Bluetooth disconnects randomly

[RPfenning]

We have two Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX (one is an HD).  We use our phones with Bluetooth ear pieces every night 2 - 2.5 hours each night.  Recently, past month or so, when using the our phones with Bluetooth devices, the Bluetooth will suddenly drop and the phone kicks over to Speaker (but when you look at the phone, the in-call display shows it is still using BT).  Most often, we can use the in-call display to switch from BT to Speaker and then back to BT.  However, this is not always successful - tonight for example, the BT was dropped and I can't get it to reconnect.  There has also been instances where the phone (Droid RAZR MAXX HD) has disconnected with Dodge U-Connect.

Phone ype connected to BT type

Droid RAZR MAXX - Plantronic Voyager

Droid RAZR MAXX HD - Plantronic Voyager Legend Pro

As a matter of troubleshooting:

1.  BT Cache has been cleared

2.  Phones have been Powered Off and back on (daily)

3.  BT are fully charged

4.  One BT is brand new (Plantronic Voyager Legend Pro)

5.  BT devices are current on Firmware

6.  It's clearly not the BT devices

7.  Both phones are current with software provided by Verizon:

      Android 4.1.2

      System version 9.18.94.XT926.Verizon.en.US

8.  Phones are well cared for, no damage and look new.  No drops, no abuse - just responsible users.

Yes I have looked at forums and other help pages. 

[akap54]

Spent hours on the phone yesterday with Verizon technical support with no solution.

Called again today and they transferred me to Motorola Technical support. The guy there wanted to send me a new Bluetooth device saying mine must be broken. When I told him I had multiple devices all doing the same and saw all these posts from you guys having the same problem him finally admitted there was a bug in the last system update and that their engineers were working on a solution (no estimated date) So, we all need to sit back, connect and disconnect till Motorola gets up off there keisters  and fixes our problem. I'm not holding my breath.

[SilvrDrgn]

Same issue here with Droid Maxx (Android 4.4) and three different headsets. Happens with Plantronics Voyager Pro HD, Plantronics Voyager Legend, and RocketFish RF-MAB2 stereo headphones. Symptom is always the same - loss of earpiece audio and apparently the BT connection on the headsets themselves. However, the phone still shows that BT is connected! Cannot tell if the microphone is working and if the person on the other end can hear me because I can't hear them (in any of the earpieces or on the phone itself) in order to confirm they can hear me. If I have the opportunity, it sometimes works with the phone display buttons to switch to speakerphone and back to BT, and then the connection is re-established. Usually I have to power off the earpiece (phone shows the disconnection then) and then turn it back on to re-establish earpiece audio. If it happens repeatedly, then I power off the earpiece and reboot the phone.  Reconnection after that works then for an extended period of time until it starts happening again at random.  Once it starts happening, it gets worse and worse over time.

Being the computer geek and technician that I am, the insight that experience provides seems to suggest this is manifesting itself like a BT transport problem within the Android operating system.  I wonder if there is a resource leak in the BT transport driver/software in Android 4.4, and possibly other versions.  The fact that it is random but gets worse over time, and then better for quite a while after a phone reboot seems to suggest that.  In any case, this is a problem for Verizon, Motorola and Google to fix!

[SilvrDrgn]

Update: My Droid Maxx has been updated to Andriod 4.4.4 via the Verizon system update rollout.  I can say this bluetooth random disconnection issue still happens.  It might be related to spontaneous WiFi disconnection.  The WiFi at my work is not entirely stable.  A couple times the bluetooth disconnected near the same time as the WiFi on my Droid Maxx.  Might have just been a coincidence, though.  Still trying to come up with a pattern.

[SilvrDrgn]

Scratch that WiFi comment.  BT disconnect still happens without the WiFi disconnection.  So, Android 4.4.4 still suffers from the random bluetooth audio drop.  It's still not really a disconnect until I shut off my earpiece.  When I turn it back on, the it reconnects and the audio is restored.

[verdegreg]

This, to me, is now evidently an Android issue. I have the Maxx/Voyager Legend combo with the same issues. Prior to the latest greatest Android update the problem was the same except that at that time when the BT switched back to handset it showed handset in operation on my phone. Since the update I have the same problems except that now it does not show a switch back to handset and just continues to show Bluetooth operation. Also a new problem is that instead of just switching back during calls it will ring on the BT, but will answer on the handset still showing BT operating. I may be mistaken, but isn't the Maxx one of Verizon's high end devices? And didn't the latest update to Android advertise better BT stability? I am having as difficult a time understanding the Verizon feedback as anyone else. I would appreciate much more a simple "We are working on a solution."

[SilvrDrgn]

I agree, and yes, they did advertise better BT stability.  It is not more stable.  The Droids are supposed to be Verizon's flagship series of Android platform devices.  When they operate like this, it is annoying and it drives customers away.  Verizon, Motorola and Google - fix this please.

[SilvrDrgn]

This issue seems to be happening most often when I use the power button on my Droid Maxx to put it to sleep immediately.  For example, I start up a podcast, set my phone down on the desk and press the power button to make it sleep (display shut off).  Between 1 - 2 minutes later, the random disconnect happens.  Did it multiple times today.  However, if I start the podcast and let the phone/display timeout and sleep on its own, the issue does not appear to happen.

[SilvrDrgn]

Back (again) to say scratch that (again).  The audio drop out happened again, and this time it was after the automatic display/sleep timeout.  Took about 60 seconds to happen after the screen turned off.  That makes six times today so far the audio drop has occurred.  As always, when I wake up the phone Bluetooth shows that it is still connected to my headphones.  I have to resolve it by stopping the audio source app on my phone, turn off my headphones (Bluetooth shows disconnection on phone), turn them back on (Bluetooth reconnects), and restarting the audio source app. After more extensive testing, I can say that it happens on multiple Droid Maxx devices (we have four of them in the family) with multiple different headsets.  This is definitely an Android BT transport issue of some sort, and it is VERY annoying!

[SilvrDrgn]

"Just for giggles," I went into the Bluetooth settings on my Droid Maxx to poke around a bit.  The individual settings for each BT device usually contain options like Rename, Unpair and one or more Profiles.  For my Rocketfish RF-MAB2 stereo headphones I have Phone Audio and Media Audio.  I decided to turn off the Phone Audio profile.  Since doing that, I have not had a single audio drop.  I suppose I could do that with my Plantronics earpiece, but doing so would make it hard to talk with it considering phone audio would be turned off.  Note the only profile I turned off was phone audio, and it was only for the Rocketfish headphones.  No audio drops for either headset yet, but I don't think I have used my Plantronics one enough yet to know if that is "resolved" in this round about way.

[SilvrDrgn]

Since doing the above, I have not had a single audio dropout with either streaming music or with phone calls on any of my ear pieces. For those experiencing this problem, I recommend shutting off the "Phone Audio" profile for the ear pieces that you do not intend to make/receive phone calls with.  Maybe you'll have to shut off just one.  Maybe more than one.  Process of elimination is the best bet.  I hope this helps other people.  Please post here if it does.

[digibeach]

This makes sense. Ive been using a BT Stereo Headset since 2008, on Blackberry...and NEVER experienced these issues. All of a sudden, I turn my head 3 inches and audio drops out. Hopefully this works. Thank you.

[iwnbp]

This is not just an issue with Droids.  My bluetooth(plantronics pro)  is randomly disconnecting with my iPhone 5s and experiencing some of the additional issues such as still showing connected or unable to switch it back.   But given how long people have been adding their complaints to this thread and how long Verizon continues to provide the same comments and solutions, I have little faith this issue is being addressed. 

[jlodell6002]

I am having the same problem on my galaxy s4. It has been happening for about a month or so.  It just drops the Bluetooth headset and switches it the phone. No error. Just silence.  It would be better if it switched to speaker. At least then I would know it had dropped. No changes to my phone I have checked for update to verizon. I have checked to see if app was running. It doesn't matter what is running or not. The Bluetooth drops every few minutes sometimes. And only when I am on a call. Never when I am listening to navigation or music through headset.

[nfc_south]

Well I guess I'm next on the list, my Motorola droid razr maxx hd is having the same issue now with this Bluetooth drooping during phone calls and connecting back to the head set. After reading this thread I still see there is no solution to this. This issue just started for me about a week ago and I have unpaired and paired, cycled Bluetooth settings on and off and for my car removed and re registered my phone probably about 4 times now soooooo, VERIZON what is the ISSUE!!!! and more importantly when will this be SOLVED!!!!.

Yours truly a fellow Electronic Engineer

[redneck65674]

Which Android version are you currently using?  This problem popped up on my Droid Razr M when it first updated from Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean.  I suffered through it for a couple months, then a new update to Android 4.4.2 solved the problem.  It also resolved some issues with poor battery life as well.  Hope this will help or at least give you some hope!
Regards,
Jeff

[nfc_south]

I'm currently using version 4.4.2 and haven't had and update for a while, I'm at my wit's end with this, thanks anyway. I'm going to go through apps I recently downloaded in a week and I will see if anything works but :'m not holding my breath.

thanks

rick

[kshaw75]

Right there with you.  This problem started for me about a week ago.  Bluetooth was working perfectly, and literally a day later kept failing.  I've unpaired/re-paired more times than I can count.  It will connect with other devices, but fails when I actually attempt to make a call or transfer a file.

Just to avoid issues - Droid Maxx, ver. 4.4.4, build #SU6-7.2

I thought perhaps with the system update that went through yesterday the problem would be resolved, but apparently that was wishful thinking!

[vzw_customer_support]

I'm sorry your bluetooth is not staying connected kshaw75. We know the importance of having this work properly and we will do all we can to help. Are you having issues with any applications on your device? Have you tried a factory reset after the update?

KinquanaH_VZW Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[nfc_south]

So an updated it seem this Bluetooth issue just got worst, without even having a Bluetooth connected to the phone when on a normal call with the handset the audio switches back and forth for SPEAKER PHONE to HANDSET.....

IM done VERIZON your brand is going down hill, if this is not fixed soon I switching carriers and not using another Motorola device mind you I am not under contract.

[Chas1347]

Had issue like yours on droid mini. Took it in 3 times, even bought new headset. Had to replace phone. Now all is OK.

[nfc_south]

Was it the OS/software that crashed in the droid mini that no software update can fix. Or what was the reason given to you by the reps