Iphone & Bluetooth sound quality

[///Armin]

I have a hard time talking to people via bluetooth, I can hear them fine but they can't hear me or it sounds like I'm far away. It's an iphone 3G. It's got to a point that I often turn off bluetooth completely on important calls so I don't risk having quality issues....anyone else?

Couple of other buddies with 6 and 5s dont' have this issue...what gives?

[fe3]

I find it pretty useless most of the time. If the other person is in a quiet place, he/she can hear me, but if there is any kind of background noise, I'm told I sound "far away" or "too quiet." I'm not sure where the mic is (don't recall if it's in the manual), but maybe aiming your voice that way would help?

[Canyon Junkie]

I've recently had the same issues. very frustrating.


here's a thought....

maybe the iPhone is trying to use the mic on the phone itself (usually in my pocket)?

[pilot_bro2003]

I've been having the same problem as well !!! I thought it was just me. I was thinking it was maybe the Y cables or something but most likely not.

[dizman7]

Originally Posted by ///Armin

I have a hard time talking to people via bluetooth, I can hear them fine but they can't hear me or it sounds like I'm far away. It's an iphone 3G. It's got to a point that I often turn off bluetooth completely on important calls so I don't risk having quality issues....anyone else?

Couple of other buddies with 6 and 5s dont' have this issue...what gives?

hmm that's kind of funny cause I've been noticing the oppisite. they can hear me just fine but I can't hear them and I usually have to ask them to repeat what they said. I pretty much can't use it on the highway cause the road noise is too loud for me to hear them

[consolidated]

Originally Posted by dizman7

hmm that's kind of funny cause I've been noticing the oppisite. they can hear me just fine but I can't hear them and I usually have to ask them to repeat what they said. I pretty much can't use it on the highway cause the road noise is too loud for me to hear them

you know you can turn up the volume til their screaming at 95dB right?

[Zoli007]

For what its worth I've never used ANY bluetooth system in any car that didnt drive me insane and sound like chit.

Bluetooth earpiece FTW

[volinder]

Same boat, my iphone 3g is the same in both my bluetooth cars. I think its a problem with the iphone.

[Fentanyl]

I dont know what's going on with ur guys mics but I have a 3G iPhone too and I've had no problem at all. I'm on it quite a bit too and I don't get any of those complaints. I'm sure the mic is near the rear view mirror and I'm a pretty tall guy so that might be why. So my advice is the just jack ur seat up and give it a try. Although I dont think that will be comfortable.

[JIO]

I have the iPhone 3G along with the smartphone integration option ('09 M3 Coupe) and the 3G cradle. The sound quality is so much better than before when I just used the Bluetooth with the iPhone in my pocket. Friends were getting the "Echo Chamber" when I talked and they were just hard to understand at speed. With the cradle, the quality is fine both directions. Supposedly with the cradle, BMW says it hooks up with the car's antennas and will have better quality and better range. The quality increased but the range didn't. I've been testing it and when a lose a bar or two on the cradle, I remove it from the cradle and the reception is the same. I have yet to see a better range with the iPhone plugged into the cradle.

[enfield]

I have had no problems using my iPhone 3G with the car's bluetooth system....

[Kobaiyashi]

I have no similar problems with my 1st generation iphone. In fact, people rarely notice when I switch from the handset to the car.

I would try playing around with the bluetooth volume setting. Perhaps if its set too low or too high, the iphone audio quality degrades.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by enfield

I have had no problems using my iPhone 3G with the car's bluetooth system....

+1. No problems here either, and firmware 3.0 for the iPhone is right around the corner.

[schadenfreude]

Sometimes I "sound like I'm in a tunnel". I have no problems hearing the person on the other end, but I get occasional complaints. Great reception with the 3G Snap-in adapter.

[RJD M3]

I have a first gen iphone, and have been able to connect and talk with no complaints. The only thing that has been different than my old 335 is that the ringing when calling someone is a lot quieter.

[darkalley]

with my blackberry everyone tells me i sound far away..... aggravates me. i can't believe bmw doesn't have a sound adjustment.

[///Armin]

With the number of responses it's clear that THERE is an issue. I'm very disappointed with BMW, I shouldn't have to buy a craddle to get good quality, and even if I did, then I have to dock and undock each time which is annoying.

[ColoCane]

It's interesting and an on-going problem (same with the music capability).

I first tested my iPhone 3G with the Y-Cable at the dealer to see if I needed to pull the trigger on a cradle. I made some calls, and it worked fine, could hear well both ways. I ultimately pulled the trigger on the cradle for full smartphone integration, but my CA ordered the wrong one (-38, non-smartphone, phone worked, but no music). So for a few days, after taking delivery, I used the Y-Cable, again, it worked fine. I heard well, and people heard me fine. I now have the cradle in (-43, smartphone) and it works like a charm. It's like talking to people on a land line. That clear. I have specifically asked people if it sounds like I'm in a tunnel or underwater, they say nope, just fine, really clear. I don't know, since some are having significant problems and others none at all, is it possible that it's the service, infrastructure/towers, based on location?

Also, for those that have difficulty getting the music to work on the iPhone in the cradlw, yes, you do have to pull the Y-Cable. The system prioritizes the that connection and disables the music on the iPhone in the cradle.

For what it's worth... good luck.

[Irb Digital]

It might be coincidence, but sometimes when I have bluetooth quality issues, my sunroof is cracked open a tad. Maybe there's some air running across the mic, which is causing some sound issues.