resolve this with my Subaru (Clarion stereo).


In my case, the issue was ONLY with the iPhone 7plus (none of the iOS 10 updates resolved this). I did NOT have the problem with iOS10 on my 6plus. To recap:The bluetooth audio would not reconnect, but I could enter the bluetooth menu and select the car audio that was previously paired and it would hook right up. None of my other bluetooth devices had this issue, only the car. I had tried most of the suggestions in this thread and contacted support. For me, deleting the paired device, resetting network settings, rebooting, airplane mode, etc DID NOT WORK.


The solution was to find the "initialize" option in the car audio menu (it isn't in the bluetooth menu on my stereo). The "initialize" option seems to have cleared out whatever was getting in the way of the reconnection of my paired phone. I have had no issues for the past week.


Best of luck to everyone. I hope this helps.

Nov 11, 2016 12:08 PM in response to Linkinsixecho

I believe there are 2 main types of issues here.

1. Bluetooth connectivity: e.g. The car doesn't recognize the phone, or takes a long time for the car to recognize the phone.

2. Bluetooth audio drops: The car has no trouble recognizing the phone, but music suddenly drops, comes back, drops, sometimes speeds up to play catch-up, etc. All of this happens with the phone still connected to the car.

Problem #2 was OP's problem. From what I've seen, this is mostly, if not completely an AT&T model issue.

If you are on Verizon or Sprint and have issue #2, please post and describe.

Nov 11, 2016 12:16 PM in response to agent_zero1

I have a 2010 G37xs with a iphone 7+ 128gb on verizon, havent tried turning off the lte because i dont want to lose that coverage. Yesterday i unpaired and repaired and just left the bluetooth for calls on. So far so good, when connecting it with audio it would start stuttering so then i would have to close the music app, reopen it and it would work then. I just started using the cable thats much easier for now instead of messing with all the other stuff

iPhone7 Bluetooth issue in the car

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