Bluetooth audio bug on Android 12

Help Fairphone 4
65

I have a half-baked solution:

After turning off the HD audio on my headphones it is working. However, this is somewhat of a disappointment as now one of the core features of my headphones is permanently disabled.

Do you have a better solution?

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1 Like
66

There are many others having this issue and its being worked on, please read above.

3 Likes
67

Is anyone else also finding their WiFi seems to impact their Bluetooth connection? Sometimes it flickers in and out a bit, it seems to be when WiFi is struggling to connect to a bad signal. Perhaps this was always there but never really noticed it before. Like if Bluetooth audio is being spotty in my headphones if I flick WiFi off it seems to resolve it? Making a hotspot makes it much worse

Edit:
WiFi/Bluetooth problem others similar, guess I can try those steps if it becomes a problem
Aware they use the same frequency. Not always able to use 5GHz, don’t remember them problem being marked before android 12 but maybe I’m just paying more attention currently

68

Bluetooth uses the 2.4GHz band of EMF as does the 2.4GHz.

Stop the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi option on the phone from connecting automatically so that the phone uses 5GHz

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69

Hello, I take it you were referring to the advice in the thread about turning off the HD audio in the Bluetooth Device details of the paired earphones/speaker/device; it has worked! Thank you!

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70

Hello,

since I got the update to Android 12 the “HD-Audio” (i.e. aptX Adaptive) does not work correctly anymore. Apps like Spotify “play” the song, but there is simply no sound from the headphones.

When I turn off the HD-Audio I get sound, but in poorer quality. aptX worked before with Android 11 and also works perfect with Android 12 on my Lenovo tablet. So it is not a general Faiphone nor a general Android 12 problem, but especially the problem of a buggy Fairphone-4-Android-12 firmware.

I found a similar Thread here: https://forum.fairphone.com/t/aptx-lost-with-android-12-update/93107
However it was closed although not solved. I don’t really understand why.

Will there soon be a bugfix available?

71

See the link in the final post . . .

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72

After i installed the new update my bluetoothdoesnt connect to devices anymore.

What can i do?

Restart does not help.

73

Please read above current solution is linked in the first post e.g.

74

It may help to just switch to a different 2.4GHz mode. Iirc it’s any mode combined with the .b type to avoid as it’s the oldest available also interfering with microwave ovens. There should be an older post of me with some more details as I also had this problem with my FP2 and a 2.4GHz only capable router.

1 Like
75

Hi, at least in my case, it is sufficient to keep HD audio on in the developer options but select AAC as codec (Bowers & Wilkins Pi5). Still quite some downgrade from AptX but much better than the non-HD SBC codec which sounds really horrible. The nasty thing is that one has to redo this setting each time the in-ears connect.

1 Like
76

Hello,
I am having the same issue. Updated my FP4 to Android 12 on February 12 and my Jabra Elite 3 ear buds refuse to play sound. Bad reminiscence to my Fairphone 2 times when seemingly every component stopped working within 2 years time …
[UPDATE]

developer options → bluetooth-audio: codec → SBC: works
developer options → bluetooth-audio: codec → aptX: does not work (despite the ear buds supposedly supporting this codec)

77

I had the same problem with Sony headphones after upgrading to Android 12. Most of us are not into the technical details, we just find that our headphones are not working. It has taken me hours and hours to track down what to do - very frustrating. It would be nice if Fairphone could alert us to potential issues and work arounds when updates to software is delivered. At least I have now found this site.

78

Welcome to the Fairphone community.

If this issue had been known, I guess Fairphone had postponed the roll out of the update. So no prewarning was possible.

2 Likes
79

OK, thank you for the explanation

80

I just wanted to expand on the issue. I have soundcore headphones and had the same problem. I could resolve PART of it by disabling aptx for the headphones (not the preferred solution). However, even with this setting I have another related issue:

  1. I am streaming some media → BT audio works fine
  2. I get a normal phone call → BT audio works fine usually
  3. call ends
  4. media automatically continues streaming → BT audio is choppy / not audible
    I can fix this by disconnecting and reconnecting to BT.
    I had precisely the same headset and phone prior to the Android12 upgrade.
81

Hi, after my latest Android Update, i can not use my Sennheiser Bluetooth Headphones. Phonecalls and systemsounds are working, but no music or video Sounds are working. I guess it is a Driver Problem, but i can not fix it… Help?

82

Hi and welcome, please read above

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83

I use headphones and a speaker (Vifa) that both use AptxHD and I bought these specifically for the sound quality. I have managed to stop the daily update notification that appears in the notification area. I am still however getting a screen within the main screen (ie: a Big rectangular message box that pops up) daily notification that there is an OS update and inviting me to download and install. I am NOT prepared to install ANY OS update AT ALL until the bluetooth bug is fixed. Can someone please tell me how I stop that OS update notification? Thank you everyone.

84

Thanks that you take the problem seriously! Tho I’m really disappointed at the moment, cause I just bought new headphones for the better listening experience, but I’ll be patient :raised_hands:

I hope the fix is almost ready ^^