No Sound on Phone Calls after using Bluetooth

[Rirruto]

I posted this on the T-Mo GS4 board but now that I think about it, might not be carrier specific:

I've just encountered a strange and frustrating issue that began a couple of days ago on 7/12. I have a Galaxy S4 running 4.4.2 and a 2010 Nissan Altima. I've had my car for 4 years and have never had this issue with any of my phones until this past Saturday so I am convinced it is my phone that is the issue. The Bluetooth pairing will connect without issues (indicator on both phone and car screen indicates so) and I am able to make/receive a call with sound successfully for one time. If I a make or receive a second call, there will be no sound both on my end or the caller on the other end. I know the call connects since the call timer starts on both my phone and the car screen as well as on the caller's phone (tested out with my wife's phone while in the car). I will not even hear a ring tone, the call will just connect without sound. Even if I disconnect the Bluetooth connection, there will not be any sound coming from my handset and the caller on the other end cannot hear me when trying to perform a call. The issue can be temporarily fixed with a phone restart. After making one successful call after a phone restart, the no sound issue will return. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I've re-done the phone pairing with my phone and car but the issue resurfaces. I see somebody posted a very similar issue on a different website on the same exact day I started getting the issue (Can only hear phone calls on Bluetooth) so I am wondering if we got some sort of app update that has started to interfere with Bluetooth connections. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[tech_head]

Having a similar issue with my GS4 on 4.4.2 on Verizon.
Started happening a week or two ago.

No clue why.

 

[anon(19981)]

I switched back to my moto x because of this issue. I did two factory resets and it will do it after a day or so and the only way to get it to work again is to restart the phone.

I am running stock 4.4.2 on att.

Edit: It started doing this a couple of weeks ago.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Rirruto]

My phone has been acting normally the past 12 hours. Not sure exactly what I did to remedy it since I did a few things. I did re-pair the Bluetooth connection between my phone and car (again) as well as disabling a couple of things in my Google Now settings. I disabled the "OK Google" detection from any screen and also disabled Audio History. I also disabled the "Bluetooth headset, Records audio through Bluetooth headset if available" setting. Knock on wood, sound has been fine during Bluetooth calls since then.

 

[Darren Toews]

I think you're onto something here. Did the issue ever show up again for you?

I had the exact same issue with my GS4 and my 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Disabled OK Google Everywhere on all screens and lock screens as well as the audio history and then restarted my phone. After that I couldn't make the problem happen again. Then I renabled the OK Google Everywhere settings as I had them before and restarted my phone again. After 2 or 3 calls the issue returned. Once more I disabled the OK Google Everywhere settings and restarted, made about 10 consecutive calls with no issues after that.

I've read elsewhere that other people have had similar success resolving the issue by disabling S Voice. My guess is that on the Samsung phones at least, having both S Voice and OK Google everywhere trying to listen while bluetooth is on causes some type of contention issue for the bluetooth. Of course, that doesn't explain why it accepts the command and dials properly, and the sound only drops out once the connection is made. Very odd, but I'm hopeful that for now at least, this issue might be resolved for me.

 

[Rirruto]

My issue has not returned since disabling the settings I noted above. I will have to live without the OK Google from any screen feature which is fine by me as long as my Bluetooth always works.

 

[Darren Toews]

My issue has not returned since disabling the settings I noted above. I will have to live without the OK Google from any screen feature which is fine by me as long as my Bluetooth always works.

Good to know. Hopefully this is the answer, or at least the workaround. I've put a post in the google search help forums at google linking back here so, hopefully someone at Google will see it and investigate the issue.

 

[rizzymo]

Rirruto, good find. Did what you suggested and I have no problem with sound. Thanks a lot!!!!!

Posted via Android Central App

 

[jonnojohnson]

Same thing here. Very frustrating.

 

[rwest78]

This has been driving me crazy. I'll try this today. Thanks!!!!!!

 

[rwest78]

This has been driving me crazy. I'll try this today. Thanks!!!!!!

So that was definitely the fix - Disabled the OK Google listening and it's back to normal. Thanks again Rirruto!!!

 

[Rirruto]

Glad people are getting their problem solved with this workaround. I know how frustrating it was when it was happening to me. My Bluetooth sound issue has not returned since disabling the OK Google from any screen feature.

 

[derekmski]

I also have this issue on my Galaxy S4 with AT&T, at first I thought my phone was defective because even after factory resetting it there still wouldn't be call sound after the first call with my bluetooth headset. I have figured out the trigger for me anyways. This doesn't happen until I turn have bluetooth on, connect my headset, and then turn my headset off, then no calls will have sound. If I have my bluetooth off completely since my phone is restarted, I will always have call audio. So it is something with the okay google everywhere and the bluetooth. The only fix I've found is disabling ok google on every screen which is a bummer because it's a cool feature.

 

[gjkiii]

Thank you very much. Glad someone found the fix. It was driving me nuts!!!

 

[SeeversMJ]

I am having the same issue in connection with the Parrot Bluetooth system in my truck. How exactly does one turn off OK Google? I cannot seem to find it anywhere in Settings. Thanks.

 

[mproductions]

To Rirruto,

You are a complete Genius!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You simple wisdom in figuring this out a blessing from GOD! Do you know how long I have been trying to figure this out, I have lost sleep over this, driving me nuts! I have gone through at 2-GS4's-(through fixing viruses from towel rooting, etc of course). Thank you so much for sharing this! It's working. Thank you!

 

[kenboldt]

Rirruto,

You rock! I have been struggling with this for some time now, and I thought I had butchered my phone through rooting and flashing custom ROMs. To find out it is as simple as disabling the "OK Google" everywhere setting is amazing!

It sucks to lose that useful feature, but man am I glad to have a properly working phone back!

 

[Bryth Halpin]

My phone has been acting normally the past 12 hours. Not sure exactly what I did to remedy it since I did a few things. I did re-pair the Bluetooth connection between my phone and car (again) as well as disabling a couple of things in my Google Now settings. I disabled the "OK Google" detection from any screen and also disabled Audio History. I also disabled the "Bluetooth headset, Records audio through Bluetooth headset if available" setting. Knock on wood, sound has been fine during Bluetooth calls since then.

--You are 100% correct. Ok Google is the culprit. I disabled it too and everything works perfectly.

 

[Payneer]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

I really liked the Ok Google feature, but I prefer my business phone working. It was too embarissing to have a client call and no sound on either end happen.

Thanks so much for this simple fix!

 

[gltgroove]

Wish I read this thread like three months ago! Wish Verizon or Samsung did too! Three phones and sooo much aggravation later I disabled "Ok Google" thanks to this forum. S Voice from Samsung is nowhere as effective as Ok Google so I hope there is an update or work a round soon. Anyone using an effective personal assistant other than these two that can coexist with the bluetooth on the S4 that can give the app a shout out?