Bluetooth is haunted: Android with earbuds

Is is 2005?

Android 14 fully updated on a Pixel 6a, with Soundcore Liberty 4 earbuds. Sound quality is great. ANC is so-so, battery life is great, case and charging is great, with aftermarket tips they work in the gym.

But they sometimes randomly hate phone calls.

I'll be listening to an audiobook or youtube or whatever, and I get a call. I take the call, and the phone decides to use the regular phone speaker (which is annoying). I hit the button to select the earbuds, which are there along with the speakerphone. It lets me select them, but then changes its mind and goes back to the phone speaker. This randomly happens when taking or receiving calls. Sometimes it works like you'd expect it to, but it seems to be getting worse. I've disconnected and reconnected, I've turned bluetooth off and back on again, and I've forgotten the device and reconnected again. When it's being cranky, none of this works at all.

Any ideas? This is stupid.

Try the "remove Bluetooth cache" process shown in this article:

https://www.airdroid.com/remote-control/fix-bluetooth-not-working-android-problem/

Also make sure Phone Audio is enabled for the device under bluetooth settings (you can see it in this screenshot below the Unpair button):

If none of that helps, you could try the reset wifi + BT + mobile data option but that will clear out all your saved wifi and BT connections...

Did it. I think. The screens looked different. Of course my phone call just prior worked fine anyway.

A few phone calls worked fine, and another just failed a few minutes ago. Behavior is the same.

WHAT!!!??

If I use the left earbud alone, or both earbuds, the phone call works every time.

If I use the right earbud alone, the phone call never works.

I am of no help I would just like to say the only bluetooth devices that work reliably for me are my Wii controllers and Logitec keyboard with dedicated USB reciever.

Phone to earbuds is flaky

Phone to car is flaky

Xbox controller to PC is insanely flaky

Xbox controller to Xbox wireless adapter is flaky

Phone to fitbit is flaky

Switch controllers are flaky

tuna55 said:

WHAT!!!??

 

If I use the left earbud alone, or both earbuds, the phone call works every time.

 

If I use the right earbud alone, the phone call never works.

Earbuds like this are set up with a master/slave arrangement.  Most use the right bud as master but yours may be different.  BTW, I have the Soundcore Life A2 NC earbuds and love them.  3 years old and still going strong, great sound (once you EQ them) and good noise cancelling.

ProDarwin said:

I am of no help I would just like to say the only bluetooth devices that work reliably for me are my Wii controllers and Logitec keyboard with dedicated USB reciever.

Phone to earbuds is flaky

Phone to car is flaky

Xbox controller to PC is insanely flaky

Xbox controller to Xbox wireless adapter is flaky

Phone to fitbit is flaky

Switch controllers are flaky

Weird, my Xbox controller (one of the latest ones) to my PC is absolutely rock-solid reliable. Most of my BT stuff is pretty reliable in fact...flaky things are BT headphones to PC (sometimes needs a manual reconnect), sending files between phone and PC (very timing-sensitive and sometimes needs a manual connect on my laptop), and OBD2 adapter to phone (going to try to fix it this year by relocating the OBD2 adapter closer to the phone with an extension cable). BT mice have always worked great, keyboard is great when the batteries are strong and there's no metal table in the way...

In reply to triumph7 :

Yep full-wireless earbuds tend to be more troublesome and it sounds like his is a left-master setup.