Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Distorted Audio On Phone Calls Over Bluetooth (IPHONE SE)
- Thread starter HickDead
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
More details on "actually worked," please......headset? Car kit? Some other BT device? And did you soft reset after pairing, or before pairing?
[doublepost=1460753944][/doublepost]Can everyone who's having trouble over a Bluetooth car kit try this simple test… Turn off your Wi-Fi before making your call, and see if that makes any difference in the distortion.
So let me add another BT experience. My SE sounds horrible when making phone calls through the OEM car kit in my 2014 Acadia Denali, just as did my iP6 before that. The 2014 is in the shop now, and the dealer gave me a 2016 Acadia base model as a loaner. My SE is as clear as a bell. I asked my dealer if there was any firmware of software upgrades for my 2014, and he said no.
This confirms what I already expected, that newer cars will usually have less trouble with newer phones, despite the newer BT protocols supposedly being backwards compatible with all older protocols. BT is a farce that companies keep buying into and we keep accepting.....can you imagine if wifi behaved this way?? Signal quality so bad that only some of the data got through, or wifi not working at all between some devices. It's ridiculous.
This confirms what I already expected, that newer cars will usually have less trouble with newer phones, despite the newer BT protocols supposedly being backwards compatible with all older protocols. BT is a farce that companies keep buying into and we keep accepting.....can you imagine if wifi behaved this way?? Signal quality so bad that only some of the data got through, or wifi not working at all between some devices. It's ridiculous.
A new cheap set of earbuds with spectacular music quality. I'm all "ears", please share what earbuds you bought and thanks.
I have the same problem. It's my first iPhone. I got it because I liked the small size with the updated internals, but I think it's going back and I'm gonna wait till they fix the issue.
I noticed today that the adjust bluetooth volume buttons do nothing when making a bluetooth call in the car. It seems they are broken (software wise) and possibly set too high causing the distortion.
Potential good news....two different posters on the Apple iPhone Forums are reporting that 9.3.2 fixed their BT problems. Now it just needs to leave the developers' hands to ours.
Last edited:
Assuming you mean 9.3.2. That's good to hear. I got my SE two days ago and I have this same issue. I haven't heard about it until I got my iPhone, and now I see there's a thread about it with four pages...
Guess I'll be using the speaker or earpiece while making calls in the car.
So far my SE has been flawless, but today I tried making a bluetooth call and it sounded like a screaming robot being thrown into a metal compactor. Music and everything else sounds perfectly fine with bluetooth, but voice calls make my ears bleed. So it's nice to hear that 9.3.2 might fix the issue. It can't really be a hardware issue if everything else I have ever connected to it via bluetooth sounds fine. I'm normally hooked up via auxiliary so this doesn't bother me much, but wow it sounds awful.
I had a call today that intermittently seemed distorted but I am not sure if it was because of the BT car connection, or the callers side (he was loud and possibly causing distortion). Most of the calls have seemed clear to me. Are you all finding this to be an intermittent issue, or are calls distorted all the time?
I'm having same problem with my two new iPhone SE 64 GB. Voice is exrtrimly scratchy and distorted in Ford and Volvo. When I pair my old iPhone 5s and 6 voice is crustal clear. Basic troubleshooting and quick fixes suggested here did not help.
Shame on Apple.
The problem is clearly with iPhone SE, is worldwide and they are aware.
Apple should admit it officially and advise on remedy the loyal supporters Worldwide.
Why they do not do it?
I wouldn't wary if knew what to expect.....
Shame on Apple.
The problem is clearly with iPhone SE, is worldwide and they are aware.
Apple should admit it officially and advise on remedy the loyal supporters Worldwide.
Why they do not do it?
I wouldn't wary if knew what to expect.....
Apple has admitted that it's on their end and they are working on releasing a software fix. Some Beta testers have reported that iOS 9.3.2 fixes this issue but still not officially confirmed though.
I can personally confirm that as well, but don't expect Apple to make any sweeping announcement.....the only mention most likely will be in the release notes. Remember that while this bug has affected a larger number of people than most bugs, many people are not having any BT difficulties at all. I myself had horrible BT clarity with my 2014 GMC Acadia Denali, but a 2016 Acadia I used had crystal clear BT clarity. Such is the nature of BT.....it allows this stuff to happen.
Just received 2 iPhone SE 64 GB phones yesterday. One was an upgrade from a 4S running 9.3.1. I was excited to get going...1st phone call over Bluetooth came in sounding like poop (exactly as described in this forum to be more helpful). I HOPE 9.3.2 fixes the issue...but then, I've been waiting FOREVER for Apple to step up and fix the issue with Safari locking up the entire computer when I close a YouTube tab or window...or switch out of YouTube! Shameful that I have to use Chrome or any other browser just to use YouTube.
It should, but you can try the Public Beta for yourself and see:
https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/
I had problems using my AT&T Iphone SE with my Plantronics Voyager Edge bluetooth headset. 9.3.2 seems to have fixed the issue for me too....
Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I was out of town and not checking the chat boards.
I got the Phaiser Tecton BHS-730 Bluetooth earbuds. Note that I didn't get them primarily for phone calls. I got them so I could listen to music without the nuisance of a wire when I go walking/jogging and on the airplane when I travel. But I then tried them for a phone call and had the distortion. This was on release day, so I posted over on the SE Order thread.
The merchant (on Amazon) I bought them from sent me an email asking if I had received them and how I liked them, so I replied that they worked great for music but not for phone calls. The merchant offered to refund my money. (In any case, Amazon would have taken them back) After that, I went to the Verizon store, where I was told something about 4G being "too powerful" for older Bluetooth protocols, and I bought a Bluetooth earpiece for phone calls, but decided to keep the BHS-730 because the music quality was so good. And it was after all this that HickDead and dcpmark explained that the fault was with the wonky Bluetooth concept and Apple.
Note that my 67-year-old ears are not as sensitive to music quality as the ears of an audiophile would be. To me, these earbuds are wonderful for music. I still like them. YMMV.
I'll look into those, I have a draw full of earbuds and headphones. I see them on Amazon going for $36 but use to cost $160 when they first came.
My hearing works much better than my vision.
Thanks for replying.
Last edited: