A bluetooth audio mystery. Stutters up close, works well from afar? - Nexus 5X Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Since android 7.1 I can't use my bluetooth earphones with my Nexus 5X. I'm this close to selling up for a different phone.
I can pair my Nexus 5X to my Anker earbuds, but the sound drops out so much it's unusable, stuttering several times a second.
The weirdest thing though; the problem is worse when my phone is near my earphones, like when I hold my phone up to see the screen. When the phone in my pocket or across the room, it works OK.
The problem is also worse when the screen is on than when it's switched off.
Can anyone help solve this? The fact that distance helps makes me think it's maybe a weird bug related how 7.1 manages bluetooth power and interference? A Bluetooth LE thing?
For reference;
It's a Nexus 5X, currently running stock 7.1.2 beta.This problem began exactly after the 7.1 update.
I'm using Anker Soundbuds Sport earphones. It's not the earphones, I've tried another identical pair. They also work fine with other phones.
Bluetooth works fine with other devices; my soundbar, bluetooth speaker.
I've tried rebooting, full factory image flash, every wipe possible.
I've tried Lineage OS, including flashing that aptX mod.
Let me know if you want any more info.

Hmm, I've never had this kind of issue with my BluAudio headphones. Might be a hardware issue :/
Maybe try another modem?

I also have this issue with my Nexus 5x and sportbuds. I have found that Tha way in which the phone is held has a big impact. Ironically, holding it normally is the worst . If I hold the phone by the top, which is very inconvenient, it doesn't stutter at all.

Related

[Q] Bluetooth earpiece looses audio (cuts in and out) since Froyo

I tried making a Froyo 2.2 bug list, but it didn't catch on.
Anyway, I'm still fighting with this problem. It pisses me off because b4 2.2 my BT audio was fine. Now I have to use a wired headset and it sucks!
I have two seperate Jawbone earpieces. Both worked fine until the Froyo upgrade.
I'm running the official 2.2 from Sprint.
During a call, audio cuts out on my end, that is, I can't hear the other person, but they can hear me.
Then, just as mysteriously, it comes back!
No one else is complaining so either nobody else uses BT, or something is wrong with my update!
Have you tried a different Bluetooth headset other than a jawbone?
No. I have not. It doesn't make sense to, as far as I'm concerned.
Two headsets, both worked fine with Android 2.1. The difference is the phone's OS, not the head sets.
Feel Your Pain
Hi,
My Verizon Droid 2 w/ Froyo originally worked fine w/ all my (5+) bluetooth headsets.
Sometime recently, I noticed that my Sennheiser VMX 100 icon is missing and I can no longer pair with it.
Droid2 continues to pair with all my stereo headsets but not the non-A2DP
(non-stereo,non-music) Senn VMX.
The VMX does pair just fine with my desktop.
==============================================
(MotoRokr S9-HD, Plantronics BackBeat 906, Jabra BT8030,
Nokia BH-505, Cellular Innovations)
BTW, I think the Plantronics Backbeat 906 the best sounding 'sports' stereo.
But, all 'sports' models need memory-foam replacement buds to stay in my ear.
The Nokia BH-505 was settling in as the best 'all-around' sports model,
mainly for having the least worst fit with the least amount of tampering,
before it would no longer take a charge after ~ 1-2 weeks use.
The Jabra BT8030 the best 'all-around' stereo
(comfort, battery life, fit, ease, distance, etc.)
Jabra was the only non-'sports' stereo I have familiarity with.
This headset gives me the (preferrable) egg-shaped alien-head rather than the Princess Leia effect.
I've had it over a year, definitely get what you pay for with this one.
(Sennheiser VMX 100, Jabra's, Moto's, Nokia's, et al., but no Plantronics)
Sennheiser VMX 100 (suprised me) best 'all-around' non-stereo
(fit,noise pentration,ease)
My experience over time has been, Moto excels @ ease of use,
Jabra @ comfort, and everyone else wins the fidelity/noise contest,
Nokia's most stylish but least dependable service life (along w/ 'off' brands).
=================================
Regards,
Feel Your Pain
Hi,
Just remembered I have A GE Cell Fusion setup
(wireless home phone that makes/receives calls on your cell line via bluetooth) that continues to work fine with the Droid2.
So, guess mine's not so much an A2DP vs. non-A2DP problem.
Regards,
I have since tried FOUR different earpieces from THREE different manufacturers, all with the same results.
I have wiped the phone twice, still the problem remains.
I have called HTC twice. The first time they told me to purchase a different earpiece. The second time they said to wipe the phone and report back.
I reported back, and will post the result of that memorable conversation below.
This is wonderful.
Called HTC for the third time. They put me on hold, then came back and told me that, because the Bluetooth connects, and I am able to hear part of the conversation, there is nothing they can do!!! They said they cannot guarantee Bluetooth will work!!!
Can you believe that???
"Hey, buy our products. We just can't guarantee they will work!"
Great business philosophy.
So I proved to them it is their product at fault and not the different ear pieces I've tried. And it only started AFTER Froyo. Before that it worked great.
And they basically told me to go frack myself.
Well, seeing as so many people are on pins and needles waiting for the next installment of my continuing saga...
I went to Sprint and they re-installed Froyo themselves. They tried the BT for a few minutes and since it worked fine, declared nothing wrong with the phone. The problem however, often doesn't appear for 30 to 45 minutes. Or it can happen only a couple of mins into a call.
They ordered a new phone for me and two days later I picked it up. It took a few hours, but this device has the same BT issue as the original.
I am dumbfounded that this issue isn't being reported by more than one other person!!!
My only recorse now (and remember, I have tried THREE different BT devices from THREE different manufacturers) is to purchase yet another BT earpiece. That will have to wait though, until I get the $
i am having this problem too
my bluetooth stereo worked flawlessly until the 2.2, then the phone bt won't pick up the mic at all, i can hear the other person fine but they hear nothing. it's now totally useless. And the media bt is choppy for the first 3 minutes or so of connection where before it would auto connect solid immediately. Oh, and the auto-connect no longer works, i have to manually connect whenever I start the car. It has me really upset.
I don't use an earpiece because i still haven't found a low-profile one that can play music (media bt) -- any suggestions? I have a plantronics 975 i got just for this phone, and much to my dismay, it doesn't seem to be able to connect to anything besides phone. worthless!
any causes or fixes yet??
Well, seeing as how HTC and Sprint don't believe there is a problem, I assume we'll have to live with it.
And the lack of xda members complaining about it, I suspect the "fix" will be changing to a different phone.
I guess there aren't a lot of members using BT earpieces. I'll again mention this happened even with the latest Jabra STEREO headphone, so not sure there is any difference between the two.
I'm having the same problem on a dell BT Stereo headset with an HTC Incredible from Verizon. Had no problems on 2.1
There is a Bug reported in the Android Buglist:
http code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=2807 (can't post an outside link as a new user here.)
Try turning off wifi when listening to audio.
obviously not the best solution in some situations, but it solved my problem for now.
OMG! Thanks!!!
I thought I was going crazy. So this is listed on the Android Buglist? And HTC claims no one else has complained.
I'm going to go check it out. If turning off WiFi helps, I'd be very gratefull. A workaround is better than what I've been going through. I love this phone.
Edit: Well, you got me excited, but that issue doesn't appear to be the same. First off, it started a year b4 2.2 came out.
Second, they seem to be talking mostly about stereo music listening problems. Also, they're talking about BT actually disconnecting - mine never disconnects. Even when I can't hear the other person, they continue to hear me. This suggests BT is still connected.
However, I will take notice as to whether my issue is affected by WiFi. It would be nice if that worked for me as well.
leebo said:
OMG! Thanks!!!
I thought I was going crazy. So this is listed on the Android Buglist? And HTC claims no one else has complained.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC's buglist and Google's buglist for android OS aren't the same.
And not that it helps your situation any, but I use my BT headset for over an hour EVERY DAY, some days many more than that and haven't experienced what you're describing.
Thanks. I realize they are two different companies, but it seems that customers would have complained to them by now.
There's an update supposedly coming tomorrow. Maybe it'll be a good day for you to wipe and start over from scratch and see if the problem goes away???
HTC's forums are here: http://community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/94.aspx
You can browse around and see if others have reported your issue there.
Coming from where? HTC? Google? Sprint?
What update? huh? tmrw = 9/23/10?
Where did you hear about an update? what's being updated, software? sense? htc? Android 2.3 for Evo exclusive?
This is not the same issue as some have with wi-fi on, as i understand it from the original poster, and def not my issue.
Why, evo, why? i want so bad to love you so much
Well, two days after the update, the problem remains. However, I have been testing with the WiFi off, and as long as I keep Wifi off, no problem... so far.
I turned WiFi on and made a call, and within a minute or two it happened again. As soon as I turned the WiFi off (during the call), I was able to hear the other party.
So it's looking more and more like an issue with the WiFi radio and the BT radio. Of course, one incident does not confirm this. I will have to give it more time to be sure.
Then the question is: who is to blame, Google or HTC???
Both my Jabra Prime and my Sony car stereo will not connect without extra help since at least the Froyo update. I have found a workaround that seems to work just fine for me, I have to put my Prime in pairing mode, than I can tell the phone to connect in the bluetooth settings w/o any issues. I can manually connect the car stereo w/o putting it in pairing mode and it works fine.
So just over two weeks and the "work around" seem's to work. I now only turn on my WiFi if I actually need it. It's still a pain though. It worked b4 in 2.1, I wonder what they broke?
Also, something new: Since that last "update", my phone sporadically re-boots for no apparent reason I can see.

[Q] Jaybird Bluebuds X problems on Galaxy S6?

Anyone having any Bluetooth issues with the S6? In particular, with the Jaybird Bluebud X earbuds? I emailed Jaybird support to see if they are aware of any issues. Based on my research, I cant tell for sure if there is a known issue or not.
Basically, heres whats happening. This is the first time Im using a Bluetooth headset but pretty confident this isnt a settings issue.
Bluetooth pairs fine. But if my phone is not within a foot or two, or not in direct line-of-sight of the earbuds, the sound cuts in and out, or totally out. So if I put the phone in my pocket, I lose sound. If I hold the phone behind my back, I lose sound. Bluetooth stays connected, but the sound goes out abruptly. It doesnt get distorted or faint, it just cuts out. If I bring the phone back in line-of-sight, or close to the phone it works great. But it kind of defeats the purpose. I had to hold the phone at my chest on my walk to work this morning in order for it to work right. If I cover the top half of the phone, it goes out (eerily similar to the old iPhone issue with the antenna, if you touch the frame a certain way it seems to go out). But sometimes depending how I touch the controller-side earbud, it goes out. Its as if anything that blocks the line-of-sight or sensors on the phone/earbud, it blocks sound. I tested this in Safe Mode as well and the problem is still there.
For whats its worth, I have a Jambox at home and the S6 connects fine with it, no matter where I am in the apartment or how Im holding the phone. So I really doubt this is a problem with the phone but who knows. I have my old S4 on KitKat at home that I will test with tonight as well.
Some new information after some testing at the office this morning.
Tried the earbuds with a Galaxy Note 4, and iPhone 4S, and the same problem is happening. So thankfully it doesnt look like an issue with the S6. I'll be sending these earbuds back for a new pair and report. If problems continue, obviously I'll be trying another kind of earbuds.
Stopped and picked up the Plantronics Backbeat Go 2. So far, these are working perfectly though they may not be quite as loud. But its good to know it doesnt appear to be a problem with the phone. Must be some kind of compatibility issue with the Bluebuds. I have a replacement set of Bluebuds on the way so Ill report back if they work any better than the first pair.
My bluebud x does the same. Walked over a foot away and the music stops. Walk back closer to the phone music comes back on.
Received my replacement Bluebuds and the same problem occurs. So there must be some kind of compatibility issue.
Jaybird says they are unaware of a known issue but I find that hard to believe.
So Ill be using the Plantronics for now since they seem to work fine.
Samsung S6 issues
I recently purchased the JayBird BlueBud X and literally had the same issue. It connected and paired perfectly fine, but it only lasted for about 10 seconds before the sound went away. You could press any button on the BlueBuds and it would start up again for a few seconds and the sound would go away again. It paired perfectly with my sister's Samsung Galaxy S4 and my friend's iPhone 5. I called their technical support and they suggested, I send it in and get a replacement. I wasn't having any of that BS. I just returned them. Sadly, they were the most comfortable earbuds, I have ever worn. There is some compatibility issues that need looking into.
ryan2202 said:
Anyone having any Bluetooth issues with the S6? In particular, with the Jaybird Bluebud X earbuds? I emailed Jaybird support to see if they are aware of any issues. Based on my research, I cant tell for sure if there is a known issue or not.
Basically, heres whats happening. This is the first time Im using a Bluetooth headset but pretty confident this isnt a settings issue.
Bluetooth pairs fine. But if my phone is not within a foot or two, or not in direct line-of-sight of the earbuds, the sound cuts in and out, or totally out. So if I put the phone in my pocket, I lose sound. If I hold the phone behind my back, I lose sound. Bluetooth stays connected, but the sound goes out abruptly. It doesnt get distorted or faint, it just cuts out. If I bring the phone back in line-of-sight, or close to the phone it works great. But it kind of defeats the purpose. I had to hold the phone at my chest on my walk to work this morning in order for it to work right. If I cover the top half of the phone, it goes out (eerily similar to the old iPhone issue with the antenna, if you touch the frame a certain way it seems to go out). But sometimes depending how I touch the controller-side earbud, it goes out. Its as if anything that blocks the line-of-sight or sensors on the phone/earbud, it blocks sound. I tested this in Safe Mode as well and the problem is still there.
For whats its worth, I have a Jambox at home and the S6 connects fine with it, no matter where I am in the apartment or how Im holding the phone. So I really doubt this is a problem with the phone but who knows. I have my old S4 on KitKat at home that I will test with tonight as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same thing happens with my LG Tones, the antenna seems to be in the left side on them and having to go through my body to the phone in my pocket is just too much. It's been an issue with both phones I've used it with, the S6 and the S4 before it. Bluetooth in low power devices just seems to have to be super weak.
Has anyone found a fix for this problem as yet? I have the same issue with my bluebuds when I am at the gym as well.
You don't know how much effort I put into figuring out it was the phone and not the bluebudsx. Ended up returning and getting G new headphones 3 times, before sending in my phone to be replaced. Figured out that the new phone was still dropping the connection too, so it had to be the phone and not the headphones. It really sucks because I run twice daily, and Bluetooth made things so much easier. It looks like just bad hardware from Samsung, so there won't be a fix coming. Just gonna have to used wired headsets again...
Oh and for the record, I'm not having issues with distance causing drops. The drops occur randomly after usage, anywhere from 5 minutes to 6p minutes into my run. So everyday is a new day when I go running, since im always worrying about when my music will cut out and mess up my rhythm. Tested bluebudsx with my N5, Note 4, and EVO LTE. None cut out randomly during runs. So I came to the conclusion it has to be bad hardware on the S6.
glad I saw this, I was considering these for jogging/exercising, I'm presently using a Samsung HS3000 with a pair of Beats UR Beats, guess I'll stick with that combo
sent from my S6 using tapatalk
I have the LG tone pros and same thing happens to me. I also have a pair of Plantronics Backbeat fits and it also does the same. The phone has poor Bluetooth as well as antenna. My signal sucks most of the time
Sent from my SM-G925P using XDA Free mobile app
No issues here and i use them all the time at the gym. Always go drink some water and leaving my phone behind without a hitch. Galaxy S6 W8 Variant with XtreStoLite 1.4a (5.0.2)
Xtrestolite is a Rom for S6, right? That makes me think that it maybe a software issue with the phone not a hardware issue.
I'm wondering if it has to do with 5.0. 2 Android. Has anyone flashed the new 5. 1.1 release? If it is software that's causing issues, maybe something was changed between versions. I would test it myself but I need to stay on 5.0.2 for personal reasons.
numel007 said:
I'm wondering if it has to do with 5.0. 2 Android. Has anyone flashed the new 5. 1.1 release? If it is software that's causing issues, maybe something was changed between versions. I would test it myself but I need to stay on 5.0.2 for personal reasons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got my jaybirds and my S6 (G925T) is running 5.1.1 and is having the same issue. Music will play for 30sec-1min but then it cuts out. The bluebuds x work fine on my Nexus 7 which is also running 5.1.1
---------- Post added at 03:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 PM ----------
It seems like I was able to fix the issue for my S6. I enabled Bluetooth HCI snoop log in the Developer options and then copied the file (btsnoop_hci.log) to my computer and found in Wireshark that my Logitech bluetooth adapter was showing up a lot even though it was not paired to my phone. I disconnected the adapter and found that I can play music without the dropped audio. I'd recommend everyone to take a look at their logs and see if there is any weird traffic from other bluetooth devices. It's somewhat disconcerting that a device not even paired to my phone could cause problems with the headphones.
icj217 said:
[/COLOR]It seems like I was able to fix the issue for my S6. I enabled Bluetooth HCI snoop log in the Developer options and then copied the file (btsnoop_hci.log) to my computer and found in Wireshark that my Logitech bluetooth adapter was showing up a lot even though it was not paired to my phone. I disconnected the adapter and found that I can play music without the dropped audio. I'd recommend everyone to take a look at their logs and see if there is any weird traffic from other bluetooth devices. It's somewhat disconcerting that a device not even paired to my phone could cause problems with the headphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. I'll try that, but I'm thinking I have a different problem since I can be walking around or running outside and connections will still drop randomly.
I am having the same issue on Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge +. Soooo annoying. The only pattern that I was able to figure out is that sound will cut out every time there is a Bluetooth interference. Even when there are no other Bluetooth devices within miles. When ever you have any other apps running in the background that try to connect to Bluetooth devices sound will cut out. For example when u have some fitness tracking app trying to connect to a Bluetooth device that is not with you. It seems that there are few different ways that your sound cuts out and all has to do with Bluetooth interference or searching. It would be awesome if someone has a solution.
Samsung GS6 and Jaybird Bluebuds X connecting
Hello all,
I was having the same issue with my Samsung GS6 ATT running 5.1.1.
I would put the phone in my pocket or walk a few feet away and the signal would drop out (skip).
Reading all the posts on here stating it wasn't the buds I tried the one thing that possibly on mine can cause the bad signal.
I removed my case! (OBLIQ case)
Since doing that I can walk 30 ft away without being in line of sight of my phone with no drops.
I'm having no issues during training, with my new pair of Jaybird Bluebuds X and my Galaxy S6 running Stock 5.1.1. BTW I'm using a Ringle SLIM case on my S6.
It's there any way to show battery percentage on an Android Phone? . This is possible on IOS.
Excellent troubleshooting, icj217 - I experienced this same issue to where the audio would drop between every 5-8 mins on my GS6 using the Bluebuds X (regardless of distance). I've cleared all the paired devices (including the Bluebuds X) on my GS6 and re-paired the headphones and they seem to be working fine now. I'm wondering what's going to happen once I re-pair all my other bluetooth devices. If I inherit the problem again, this will be just another reason to dump the GS6 and go back to my Nexus 5.
icj217 said:
Just got my jaybirds and my S6 (G925T) is running 5.1.1 and is having the same issue. Music will play for 30sec-1min but then it cuts out. The bluebuds x work fine on my Nexus 7 which is also running 5.1.1
---------- Post added at 03:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 PM ----------
It seems like I was able to fix the issue for my S6. I enabled Bluetooth HCI snoop log in the Developer options and then copied the file (btsnoop_hci.log) to my computer and found in Wireshark that my Logitech bluetooth adapter was showing up a lot even though it was not paired to my phone. I disconnected the adapter and found that I can play music without the dropped audio. I'd recommend everyone to take a look at their logs and see if there is any weird traffic from other bluetooth devices. It's somewhat disconcerting that a device not even paired to my phone could cause problems with the headphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Headphones and in-call audio issues

Not sure if it had anything to do with the update, but I have been power cycling my phone a lot lately...
Headphones: My headphones don't seem to be registering that they're in, so the sound comes through the speakers--but the headphones work when plugged into other devices. (I have picked up a pair of bluetooth headphones until I figure it out, which work fine.) After power cycling the headphones work again for a while somehow, but will randomly stop again, so it must be a software issue. It could have to do with being unplugged while audio is going?? Not sure
In-call: I can't hear the other person, but they can hear me. If I switch to speaker phone, I can hear them (not sure if they can hear me while on speakers, they usually hang up by the time I realize they are really there but I can't hear them...) It's so weird. I have to say, "I can't hear you, I'll reset my phone and call you back in a minute".
Anybody else with this problem???
I've been struggling with the same problem on 3 different Fire Phones. All phones are running Fire OS 4.6.3. I discovered this problem after plugging into my car stereo via the 1/8" audio jack. If not immediately, shortly after disconnecting the cable I would be unable to hear the party on the other end during a phone calls, though they could hear me. I also found that the jack would no longer switch from Speaker to Wired audio and vice versa when I plugged a cable into and out of the 1/8" audio jack.
It looks to be an OS issue as the problem is remedied by a restart. I am really curious if I happened to get 3 lemons or if anyone else experiences this. If this is an issue with Fire OS, have so few people used the audio jack? I am tempted to install Cyanogenmod to see if this remedies the problem, though I would expect this sort of issue to occur with Cyanogenmod as opposed to the stock FireOS install.
Thanks for letting me know there is someone else out there with the same issue. I hate thinking I'm the only one!
BTW alexandergrig did you get a warranty replacement for them or you just bought 3 when they were on sale or something?? I am thinking of trying to replace it on warranty, since the issue is new-- it just started a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't experience the headphone/call "mute" issue throughout most of the life of the phone. The other thing that I don't get is why it won't let me take a video--it stops after 1 second (also a recent issue).
The phones were not on warranty replacement but rather purchased new. How long had you been using your phone without issue? What version of FireOS are you currently on? Have you side loaded Google Play?
Today, for example, I had no issue with plugging headphones in and removing them. I later plugged the phone to my car stereo via mini-jack and had no issues playing music or placing and receiving calls (using the speakerphone) while it was plugged in. When I unplugged it, I was able to make calls. Later when I plugged the phone into my car stereo again, I had the same problem. Basically all the audio was being routed to the speaker and not the audio jack. No matter how many times I plugged and unplugged the cable, no audio was being sent through the audio jack.
I also happened to try the Soundabout app on the Google Play store, thinking that perhaps the audio was not being routed properly. Unfortunately, when I forced the output to the "wired" audio jack, at best I would hear some popping noises. All this gets resolved with a restart, however inconvenient that may be.
I find it hard to believe that the 3 phones I have worked on all happen to be lemons, though I guess it's possible. I wish I could get some feedback from others to determine if they are having any such issues. Like I said before, this is something that you might expect from a custom ROM not a stock OS install. I'm not sure how much of a pain making an Amazon warranty claim would be. If you opt for this, I would appreciate it if you could let me know how this goes and if the replacement unit works properly. Part of me wonders if a Cyanogenmod install would remedy this issue. If not, then it's got to be something more complicated beyond my ability to troubleshoot. I am very tempted to try.
I got the phone in February, and it has worked fine until about two weeks ago. My headphones (the ones that come with the phone) started malfunctioning, and there was an OTA update around that time, so I am suspecting it could have been either thing. I side loaded Google's apps during my first week with the phone, and my current OS is 4.6.3 (463001620) [but I don't know why is says "Installed Tuesday, February 18, 2014" since it has definitely been updated since then...]
I'lll let you know how the warranty stuff goes. Maybe they'll give me a replacement that works...
All 3 phones were on 4.6.3 while having this problem. They had immediately been updated to 4.6.3 after purchase. I did test this prior to installing all the Google Play services, but there was no difference. I have not tested this on any other version of FireOS.
Today I made a point to test this more thoroughly. Phone works properly while connected to car stereo via audio jack. I can call out via Speakerphone without issue. However 5 times today when I disconnected the mini jack from the phone, I could no longer router audio through the jack when plugged in again and I experienced the issue where I could not hear the person on the other end of the call but they could hear me.
Plugging in headphones also would not work. This evening, I tested it with a pair of stock apple iPhone earbuds and it has not been behaving in the manner described above. I listened to music for 15-20 minutes, unplugged it and then I'm able to hear the music through the phone's speaker. After plugging it in again, the audio is properly routed to the headphones again. I was able to do this about 10 times without issue. Then at some point the same issue occurred.
I'd like to say that it's an issue with 4.6.3 or perhaps some sort of service that is not handling the audio routing properly and needs to be restarted via a reboot. I kind of wish that I would have tested this issue on another version of FireOS. Despite everyone's disdain with FireOS and my own past inclination to play around with stuff, I really wanted to stick with the stock FireOS, but this lack of proper functionality is bothering me so much I might be inclined to try CM11.
I don't know if this will help you but there's an app called SoundAbout that will force audio through the headphone interface whether the phone thinks a headphone is plugged in or not. You'd have to get a copy of the apk and sideload it on fireOS though. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.woodslink.android.wiredheadphoneroutingfix
I had SoundAbout installed a few days ago but that didn't seem to solve the problem. When I force switched it to the audio jack, I got nothing or some pops. It just seems something gets corrupted or quirky until one restarts the device.
danielnealclark, today I was trying to shoot some video with the Fire phone and ran into the same problem that you had by the way. I'll start another thread on this issue to see if anyone else has experienced this.
I only add this because it's getting to the point where I am very tempted to install CM11. If the sound issue persists (though I'm sure other issues might crop up then, lack of mute during a call being one as I understand it...) then I'll have to give up and come to the conclusion that it is some intermittent hardware issue on some of these units.
Let me know how CyanogenMod works if you try it. It prob has it's own issues too. I am going to try to get a new phone through the limited 1 year warranty. I'll keep you posted about the process
Got a replacement phone, and it worked fine until today...
I thought that a certain pair of headphones were the culprit, and I never should have plugged them in to my replacement phone (they are official amazon fire phone headphones BTW). This pair of headphones went bad and were only working in one ear when in the fire phone (but they work fine in both ears on my computer, which I don't understand) and it was around the same time my last phone had the headphone issue described at the beginning of the thread, so I thought the issues may be related. I tried them today, and oops, they messed up another phone!
From the other posts on this thread, there is an issue with certain headphone jacks--not sure why. But if a certain headphone jack gets plugged in, the phone will forever think (until power cycling) that there are headphones in during a call, and never think headphones are if you try to plug in headphones for music/games.
I guess I still have it under warranty since it is a replacement through Amazon. I'm gonna try to do some resets, troubleshooting, etc...
So pissed right now
I've been having this issue as well. It is very annoying!
I have the same problem, as I previously posted. Unfortunately nothing I did remedied the problem nor was I able to find out any more information.
Daniel, did you end up getting Amazon to replace your phone previously, as you had mentioned?
I honestly think that this is not a problem particular to only a few models. I don't feel that a replacement would help because sooner or later it arises again it seems. It could very well be a jack problem, but I really feel this is some low level quirky OS issue. Originally I had mentioned that I might switch to CM. I've decided that this would lead to additional quirks going this route, so I will continue to keep my phone stock. The true test is if someone with CM experiences this issue or if switching to CM remedied the problem. Unfortunately, I've had so many frustrations with technology as of late and so little time, I don't have it in me to fiddle around anymore. I'm not sure if we can expect Amazon updates to remedy this, and all we can do is hope some day we get an update.
My main problem was that I use my Fire phone to connect to my stereo via Aux input. So I was constantly having issues. I ended up simply purchasing a USB bluetooth adapter for my car stereo and going wireless with the Fire phone and it's worked well. I must admit my Fire phone is not my go to phone for listening to music with headphones because of this, but I always found that the Amazon earbuds were less likely to cause this problem than other ear buds in my case.
After a long listening session, the only thing that helped me was simply rebooting the phone. A really crappy solution, but definitely more productive for me than continuing to tinker with this issue for me. Or going bluetooth. For those experiencing this issue, please keep us updated if you find a long lasting solution or if you have experienced any remedy with CM. Or, if our farfetched dream of an Amazon update were to become a reality...
All the best in the New Year folks!
danielnealclark said:
I thought that a certain pair of headphones were the culprit, and I never should have plugged them in to my replacement phone (they are official amazon fire phone headphones BTW). This pair of headphones went bad and were only working in one ear when in the fire phone (but they work fine in both ears on my computer, which I don't understand) and it was around the same time my last phone had the headphone issue described at the beginning of the thread, so I thought the issues may be related. I tried them today, and oops, they messed up another phone!
From the other posts on this thread, there is an issue with certain headphone jacks--not sure why. But if a certain headphone jack gets plugged in, the phone will forever think (until power cycling) that there are headphones in during a call, and never think headphones are if you try to plug in headphones for music/games.
I guess I still have it under warranty since it is a replacement through Amazon. I'm gonna try to do some resets, troubleshooting, etc...
So pissed right now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alexandergrig said:
For those experiencing this issue, please keep us updated if you find a long lasting solution or if you have experienced any remedy with CM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that post! If anyone solves this one, let us know.
alexandergrig: I did get them to send me a new phone, since it was under the 1 year warranty. The phone call took about 45 minutes, with me trying to convince them by plugging in headphones/unplugging headphones to show that it was really broken. Before that call, though, they told me the first thing I had to do was perform a factory reset before they would even consider progressing to a replacement. [BTW the Fire phone has a great native backup tool if you are just migrating from one fire phone to another, it's all cloud based]. The new phone was a refurb.
I think I'll try the bluetooth thing for my car, that's a great idea. I really like my bluetooth headphones for work (as a bonus I found out they connect to my computer super easy too--at the same time as my phone even--so I can run desktop-only music sites)
Curious if anyone was able to fix this. I had this occur on my original Fire Phone. Amazon replaced it in Nov 2015 and my new one just started doing this....
jagernbeer said:
Curious if anyone was able to fix this. I had this occur on my original Fire Phone. Amazon replaced it in Nov 2015 and my new one just started doing this....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck. I also am on my 2nd Fire, and like you have the same problem back again. The funny thing is, it was caused by the stock headphones, other headphones gave me no problems. So what did I do? I gave up! And now I LOVE LOVE LOVE my bluetooth headphones. They are so easy to use and no more cords. Try it out, you'll never go back (until the batteries die... but they charge pretty quick)
Good luck to you.
I experienced this problem on 3 separate Fire Phones. So either I am very unlucky or this problem is more widespread than we know. Because of this, I doubted that a replacement would help me. I will say that I have used my one 64gig Fire Phone without this problem being an issue for months and so I came to my own conclusion which might not end up being very helpful but...
I was able to experience this constantly when I made it a point to plug and unplug the headphones for testing purposes (both stock Amazon as well as the older Apple earbuds). Ultimately, the way I ended up using my phone's audio output was by streaming audio via bluetooth to a USB bluetooth adapter connected to my car stereo almost daily. Also most every day I would usually go from the Bluetooth audio in the car, to plugging in my headphones for my 3 mile walks, and then unplugging the headphones and reconnecting via Bluetooth in the car to drive home. Doing this for the past many months, I did not encounter one issue with placing calls via the phone itself, speakerphone or even via the mic on the earbuds.
Because of this I am concluding (as I initially believed) that it might not be hardware but rather the Fire phone's low level OS/system software that governs the audio jack that happens to be buggy. It's like there is an issue with the jack status detection routine and it gets "stuck" in one mode. I may be wrong, but there is a good possibility that Fire phone users that do not experience this problem, very well might start if they constantly plugged and unplugged their headphones from the jack, attempting to place and/or receive calls in between. At some point this issue might arise. But in my experience it goes away and corrects itself until the next time, unless anyone else has experienced otherwise.
Due to the lack of significant continued development of the Fire Phone, Amazon will likely not address this problem via an update. My sense is that if not everyone is experiencing it because it is a software issue, then it's prevalence is due to usage patterns. I, like others, in the beginning found this to be a constant problem the more I tested it, especially with plugging and unplugging the headphones and making calls. With my 3 phones, I have a hard time believing it's actual hardware only because it eventually seems to resolve if I change my usage patterns.
Might be totally different for you guys, but I guess this is my final conclusion. I sold one of my 32gig Fire Phones and still plan on using the 64gig, despite picking up a couple of other phones.
A.G.

Joying 4.4 Rk3188 - BT call audio missing

Hey guys,
I purchased this unit from Amazon and absolutely love the radio, but I've tried to get 4 different modern phones to connect their call audio through the radio, but all I get is silence. I can hear the unit switch audio inputs but nothing comes through the speakers.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015IVIN9U/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
However, BT music streaming works just fine.
Video displaying the problem:
https://youtu.be/HfF5Y5cOHnM
I ordered another unit in case one was bad, but still have the same problem.
The manufacturer seems responsive, but I'm losing patience, any suggestions to fix this problem?
tsitalon1 said:
Hey guys,
I purchased this unit from Amazon and absolutely love the radio, but I've tried to get 4 different modern phones to connect their call audio through the radio, but all I get is silence. I can hear the unit switch audio inputs but nothing comes through the speakers.
However, BT music streaming works just fine.
I ordered another unit in case one was bad, but still have the same problem.
The manufacturer seems responsive, but I'm losing patience, any suggestions to fix this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried with another phone?
UnfortunatelyI tested with 4 phones:
Iphone 6s plus
LG V10
Samsung Note 5
HTC One M8
Almost feels like something is not wired properly, yet everything works fine except call audio.
What would cause media audio to work via BT, but not call audio?
The only item I can think of is the BT settings on the phone, but all phones were configured for call and media streaming.
Did you ever find a resolution to this issue?
Have been bench testing my new unit for that past week, was sad to discover this. At least it is able to alert a phone call in various ways.
carter.w.jason said:
Did you ever find a resolution to this issue?
Have been bench testing my new unit for that past week, was sad to discover this. At least it is able to alert a phone call in various ways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes!
I sourced my amplifier using the rear RCA outputs on the Joying HU, after realizing that most manufacturers output call audio to the front channels only, I resolved the problem by moving my RCA cables to the front set of HU outputs.
Hope this helps others.
I ran into this with my wife's Iphone 6 today. My LG G3 works great, but the Iphone keeps switching back from bluetooth to itself for call audio. No amplifier in the car.
We are going to try updating the iOS on it and see if that makes any difference...
rickthecabbie said:
I ran into this with my wife's Iphone 6 today. My LG G3 works great, but the Iphone keeps switching back from bluetooth to itself for call audio. No amplifier in the car.
We are going to try updating the iOS on it and see if that makes any difference...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be way off here, but similar thing happened when I switched from Android to an iPhone. Found out that if you answer the call from your iPhone, it will switch to the iPhone earpiece. You have to answer incoming calls via the hands free device (your steering controls or the touchscreen) to keep the audio going through the Bluetooth.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
tsitalon1 said:
Hey guys,
I purchased this unit from Amazon and absolutely love the radio, but I've tried to get 4 different modern phones to connect their call audio through the radio, but all I get is silence. I can hear the unit switch audio inputs but nothing comes through the speakers.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015IVIN9U/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
However, BT music streaming works just fine.
Video displaying the problem:
https://youtu.be/HfF5Y5cOHnM
I ordered another unit in case one was bad, but still have the same problem.
The manufacturer seems responsive, but I'm losing patience, any suggestions to fix this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The video shows you are using a Malaysk ROM. Did you try the latest ROM for your unit?
I am bench-testing my Eonon GA2114 (RK3188, 800x480) and had the same issue. I installed Malaysk's Dec 4 ROM and the problem is solved for me.
m00n61 said:
The video shows you are using a Malaysk ROM. Did you try the latest ROM for your unit?
I am bench-testing my Eonon GA2114 (RK3188, 800x480) and had the same issue. I installed Malaysk's Dec 4 ROM and the problem is solved for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I solved the problem by moving my source rca to the front ones...
I'm using the completely stock software, haven't touched it yet

Bluetooth Range

Hi all,
I use Bluetooth headphones everyday on my way to work. Since I left my LG G3 for this OP3 I have audio cuts when outdoors. No issue indoors.
Happens with Oxygen and CM aswell, so not likely ROM/Driver related.
Is it due aluminum body?
same issue
I went from OPO to OP3. Used to get Bluetooth range throughout my entire house to stationary speaker. Now 4' away is breaking up. Any ideas about this issue? Additionally, Bluetooth doesn't connect to devices automatically like all my other phones have. Feels like a software issue.

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