Sam Oliver
Apple's iOS 8 update released last month has created major problems for users who connect their iPhone to their car's stereo system via Bluetooth, but there are indications that a fix may be on the way with the upcoming iOS 8.1 update.
Since iOS 8 became available in September, users have been posting in a growing thread on the Apple Support Communities website to voice their frustration with the apparent bug. The issue appears to apply to a wide range of vehicle Bluetooth systems, from manufacturers including Toyota, Nissan, Chevy, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and even aftermarket stereo systems.
AppleInsider has also experienced the issue firsthand with certain vehicles. Starting with iOS 8, devices would show that they were connected to the car and the system would attempt to dial, but no sound comes through the vehicle's speakers.
Users report that iOS 8 has also introduced problems when attempting to play music, podcasts or other audio through the vehicle's speakers.
While the problems were apparently not addressed by Apple's iOS 8.0.2 update, users who are testing the forthcoming iOS 8.1 update say the beta software appears to fix the problem. As iOS 8.1 remains in private developer testing and is not available to the public, it's unknown whether the software will indeed address the issues for the wide range of users who began to experience problems with iOS 8.0.
In the meantime, some users said that they were able to fix the problem by resetting their iPhone's settings. Unfortunately, doing so has its own separate bug: Currently, choosing the "Reset All Settings" option in iOS 8 will delete iCloud Drive data.
In addition, users posting on Apple's forums indicated that while resetting their iPhone's settings did fix the problem, the solution appears to only be temporary for some. Still others said that Bluetooth will temporarily function as expected, only to stop working again.
"So I had two random days of bluetooth working for no reason. This morning, it no longer works," user 'Skape4321' wrote. "Certainly strange that it seems to pick random days to function properly."
Apple's iOS 8.1 update is expected to arrive this month, likely enabling the new Apple Pay feature that will be exclusive to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at launch.
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Andrew Orr
103 Comments
Quick, trash the stock again! /s
Not doubting that there is a problem but thankfully there is no problem connecting my iPhone 4s to my Mini!
8.0.2 works for me in my Leaf. Neither 8.0 had any problem.
Quick, trash the stock again! /s
Done. It's down 0.15%. ????
Interesting. Have had no issues on calling or playing music in both of our VW Jetta Sportwagens (2013) over BT with two iPhone 6 and an iPhone 6 plus with 8.0 and 8.0.2, when I go into the Music app and choose something, but I did notice that when it connects, and I switch to BT media player, it would not automatically go back to whatever was last played, or if nothing, to some random song from the library, like it used to. At least without a 30-60 second pause before finally figuring out something to play.