GMC Terrain, Equinox, and SRX Forum banner

Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and Bluetooth not staying connected.

24K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  granto 
#1 ·
I have a Chevy Equinox 2011 (no nav) and an HTC EVO 4G which I upgraded to Android 2.3. Everything seemed fine but when I connected my phone to the the car radio via bluetooth, it connects fine for a few minutes and then disconnect for a few minutes. This will continue until I either turn off the car or the bluetooth radio on my phone.

This never happened with v2.1 and v2.2 of Android. I emailed HTC (Sprint was no help) and this was their reply...

Thank you for your response. I understand how this can be frustrating for you. Bluetooth in the Android OS is not designed to stay connected at all times unless the paired device uses the 'Headset' profile. Bluetooth Car Kits generally utilize the 'Hands-free' profile to meet the requirements of its system.

The update to Android 2.3 also updates the Bluetooth profile on the device. Due to this, there may now be a comptibility conflict between your phone and the vehicle. I recommend checking with your local dealer to see if there are any updates for the Bluetooth firmware in your vehicle.

Finally, I recommend performing a factory reset on the device. Note that this will erase all of your personal data from the phone and reset it to the factory settings of the current ROM. Please ensure that your personal data has been backed up prior to resetting the device. To reset the device, go to: Home> Menu> Settings> SD & Phone Storage> Factory data reset. Follow the on screen instructions to compelete the reset and evaluate the results. I do apologize for any inconvenience.
I have not done a factory reset yet. Anyone else have this issue?
 
#4 ·
#5 ·
What version of 2.3 are you using? Official, as in the one from HTC with sense, or are you using an unofficial version, such as cyanogenmod 7, MIUI, etc? Just curious. I picked up a terrain last night actually, (this is my first post, yay), and my wife's droid incredible (which is very similar to the evo's hardware besides the 4g) had no trouble whatsoever. We are running cyanogenmod 7 on our phones however. I know that HTC's bluetooth software that is included on their stock roms is something people frequently complain about.
 
#6 ·
So I just got back from my SUV. It works, sort of. Read on for more info...

@rutger1413 I tried pairing and unpairing a few times.

@qwho - I am using the official version (OTA from Sprint/HTC). I was thinking that I can't get this fixed I was going to downgrade back to 2.2 with one of these mods. I still might...

@MOCHANOX - I actually did something like this but before I read the post you mentioned. See below.

So here is what I did. Today I unpaired my phone and paired it again to my vehicle. There is a dialog box that pops up asking if it's OK to let the vehicle access the phone book. Normally I check the Always check box and then press OK. This time I declined. The bluetooth connection stayed connected. I manually disconnected by tapping on the My Vehicle profile and then reconnected by tapping on the same profile (in the bluetooth settings). This time I pressed OK when the access phone book dialog popped up. The phone remained connected. I then redid the above steps and this time I checked the Always check box. The phone remained connected. I plan on letting HTC know of this.

The new thing is that if a person who is in my phone's contacts list calls me (had my wife call me) I used to get her name and number show up in the dashboard but now I just get the number.
The other thing I wish I could do is say "CALL" then "MIKE" and it dials the phone number. Instead I have to say the phone number. But this has always been the case even before the Android 2.3 upgrade.

Hope this helps someone.
 
#7 ·
My wife has a LG Optimus T with android 2.3 and it rarely disconnects from our 2010 Equinox. Maybe 1 or twice a month. She says it happens when she makes a u-turn. Isn't that strange?

With all the technology in the phones and cars I'm surprised it works as well as it does. It wasn't that long ago when my PC would crash a couple of times a day and I thought I was doing pretty good.
 
#8 ·
It didn't work. :angryfire: :banghead:

This morning it started to connect/disconnect again on it's own.

I changed the name of the Bluetooth device on my phone but it still remembers the original PC36100. So I'll try repairing at lunch and see if it will hold.

@ems1 - Are you using stock 2.3? Or some custom ROM?
 
#9 ·
Just took a trip wanting to have bluetooth connected for obvious safety reasons and experienced the same thing. I couldn't figure out why until seeing this post and connecting it to the update..
I too have the Evo and updated to 2.3. I was stock 2.2 before and am stock now. I've done two factory data resets since getting it due to other issues such as Sense reloading constantly and GPS issues. I am a bit of a techy. While i have figured out the problem on the Sense issue, other things including this car/ bluetooth on elude me. It worked just fine in the car prior to the update. I have not tried with a headset or earpiece yet to see if the problem exists there also. How about you?

Since the update I had to re-pair my connection to my Equinox.

I can tell you that it is related to the update for this model phone. There are certain things they just didn't test or couldn't anticipate. Fault also lies with the carrier as they try to get the update out at a certain time (it us their decision to update or not).

You have to let both Sprint and HTC know about the problem. I plan to. It's the only way they know. They foolishly do not follow the popular forums like some GM reps do on here.
 
#10 ·
I also have a Sprint Evo 4g which was recently updated to Android 2.3 and now cannot get my phone to stay connected in my 2011 SRX. I have tried re-pairing numerous times and have even done a factory reset. The factory reset took me right back to 2.3 and the same issues of connect/disconnect while I'm in the car. My phone book was showing on the dashboard for a little while, but now that is gone as well. Seems to be an issue with the OnStar taking over when the bluetooth isn't working as well. ONE BIG HEADACHE, READY TO THROW THE PHONE INTO THE RIVER!! Sprint says it's not their issue, HTC says it is not a VERIFIED issue, and Cadillac can't figure it out either (been to two dealers). Funny thing is, I can connect just fine to my husband's 2011 GMC Sierra truck, which Cadillac is telling us has Generation 8 bluetooth firmware and the SRX has Gen 9 firmware....makes no sense. And guess what, hubby has Evo as well, still on 2.2 and connects just fine, as I once did, to my SRX. Also, went to local Sprint store where employee had 2.3 loaded on her Evo to have her try and connect to the SRX just to rule out "my" phone issues and she could not stay connected either. CADILLAC HAS GOT TO JUMP ON THIS AND GET A SOFTWARE PATCH MADE TO THEIR FIRMWARE...THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I'm driving a brand new car that can't keep up my with phone??? Anyone with ideas, please post! :eek:hno:
 
#11 ·
Its not you, its me.....its what the phone should be saying. Meaning its not the car, its an issue with the phone.

I am a big fan of Android and have noticed that a lot of upgrades end up screwing up original features which causes the consumer issues like this.

One thing i may recommend is if the Bluetooth functionality is crucial to you, is to look into rooting your phone and putting a different rom on it. In my case, I use Cyanogen mod. Basically what the rom does is replace everything on your phone with the stuff that comes with stock Android.

I don't want to turn this into a rom thread, so you may want to do some research into rooting your phone and putting a rom on it, and what all that involves. If you don't like this route then don't do it, im simply throwing out some suggestions.
 
#12 ·
I had the same issue with my Aria running v2.2 and found the fix to be not letting the vehicle link to the phone's contacts. When pairing it asks for permission to link to your phone's contacts so it can display the name of the caller if their in you contact list. This seemed to cause my phone to disconnect from Bluetooth. When I decline to allow the link to my contacts it seems to work properly and doesn't disconnect. You will probably have to delete your current pairing, then re-pair the phone and decline the link - give it a try.
 
#13 ·
I agree that the issue seems to be with the phone book and contacts as "rutger 1413" stated. Last week after my first post I tried what "qwho" else had suggested with the "triple" not giving permission for the phonebook to download. That didn't work; however during that trial, I found that whenever the phonebook wasn't downloaded, I seemed to stayed connected. So for the past week, I have disregarded the requests for permission from my Evo to download the phonebook (each time I get in the car) and I have had no issues to date staying connected. Of course, I can't use my Evo phonebook contacts, so it's a headache, but a big improvement over not being able to use the phone hands free at all.

Whatever you do, DO NOT DO a factory reset; this does nothing for the connection issues with v2.3. I completed wiped my Evo and had the same bluetooth issues; but now had a phone that had to be completely restored....talk about a hassle!

Anyways, as I said above, not allowing the phonebook to connect has resolved my issue for the time being; hope this info helps.
 
#14 ·
rdr28mom said:
I also have a Sprint Evo 4g which was recently updated to Android 2.3 and now cannot get my phone to stay connected in my 2011 SRX. I have tried re-pairing numerous times and have even done a factory reset. The factory reset took me right back to 2.3 and the same issues of connect/disconnect while I'm in the car. My phone book was showing on the dashboard for a little while, but now that is gone as well. Seems to be an issue with the OnStar taking over when the bluetooth isn't working as well. ONE BIG HEADACHE, READY TO THROW THE PHONE INTO THE RIVER!! Sprint says it's not their issue, HTC says it is not a VERIFIED issue, and Cadillac can't figure it out either (been to two dealers). Funny thing is, I can connect just fine to my husband's 2011 GMC Sierra truck, which Cadillac is telling us has Generation 8 bluetooth firmware and the SRX has Gen 9 firmware....makes no sense. And guess what, hubby has Evo as well, still on 2.2 and connects just fine, as I once did, to my SRX. Also, went to local Sprint store where employee had 2.3 loaded on her Evo to have her try and connect to the SRX just to rule out "my" phone issues and she could not stay connected either. CADILLAC HAS GOT TO JUMP ON THIS AND GET A SOFTWARE PATCH MADE TO THEIR FIRMWARE...THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I'm driving a brand new car that can't keep up my with phone??? Anyone with ideas, please post! :eek:hno:
"
Re: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and Bluetooth not staying connected.
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2011, 06:48:26 PM »

Reply with quoteQuote
So I just got back from my SUV. It works, sort of. Read on for more info...

@rutger1413 I tried pairing and unpairing a few times.

@qwho - I am using the official version (OTA from Sprint/HTC). I was thinking that I can't get this fixed I was going to downgrade back to 2.2 with one of these mods. I still might...

@MOCHANOX - I actually did something like this but before I read the post you mentioned. See below.

So here is what I did. Today I unpaired my phone and paired it again to my vehicle. There is a dialog box that pops up asking if it's OK to let the vehicle access the phone book. Normally I check the Always check box and then press OK. This time I declined. The bluetooth connection stayed connected. I manually disconnected by tapping on the My Vehicle profile and then reconnected by tapping on the same profile (in the bluetooth settings). This time I pressed OK when the access phone book dialog popped up. The phone remained connected. I then redid the above steps and this time I checked the Always check box. The phone remained connected. I plan on letting HTC know of this.

The new thing is that if a person who is in my phone's contacts list calls me (had my wife call me) I used to get her name and number show up in the dashboard but now I just get the number.
The other thing I wish I could do is say "CALL" then "MIKE" and it dials the phone number. Instead I have to say the phone number. But this has always been the case even before the Android 2.3 upgrade.

Hope this helps someone."
Grenz
I have the same issue same equipment, I did follow CODEWZRD instructions with a twist. Deleted all pairing on the EVO4g turned off Bluetooth, then deleted the EVO from the pared devices on the SRX menu. Turned the Bluetooth on on the EVO then repaired to the SRX but selected the "Pair a GPS" instead of phone and after entering the PIN I declined the check box for phone book. It now stays connected two days and running.
Thanks, CODEWZRD
I hope this helps the rest or the 2011 SRX- Sprint EVO 4G owners that have done the 2.3 Android upgrade.
 
#15 ·
#16 ·
Thank you all for your post and discussion...I have taken my 2011 GMC Terrain in twice and even had the antenna replaced as we thought that was the issue. I plan to drop by Sprint and let them know of the issue so that it can be documented. I ask that everyone with the HTC Evo make a complaint to Sprint with the version and maybe it will be fixed on the next update.
Thanks again!!
 
#17 ·
mrswarren721 said:
Thank you all for your post and discussion...I have taken my 2011 GMC Terrain in twice and even had the antenna replaced as we thought that was the issue. I plan to drop by Sprint and let them know of the issue so that it can be documented. I ask that everyone with the HTC Evo make a complaint to Sprint with the version and maybe it will be fixed on the next update.
Thanks again!!
Ummm..did you see my last post???

This fixed the problem for me. I have not bluetooth issues now.
It takes a repair tech about an hour to do a complete wipe and reinstall. This is NOT a factory data reset.
It's the setting up again afterward for you that is the worst part.
Here it is again: http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-evo-4g/109039-evo-gb-update-issues-solution-wipe-install-new.html
 
#18 ·
CodeWzrd said:
The new thing is that if a person who is in my phone's contacts list calls me (had my wife call me) I used to get her name and number show up in the dashboard but now I just get the number.
The other thing I wish I could do is say "CALL" then "MIKE" and it dials the phone number. Instead I have to say the phone number. But this has always been the case even before the Android 2.3 upgrade.

Hope this helps someone.
I have the HTC Sensation on T-Mobile running 2.3 with the latest patch. Since pairing with my Nox 2010 I have had to STORE numbers into the Nox manually by speaking the name and number. I have yet to EVER see a NAME associated with my contact show up in the radio when someone calls in or when I make a call.

When someone in my contact list calls in (and I manually entered the contact into the NOX) I will get a verbal of who the inbound call is from.

I have no idea if this is helpful however this is what I have experieneced with a 2.3 ROM that was native to my phone when I bought it.


I would love to find a way to get the Android phone to announce its turn-by-turn directions via bluetooth (to the NOX) but I have yet to find a solution. It will announce if I use a Bluetooth Headset.
 
#20 ·
Re: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and Bluetooth not staying connected galaxy q

inphoenix said:
I've got a Galaxy S 2 and a 2010 Nox, zero problems with BT staying connected or operating properly.
we have a new samsung galaxy q - and are having many issues sometimes disconnects while talking - or picks up a call then disconnects -howver caller can hear sound from car - previous non android samsung and most every other
phone, nokia etc etc fine - there has to be a fix for this somewhere
 
#21 ·
FYI if you want to use the voice (I.E. call Mike) with out letting the car use your phone book ( I had some issues with it on my Epic) all you have to do is say "bluetooth" and "voice" to get to the phone's voice dialing mode. It works with everyone in you phone's phonebook without letting the car connect with your phone book.
 
#22 ·
I have VZ and a Droid2 that went through the upgrade. Had some issues early on, VZ did a *228 programming. Fixed most issues. Sometimes I still get a "Error cannot connect to bluetooth device" message from the Terrain lady, but yet the call still goes through.

Before the upgrade, I never had an issue.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top