bluetooth connection problem with thunderbolt

**mlf80** · 04-12-2011, 11:58 AM

Hi Everyone,

I posted when I originally got the thunderbolt about my problem with keeping my phone connected to the bluetooth in my car. at first i thought that if i manually connected the bluetooth once the car was turned on it would stay connected, but that is not the case. Basically it will connect for a few minutes and then disconnect and i cannot get it to re-connect unless i turn bluetooth off on the phone, turn the car off, and then try all over again. There has to be a better way to do this.

I have a 2010 Ford Edge with Sync Technology. Are there any apps out there to help with bluetooth or is there something I am doing wrong? it has become really annoying.

**Uncle Luddite** · 04-29-2011, 08:39 PM

Did you [or do you] have another Bluetooth phone that worked as expected with SYNC?

Have you tried posting this concern on syncmyride.com?
I heard Ford is pressing phone suppliers to resolve compatibility and usability concerns.

**mlf80** · 05-02-2011, 09:09 AM

I had about 5 or 6 blackberries that worked just fine with it. I have not posted on syncmyride.com but that is a good idea! Thanks.

**ShaggyKids** · 05-03-2011, 02:36 AM

I'm having a similar problem with my bluetooth headsets. The past couple weeks if I go out of range of my connected headset and come back to being in range the headset won't reconnect. Aggravating.

Deb via TapaTalk

**mikestorm** · 05-22-2011, 02:55 PM

Just want to chime in and say same thing happening to me.

2010 Ford Fusion

**mikestorm** · 05-22-2011, 07:11 PM

UPDATE: Possible solution. Would like some others to corroborate.

After screwing around with this for the better part of an afternoon, I think I've finally nailed it down. To test, I used an Incredible and a Thunderbolt.

The Incredible paired easily, and when I turned off the car, opened and closed the door, and turned the car on again (cycles the BT connectivity) it would reconnect immediately. The Thunderbolt would pair initially, but after BT connectivity cycle (ignition off/door open/door close/ignition on) the phone would connect for a half second, disconnect, then nothing. I'd have to turn BT off and on on the phone, remove the device and re-pair the phone with the car.

Then it occurred to me that I was pairing the devices differently. On the Incredible, I would skip the Phonebook download. It's my girlfriend's phone, so I didn't really need the phonebook. However, that means I wasn't being completely equitable in my device testing. So, I tried to pair the TB while skipping the phonebook download, and it was successful!

Now, I've since learned that other sites have stumbled upon the phonebook issue, and those sites appear to be content with not having full use of their phonebook. I am not one of those people. I got to thinking what made an HTC's phonebook different that say an OG Droid's phonebook. Then it hit me: Facebook for HTC Sense phonebook interface.

On the TB, you can't actually remove the Facebook for HTC Sense app. You can, however, delete it from your 'Accounts & Sync' profile. Doing so does two things:

1) removes FB updates from your FriendStream
2) removes FB phone numbers from your Contacts

I suspected it was #2 that my new Ford was having trouble with. Anyway, here's the fix:

How to remove Facebook from HTC Sense from affecting your phonebook
From the home screen, hit menu
Hit settings
Hit 'Accounts & Sync'
Hit 'Facebook for HTC Sense'
Click Remove Account (click remove again if prompted)
Hit back till you're back to the Settings screen
Hit Applications
Hit Manage Applications
Click All up top
Navigate to Facebook for HTC Sense
Hit Force Stop
Hit Clear Data
Hit back, then home

That's it! To be safe, I'd remove the old pairing on the phone, then remove the phone's profile in your car to effectively start from scratch, then pair the device to the car. During this process, it's (now) okay to let the car download the phonebook.

Please reply back to see if this works. Thanks!

**deputyvrod** · 05-23-2011, 04:19 AM

mikestorm
You are a genius. I was so frustrated that I couldn't pair my Thunderbolt with my 2010 Ford Mustang. Like everyone else it would connect, then seconds later disconnect. In any event. I read your post and suggestions and attempted it moments ago with just a minor adaptation to your instructions. When I went into Accounts & Sync instead of removing Facebook for HTC Sense completely I merely clicked on it and unchecked the box that says Sync Contacts. After doing so, I then clicked on Sync at the bottom to ensure it would update with my contacts and essentially remove any previously Synced contacts (if that made sense). Then I made sure I deleted the device from my Devices in my Mustang and then readded my Thunderbolt. It paired fine, and I was able to successfully download my phonebook. All is working well. Again THANKS man. You're a genius. I believe you have discovered the root of the problem.

**mikestorm** · 05-24-2011, 06:25 AM

I'm glad its working for you as well. It's only been two days for me, but this is still the longest I've gotten my phone to auto connect to my 2010 Fusion.

I'm particularly glad the fix can be done by unrooted devices also. Facebook for HTC Sense has been a annoyance at best and has impeded the enjoyment of my car at worst.

**richrider** · 06-05-2011, 03:50 PM

Mike -

Just checking in - it's been two weeks - is the problem still fixed? Trying to see if it worked because I'm looking to upgrade my blackberry to a thunderbolt and have Sync in 2 Escapes we own.

Post a quick update to let us know how it's going.

**mikestorm** · 06-05-2011, 08:36 PM

Still works without fail. Okay to pull the trigger on the TB

**bjboucher** · 06-06-2011, 06:26 AM

Originally Posted by mikestorm

Still works without fail. Okay to pull the trigger on the TB

You should e-mail this to HTC and Verizon if you haven't already. Maybe they could make a FAQ for it on their support sites!

**ericner#AC** · 06-18-2011, 04:26 AM

I don't have Facebook for HTC Sense. I still have a problem with BT cycling on/off with my TB and my Chevy Volt. I had no problem with my Blackberry Torch -- used that for 4 months with the Volt with no problems at all.

**ericner#AC** · 07-01-2011, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by ericner

I don't have Facebook for HTC Sense. I still have a problem with BT cycling on/off with my TB and my Chevy Volt. I had no problem with my Blackberry Torch -- used that for 4 months with the Volt with no problems at all.

Chevy says it's an HTC problem (not a big surprise). They confirmed this by putting the latest bt firmware on the Volt and testing it with a couple of the phones in the shop. The HTC Thunderbolt was the only one that consistently disconnected.

My nastygram to HTC just prompted HTC to reach back out to me. They talk about a software update coming soon for the phone, but no ETA. Sounds like I'm out of luck.

**akira751** · 07-01-2011, 03:35 PM

So Ford and Chevy have BT issues with the Bolt. I wonder what other car makes have issues? Subaru,Honda and Toyota work fine.

**zentenn** · 07-01-2011, 03:38 PM

I have tried to pair my phone to my Garmin Zumo 660 so I can listen to pandora through the headset on my motorcycle. I couldn't get the GPS to connect. I guess I'll try this fix and see what happens...unless GPS pairing is simply out of the question

**ericner#AC** · 07-17-2011, 09:25 AM

Update... Working now!! Facebook for HTC Sense somehow got reinstalled. Deleted that account per mikestorm's suggestion. Then paired while making sure to check "always" during "decline" when it asked to link to my contacts during the pairing procedure (have to hit that 4 times). Now there's no disconnecting during bluetooth operation with Chevy Volt.

For grins, I unpaired then tried repairing with the contacts 'accepted'. Bluetooth disconnects/reconnects as before. That seems to be a major culprit here. FYI.

**cliffh44** · 07-17-2011, 02:29 PM

I have a 2011 Cadillac SRX and experienced the same issue with bluetooth connectivity dropping.

I unpaired the devices and set them up again but didn't allow the connection to the phonebook.

The bluetooth now connects and stays connected.

The only issue I've encountered is that each time my phone connects to the car, I get a notification asking if I want to allow the connection to the phonebook.

I've selected the option to remember to "Always" disallow the connection but the setting isn't getting saved. I'm prompted with the notification each time the phone connects to the car.

I guess I'll have to put up with this minor inconvenience rather than not have it work at all.

**'58hen** · 07-19-2011, 07:15 AM

What do you give up by not downloading the phonebook? Are you still able to use voice activated dialing from the cars system using the phones voice recognition?

**cliffh44** · 07-19-2011, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by '58hen

What do you give up by not downloading the phonebook? Are you still able to use voice activated dialing from the cars system using the phones voice recognition?

I'm still able to use voice activated dialing in my SRX.

The difference is that I only have a few numbers stored in the car phone book whereas I have significantly more on the phone.