iPhone 14 Call Quality through Bluetooth

[TonyR0206]

I have an iPhone 14. Recently, I've noticed that when I call out or receive a call in my Expedition, the quality of the call is TERRIBLE. (static, the sound cuts in and out) It's bad enough, that I have to hang up and then call whoever back. The second call's quality is perfect. Has anyone else encountered this? At this point I don't know if it's the phone or the Expedition.

 

[GregTu]

I have the iPhone 14 Pro max running IOS 17.1.2. My experience is that the sound quality is very good in the ‘24 Expedition Platinum. No issues with sound quality. It’s a new vehicle but no issues in 3+ months.

I have seen this issue with the cellular connections on several different phones. See if you can correlate location to the poor connection. A cell site could have a bad radio channel and reconnecting will likely put the cellular connection on a different frequency. Remember that you could be connected to the same cell site over a distance of several miles. In cites cell sizes can be much smaller than out in the country. Check signal strength on the phone when it happens.

Of course this could/would happen without a BT audio connection as well.

My suggestion is to disconnect and re-pair the Bluetooth connection and or try a different phone to isolate which side might be at fault if you’re convinced it’s BT related. Also you might try turning off any other BT devices that might interfere with the connection and/or move the phone. If it’s not repeatable that will make it difficult to fix. Good luck.

 

[LokiWolf]

Are you using BT or Wireless CarPlay? If using Wireless CarPlay are you on the phone when you get in the vehicle and continuing on the call?

 

[TonyR0206]

Are you using BT or Wireless CarPlay? If using Wireless CarPlay are you on the phone when you get in the vehicle and continuing on the call?

It happens in both applications, with only BT and when using CarPlay. (Very rarely do I continue a call from handset to BT/CarPlay.) This is when I'm driving and making/receiving calls. I drove 1400 miles up and down the East coast last week. Every call made/received had to be hung up and then I'd call back....and again...the quality of the second call would be perfect.

 

[TonyR0206]

I have the iPhone 14 Pro max running IOS 17.1.2. My experience is that the sound quality is very good in the ‘24 Expedition Platinum. No issues with sound quality. It’s a new vehicle but no issues in 3+ months.

I have seen this issue with the cellular connections on several different phones. See if you can correlate location to the poor connection. A cell site could have a bad radio channel and reconnecting will likely put the cellular connection on a different frequency. Remember that you could be connected to the same cell site over a distance of several miles. In cites cell sizes can be much smaller than out in the country. Check signal strength on the phone when it happens.

Of course this could/would happen without a BT audio connection as well.

My suggestion is to disconnect and re-pair the Bluetooth connection and or try a different phone to isolate which side might be at fault if you’re convinced it’s BT related. Also you might try turning off any other BT devices that might interfere with the connection and/or move the phone. If it’s not repeatable that will make it difficult to fix. Good luck.

Thanks for the response! I drove 1400 miles down and up the East Coast last week. (From NY to NC, all over NC, and back to NY). I had five calls on the way down, both receiving/calling out, when traveling on I-81S through PA, MD, WV, VA and I-581 into NC....it happened on every call during the drive down; every call when driving in NC, and on the way home to NY. Regardless of if I'm using BT or CarPlay. When I'd hang up and call back, the connection would be perfect. It's a bit of an anomaly. lol

 

[Hellwig]

Thanks for the response! I drove 1400 miles down and up the East Coast last week. (From NY to NC, all over NC, and back to NY). I had five calls on the way down, both receiving/calling out, when traveling on I-81S through PA, MD, WV, VA and I-581 into NC....it happened on every call during the drive down; every call when driving in NC, and on the way home to NY. Regardless of if I'm using BT or CarPlay. When I'd hang up and call back, the connection would be perfect. It's a bit of an anomaly. lol

It sounds more like an iOS issue.

 

[TonyR0206]

It sounds more like an iOS issue.

I'm running IOS 17.2.1 and have the latest Sync 4 update in the Expedition.

 

[Hellwig]

I'm running IOS 17.2.1 and have the latest Sync 4 update in the Expedition.

I would suggest borrowing a phone on another carrier's network and try again.

 

[Yupster Dog]

I'm running IOS 17.2.1 and have the latest Sync 4 update in the Expedition.

You haven't mentioned, so have you tried to
uninstall your phone from the truck and reinstall?

While uninstalled, do a soft reset on both truck and phone. Then reinstall.

 

[Rob6805]

If there are ever issues with BT or device mirroring (CP/AA) 99+% of the time it will be with an iPhone...
There are very rigorous tests and certifications that the OE's need to go through w/ Google and Apple and it's almost always Apple that has the issues.