Jelly Bean 4.2.x, Change in Bluetooth Behaviour ?

geoffwh · December 9th, 2012, 04:26 PM

Has anyone noticed a change in behavior of a bluetooth connected headset after the 4.2.x upgrade? Since the upgrade, bluetooth spontaneously disconnects after a short idle period, which means that an incoming call is not extended to my headset to be answered.

UK driving law makes handling a cell phone whilst driving illegal, so this new behavior is annoying. (Answering a call via a headset button is OK.)

(Galaxy Nexus, Android 4.2.1, Plantronics Voyager Pro BT Headset)

Metroid Prime · December 9th, 2012, 04:29 PM

Welcome to AF, geoffwh and sorry to hear about your issue. Have you considered a factory reset? Sometimes a software upgrade can cause bugs and issues and doing a factory reset can usually correct these issues.

tube517 · December 9th, 2012, 06:14 PM

I've read in other forums about bluetooth issues with JB. Supposedly, the 4.2.1 update was supposed to fix "some" BT issues. However, it doesn't seem like it fixed all BT issues. My phone is rooted with maguro 4.2.1 and the BT works perfect.

aurora40 · December 11th, 2012, 10:30 PM

I have issues with BT sometimes. When it acts up, it won't connect (though the phone shows it as connected), and you also can't turn it off (the phone shows it as "turning off" for hours).

Mostly it works, but when it doesn't, I have to restart the phone. I did a factory reset, it did not fix this particular issue. And I did not have any BT issues prior to 4.2.

quickaudi · December 11th, 2012, 11:13 PM

Having the same issue with mine disconnecting on 4.2.1 as well

aurora40 · December 16th, 2012, 07:00 PM

I'm getting the disconnect issue as well.

geoffwh · December 17th, 2012, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffwh

Has anyone noticed a change in behavior of a bluetooth connected headset after the 4.2.x upgrade? Since the upgrade, bluetooth spontaneously disconnects after a short idle period, which means that an incoming call is not extended to my headset to be answered.

UK driving law makes handling a cell phone whilst driving illegal, so this new behavior is annoying. (Answering a call via a headset button is OK.)

(Galaxy Nexus, Android 4.2.1, Plantronics Voyager Pro BT Headset)

OK, I've tried a factory reset and am still having BT problems as previously described. I've haven't tried running without any apps to see if one of those is causing a problem. I'll just accept that BT is broken in 4.2.1 and I can no longer use my 'phone whilst driving.

The_Chief · December 17th, 2012, 03:31 PM

Mine disconnects and then reconnects immediately as well. 4.2.1 toro

geoffwh · December 19th, 2012, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffwh

OK, I've tried a factory reset and am still having BT problems as previously described. I've haven't tried running without any apps to see if one of those is causing a problem. I'll just accept that BT is broken in 4.2.1 and I can no longer use my 'phone whilst driving.

*Update* I installed a third-party voice dialer some months ago, because Google Search performance was sub-optimal. I've just un-installed the dialer and after preliminary testing the BT problems seem to have gone. Further, I find Google Search voice dialing performance is significantly improved in JB 4.2.n, maybe to give a usable solution.

CharlzO · December 20th, 2012, 11:59 AM

From the Sourcery Devs, google changed something in the BT Stacks for 4.2 which has been wonky. I've had some issues myself, including the "turning off" deal. But, overall I'm enjoying the 4.2 goodness enough that it outweighs the little things, and I'm sure it'll get rectified soon.

mtbhk44 · December 20th, 2012, 02:07 PM

I've said this in a few threads, so forgive me being a broken record if you've read this before. The sound is just terrible with this new 4.2 bluetooth stack. Anything in the upper range is distorted and tinny. It's like listening to the worst possible MP3 rip you've got in your collection, except that it's on every song. I've actually rolled back to 4.1.2 until they fix this mess they've made. I guess the devs over at Google were strictly wired in when listening to the music b/c the sound is really terrible. Huge whiff here.

elric999uk · February 14th, 2013, 10:39 AM

i know it's been a while since this question was posed but i had the same problem, all solved by an app called Bluetooth Keepalive by Alexander Brickwedde that's available in the pay store, now my BT stays connected to my headset or car stero without drop outs. there's a fair bit of compatibility info on the store so do check that out first.

jhawkkw · February 14th, 2013, 10:48 AM

4.2.2 is suppose to contain bug fixes to bluetooth. So if possible, update to that and it might normalize.

aurora40 · February 20th, 2013, 06:43 PM

FWIW, I haven't gotten the BT disconnect thing so far on 4.2.2. But it is pretty early to tell, as I only got the update this morning.

val88 · February 20th, 2013, 09:19 PM

Maybe its the version of BT on your devices.

I have JB on both my GN and N7. I keep my BT on 24/7 on the phone and part time on the N7. On my phone, its connected to my car whenever I turn the car on since the phone essentially replaces my car stereo so I use it a lot. I can't recall a single disconnect between my car and my phone.

On my N7, I use it with a set of BT headphone (and occasionally I do the same on my phone). Neither has any problems as well. I use it for about 30 minutes/day.

My car's BT was upgraded last year by the manufacturer so its pretty recent. Maybe thats the difference.