Why do calls drop when connected to my vehicle's hands-free feature?

[iMore Question]

I have an iPhone 6 running iOS 8.0.2 and a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and there are serious problems with the bluetooth connectivity. The phone will show up as paired and the audio works while the phone is dialing or is receiving an incoming call, but as soon as it's connected, the call drops out. This results in fumbling with the phone to get it on speakerphone. This is very unsafe and distracting, and I've almost got into a couple of accidents, until I realized this was a phone issue. I had done numerous attempts at "restore network settings," deleting and re-pairing on the phone and the car, etc., and none have worked. This has resulted in me not making or receiving calls while the car is in motion for safety reasons. I've been on with Apple support and there is no fix they know off, nor has Apple addressed the issue publicly yet, even though numerous news agencies, including CNN are reporting on the issue. This issue needs to be elevated before a fatal accident occurs as a result, and I haven't seen a headline on imore yet about it. Are you aware of this bug and the seriousness of it? I'm smart enough to not text and drive, and this is same level of distraction if you're not aware of the issue. What's worse is; I'm now not using my phone while the car is in motion until a fix is made, but I doubt others will follow the same practice. I doubt Apple wants headlines like, "Mother of three dies while fumbling with known iPhone 6 issues."

 

[nikkisharif]

BT Car connectivity

There's always bugs when a new OS hits. Unfortunately this is a very aggravating & inconvenient one. I'm sure Apple is aware of this, as 8.1 is already in beta. As for it being unsafe, we're suppose to be responsible for our own actions & blaming a device for an accident is just ludicrous. I've had BT shut off on other phones (iPhone 5S, 6+ & Samsung GS5) in the past couple months & neither had any affect on my driving. My GS5 BT cut off during a business call while I was on the highway. I just spoke loudly saying my phone was acting up & I'll have to call back. Inconvenient & annoying...yes!!! Worth me risking my life to grab the phone...ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

 

[HankAZ]

I am not having any problems pairing and using my iPhone 6 Plus with car's audio system. I regularly use my phone with my 2010 Mazda MX-5.

After seeing these reports, I successfully paired my phone with my wife's 2011 Buick LaCrosse. Same with our 2000 Nissan Frontier with an after-market Pioneer deck. I can make/receive calls and stream audio without incident in all three vehicles.

Yesterday we put my wife's LaCrosse in the shop. The dealer gave us a 2014 LaCrosse loaner. Yep. Paired. Used. No issues.

Not sure why everyone is having issues, but I’ve successfully set up and used my iPhone 6 Plus with 4 different vehicles without issue.

 

[mrnserv]

Did you setup phone as new or restore from iCloud or iTunes backup?

This seems to be a difference as to if it works or not. Or 8.0 vs 8.02?



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[HankAZ]

Did you setup phone as new or restore from iCloud or iTunes backup?

This seems to be a difference as to if it works or not. Or 8.0 vs 8.02?

I got my iPhone 6 Plus on launch day. It came with iOS 8.0.0. I restored my phone from a backup of my iPhone 5S when I got it. I then did the update to 8.0.2 via OTA on last Friday evening when it was released.

I had set up my MX-5 and my wife's LaCrosse when I got the phone, and before upgrading to 8.0.2. I set up the pairing with the other 2 vehicles after I did the OTA update.

 

[mrnserv]

Did you rename the phone or leave the same?


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