Bad Bluetooth sound quality iOS 12

[Mixpower]

Plan

Premium

Device

iPhone Xs Max

Operating System

iOS 12

My Question or Issue

Received my Xs Max today and when I use Spotify to playback in my BMW i3 via bluetooth the quality is really bad, I guess it is a IOS12 issue.

It sounds like the music is very clear and then muffled and then clear again, and the quality sounds like a 128kbps track very noisy and not clear and bright like normal!

I have tried offline tracks and streaming but it doesn't change anything, also changing the settings to low and back to high does not fix the problem.

Hope you can resolve this issue in a soon to release update!

EDIT: With the Music app I have the same problem, also tested it with a iPhone SE and 6S with iOS 12 and that works fine. So the issue is with the Xs Max itself!

[cscottrun]

11.4.1*

[Jainlight]

Thanks.  That's my understanding as well, so I would like to hold off on upgrading back to 12 until I feel a lot more confident about a resolution.

[rossmilner]

Yeah my car doesn't have a USB connection OR carplay, so I'm **bleep** until they fix whatever this issue is.

[cscottrun]

10/18/18 - Update - Results of tests ran this morning.  As a reminder, I am experiencing intermittent treble issue (high pitch noises like cymbols click in and out).  

1. Sirius XM and FM/AM Radio in car - No issues. Playback is normal.

2. Bluetooth from iPhone - Intermittent treble issues.

3. Lightning Cable from iPhone to USB port in my car (with carplay disabled on my iPhone) - Intermittent treble issues. 

4. Lightning Cable from iPhone to USB port in my car (with carplay active and operating) - No issues. Playback is normal.

5. Lightning Cable from iPhone into Apple's 3mm converter directly into the auxilary port in my car - Test not run. Will update with results this evening or tomorrow morning.

Does the difference in results in tests 3 and 4 proove that this is not a bluetooth issue? What could be causing playback issues over USB but only when carplay is inactive? 

Can anyone with a carplay capable vehicle run the same tests and confirm their results?

[cscottrun]

Idk why I'm having trouble posting this unless the forms censor out brand names, but all tests were run on my i phone X S running i os 12 and in my Je ep Gran d Cherokee running  J eep's uconnect software.

[gabeo]

I've been searching for MONTHS trying to even find someone else with teh same issue. I can confirm i have this exact same issue in my cars with iOS12. I noticed it as soon as i tried out the betas back in the summer. 

My issue does not occur when using the USB cable in my BMWs. But with Bluetooth the issue is there. I'm going to try turning off the wifi as i've seen suggested previously.

[cscottrun]

Is your issue with treble like me?

Also, I created a thread on macrumors.  Please also post your complaints over there as there are far more eyes on that forum than this one: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-12-audio-treble-issues.2148361/

[gabeo]

Ok i'll post there too!

Yes treble issue. It sounds like the top 5khz it's being cut off, then it comes back. repeatedly. it's AWFUL.

[cscottrun]

Yup, same problem as me and it is indeed awful.  Once you notice it, your **bleep** and you can't even enjoy the music anymore. 

[Mixpower]

With the 12.0.1 update I can't listen to music through Bluetooth at all, tried re-pairing multiple times and did a fresh install but still the same.

I can call through Bluetooth in the car but when I go to Media it says "Not connected" so the new update killed music playback through Bluetooth all together for me.

EDIT: Put the Xs Max in DFU and installed the firmware again from iTunes, did a complete restore from iCloud and was able to restore Bluetooth again but the issue still remains with the 12.0.1 update. I can confirm that disabling the Wifi from Settings does resolve the issue for me!

[Jainlight]

This morning (Tues, Oct 30) word has it that iOS 12.1 is being released as I write this. If anyone finds that the new update addresses -- or doesn't -- the matter of Bluetooth playback distortion (as opposed to simple connectivity), can you post here? I'm clinging to my 11.4 as long as possible, but I know it can't last forever. Thank you.

[rossmilner]

Has not been fixed on latest update, still broken for me.

[Michey24]

I confirm, even with iOS 12.1 the problem persists

[Mixpower]

Same for me, 12.1 still the same issue.

I am working with Apple Engineers to resolve this issue, will post back when I have more news!

[rossmilner]

Are you having better luck than me? The Apple engineers asked for SysDiagnose logs from me and when I provided them 3 weeks ago they never replied...

[Mixpower]

I recorded some clips with Wifi enabled and disabled, and they are working on a solution.

[daniel_rie]

no response since 2 weeks - this is the only reply I got after I sent them more than 5 logs... I wanna go back to iOS 11...

[bradleyn]

Hi!

Thanks for writing about your issue. 

Please make sure you update to the latest software, iOS 12.1. iOS 12.1 fixes Bluetooth issues on iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

If the issue still persists, contact (Apple) Support

Thanks.

[rossmilner]

Still no solutions... Now being ignored by the Apple team on bug reporter who stopped responding over a month ago...

[bradleyn]

Thanks for reaching out. Please contact (Apple) Support directly instead of reporting it as a bug as they can help you via phone or text directly.

Have a great day!