Has the Marshmallow update fixed Bluetooth audio skipping?

[Soreloser]

For those of you who have been able to update to Marhsmallow, has it resolved the skipping / glitches in audio when using Bluetooth? There is a very long thread about this issue and I am one of those who has this issue but since AT&T has not released marshmallow I have no way og knowing if it is resolved.

Thanks!

 

[Soreloser]

re:

Anyone?

 

[nahoku]

re:

Personally, I think it's hardware. No update/OS can fix the issue.

 

[pduffer]

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Why would you think it is hardware? Many of us do NOT have a skipping issue, therefore I would think it is a software issue, perhaps carrier related.

 

[nahoku]

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Why would you think it is hardware? Many of us do NOT have a skipping issue, therefore I would think it is a software issue, perhaps carrier related.

From the many reports of no update ever fixing the issue, I have to believe it's hardware. No other device I've owned has as weak a BT connection as my Note 4. The BT range is so short it's absolutely terrible. Granted, it doesn't drop out 100% of the time, but it'll do so if...

1) the phone is on the opposite side of the BT receiver
2) If I move more than 3 - 5 feet away from the phone.
3) If I turn my head and the receiver ends up on the opposite side relative to the phone
4) I can cause the BT to drop at will just by placing my palm in the upper 1/4 of the phone near the camera lens

All the above tells me it's a weak BT signal, RF interference, or a possibly a shielding problem. The Note 4 carries many radios, including NFC and wireless charging coil. Interference is a high possibility. Note that I can run with no radios on except BT, and in Airplane mode, and it still intermittently drops.

I used to have access to RF test equipment (Spectrum Analyzers, Network/Waveform Analyzers, etc) when I was working as an engineer, and I would have done comparative tests if I had the phone at the time. Unfortunately, too late now... retired. I've even asked if someone here could test the Bluetooth capabilities of the Note 4 if they had access to RF test equipment... unfortunately no takers.

My old HTC Inc1 and 2, and even my old Razr's will stay connected even if I change rooms with walls in between. Within line of sight, over 30ft, the HTC's stay connected with no drops.

The only remedy I've found is keeping the phone on my hip on the same side as my BT receiver. I own 2 Plantonics, a Motorola, and a Jabra. All of them experience drops outs.

I honestly don't think its a software or carrier issue as reports are coming in from all carriers and build countries. In any case, it's my personal opinion that this is a hardware issue... at least on my Verizon Note 4. The good thing is that I rarely use my BT headsets anymore since I retired. I would still like to see this solved though.

 

[WalkingHorse]

re:

I firmly believe that it is a software issue. No problem with range at all. I think that there is something polling/using resources (GPS/location services is my best guess) that causes it to intermittently "skip" similarly the way it briefly drops/mutes when there is a notification while using BT.
No clue on whether MM fixes the problem as I am on VZ.

 

[sparksd]

re:

Sprint Note 4 on MM - it did not fix the issue for me. My old workaround of leaving the screen on still works for me. None of the other suggested workarounds I've seen on this have helped me (and I've tried very one).

 

[sparksd]

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I see that the Google problem report I wrote on this last year is still categorized as Priority Small -

https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=95294&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars&start=100

 

[nahoku]

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Nothing has worked for me, ALL radios OFF (except BT), also off is GPS, NFC, Location, wireless router off, screen on/off doesn't matter. If it were software then everyone on the same software should see the same problem, but that's not happening according to pduffer. It's seen on KK, LP and now verified on MM on Sprint by sparksd. If software could somehow remedy the situation, it'll have to come in the form of boosting the BT signal amplitude... if the hardware allows it. It really looks like hardware or interference, or some phones just have weaker BT radios. By the way, besides my other phones (HTC, old razr's), I also experience NO dropouts on my Note 10.1 2014 utilizing the same BT headsets. I can't even willfully make my tablet BT drop out.

Does anyone know of an app that can test the phone's bluetooth signal level (output level)?

 

[robertyboberty]

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FWIW I have had this issue with all Android versions since KitKat.

They changed the bluetooth stack in KitKat from BlueZ to Bluedroid which I suspect is the cause of the issue.

I tested this by flashing different versions of Android (from Jellybean to Lollipop 5.01) to various devices and listening. The devices are Nexus 7 2012, Samsung T700 and HTC M7. The tests seemed to confirm my suspicions.

I have an Arcam rBlink which I use for home listening, I have actually flashed an older version of Android to my Samsung T700 in order to stream music without any stops or stutters.

My brand new Nexus 6P is stuttering occasionally, this is on the latest firmware in Safe Mode.

Hope this helps.

 

[RumpRoast]

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This is not just limited to the N4, I had the same issue with my LG G3