Phone disconnecting from car unless out of pocket

[ksanger35]

I need help. I was recently updated to Android 8.0.0. Not by choice. Now when I use my 2016 GM vehicle to place a call using the radio and bluetooth connection, my phone makes the call then switches to speaker mode. This does not work for me as I have my phone in my pocket and people may not hear me and I can barely hear them. The car radio buttons no longer let me hang up. Its as if the phone has disconnected its bluetooth connection. Its a royal pain to get the phone out of my pocket while I'm driving.

If instead I take the phone out of my pocket, then use the car radio to place the call, the phone works correctly and does not disconnect from the radio. I've done this numerous times. Get in car with phone in pocket, make call through car radio, and phone tries using its speaker instead of the car. Pull phone out of pocket, hang up, redial using car radio and phone works through radio as it should.

Can someone please tell me the secret obscure setting that will let me call from my car radio without having to remember to take the phone out of my pocket when I get in the car?

I have no idea why anyone would purposely program a phone to drop a bluetooth connection right after it was used to initiate a call. Not too smart. Very agravating.

How do I turn all the advanced pocket detection stuff off? Is this related to the issue where the phone answers the call automatically while in my pocket? That is an issue too.