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How Apple blew it with Bluetooth

How Apple blew it with Bluetooth - Jason O'GradyI use Bluetooth every day.

Bluetooth was rock solid on my iPhone 5s running iOS 7.x. I never thought about about it. It just worked. Every day.

Now I hate all of my Bluetooth gear.

Bluetooth is crappy with my iPhone 6 and iOS 8.1.x. Every one of my Bluetooth devices cuts out, drops out or starts warbling within a couple minutes of use.

After upgrading to an iPhone 6 (and iOS 8.1.2):

  • my BT speaker starts cutting out after a minute or two of streaming
  • my BT earbuds drop out after a song or two, or during app switching
  • my BT headset disconnects one minute into every call

While this is my specific story, I’m not alone. Other people are having trouble with Bluetooth as well, especially with the newest iPhone hardware and iOS 8. I don’t use Bluetooth in my vehicle, but that’s another problem spot for iOS 8 users. The Apple discussion forums are littered with complaints about the iOS 8 Bluetooth stack and some users are having trouble with it on Yosemite (OS X 10.10) too.

I was hoping that iOS 8.1.2 would fix things with Bluetooth but the update did nothing to address my specific issues.

I’ve spoken with several OEMs that are patently furious with Apple over the Bluetooth fiasco, but most won’t speak out publicly for fear of losing access, distribution, etc. The hardware vendors probably have Dan Riccio and Craig Federighi on speed dial because Apple’s poor Bluetooth performance is making their products look bad.

Further reading:

(Blue tooth icon: TrySoda)

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.

4 replies on “How Apple blew it with Bluetooth”

I have iPhone 5s and 4s (ipod) I linked them to a No Fear Bluetooth speaker from Sportsdirect.com it was great yesterday but today the output is almost half what it was yesterday . I have tried forgetting device reinstating Bluetooth connection . Changing volume eq settings . Even trying to pair it with volume right down but when it’s paired it how to full volume yet the sound is so quiet its useless .

Bluetooth has never worked on Crapple devices. It’s supported the bare minimum of BT profiles they could get away with (basically A2DP, AVRCP, PBAP).

Ever tried to share a file by bluetooth with friends? Thought not….

Ditto this remark. Whereas I have never experienced the issue of car bluetooth inoperability, I have definitely experienced cutting out. More troublesome: devices like small Jawbone speakers that allow multiple device pairings. I have my iPhone and iPad paired to one set of headphones (Bluebud X) and the Jawbone — why doesn’t apple make it easy to switch the bluetooth device when there are two within operating distance? One would think it would be easy enough to add this to some quick-access area. The Airplay dropdown only works when it already has established the connection — not when it fails to!

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