returned a used pixel 2 XL from ebay due to bluetooth issues. Is this common?

[ddorbuck]

Hey guys, so i searched this thread and I found a few topics on Bluetooth issues with the pixel 2. I see some people reporting all sort of issues and of course some with none. I fell into the first group where my used ebay pixel 2 XL would connect fine to my car Bluetooth radio ( 2015 VW JETTA ) and if you started a call it was fine but once you ended the call on the phone it would never drop that Bluetooth session to the radio and lock it from playing anything else like music or radio. The only fix was to either turn off the car or disable/enable Bluetooth on the pixel. So I loved the phone, it was fast and the camera was awesome but returned it since i use Bluetooth audio a lot in my car ( I blame my wife ) ;> I spoke to google support and they gave me troubleshooting steps which were the same that i did including downgrading back to android O from android P beta, re-pairing to my car about 10 times, rebooting the phone and messing with the Bluetooth version(s) under the developer settings. Nothing worked for me.
So here i am thinking did i get a lemon from ebay and that was why it was a used returned phone and if i purchased a new one from google today would it have these Bluetooth issues? are these Bluetooth issues really common? Im on the fence on this. Is this a known bug in these phones that works fine so most but the others like me it doesn't? with the pixel 3 coming soon by all accounts is there any word if the Bluetooth chip set in those will be different?

Thanks for any info. Doug

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm not aware of that specific Bluetooth issue being common. Searching the web, I find more issues about being unable to connect in the first place with a certain car, but this isn't necessarily due to the phone, since the car stereo's firmware can also be part of the problem.

Does this happen in Safe Mode as well?

 

[ddorbuck]

Hi , yeah it also happened in safe mode. I had other phones before including a nexus 6p and a iphone 6s plus that all played nice in my car with none of these Bluetooth issues. Sadly if it is the firmware in my car i am probably sol unless i get an aftermarket head unit that has its own built in Bluetooth. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Rukbat]

My only "problem" is that I don't need much mobile data, so I try to not use it in the car, but when I do (and it's always with Maps running), it works fine. (Maps' volume is a bit higher than the radio app I use, but that has nothing to do with Bluetooth). I don't use it that often, but when I do it works.

I doubt it's the firmware in your car - I'm running an old Kenwood in the car, and aside from losing the pairing once back in the beginning, it's been working. (I just wish I could have Maps break into the normal car radio, so I could have no-data radio and Maps both coming out of the car speakers.)

I'm thinking that you got a lemon, and that's why it may have been returned. I got mine from Google directly.

 

[revtech]

PS . . Never blame the wife . . ;-)

 

[Ca_lvn]

The Pixel 2 is plaged with Bluetooth issues, don't let anybody fool you , multiple threads open on this.
There's always the one that has no issues that will swear by it

I think it's a hardware issue or it would have been corrected with a software update

 

[Almeuit]

The Pixel 2 is plaged with Bluetooth issues, don't let anybody fool you , multiple threads open on this.
There's always the one that has no issues that will swear by it

I think it's a hardware issue or it would have been corrected with a software update

It is? I guess mine missed the memo... I use BT all day at work + every time I drive my truck.

 

[ddorbuck]

Hi everyone. I wanted to thank those who responded to my thread. I had the opportunity to test a different pixel 2 phone in my car yesterday ( not a XL but a standard one ) and that phone did not have the Bluetooth issues that i had experienced with my phone. I guess I got a lemon. At this point with the pixel 3 inching its way to release i am going to wait for that model. Thanks everyone for the comments. Doug

 

[Mike Dee]

The Pixel 2 is plaged with Bluetooth issues, don't let anybody fool you , multiple threads open on this.
There's always the one that has no issues that will swear by it

I think it's a hardware issue or it would have been corrected with a software update

Every phone has a history of Bluetooth issues if you do a search. Sometimes it's the phone and sometimes it's the connecting device.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

The Pixel 2 is plaged with Bluetooth issues, don't let anybody fool you , multiple threads open on this.
There's always the one that has no issues that will swear by it

I think it's a hardware issue or it would have been corrected with a software update

You could remove Pixel 2 and insert the name of any phone and it would be equally as true. It's also a selection bias issue, because the majority of threads are created by people who are having issues and it's very rare for someone to create a login, verify their account and then make a post that says, "got my phone, bluetooth is awesome". Almost all threads about bluetooth are about troubleshooting issues, and bluetooth threads are still a very small subset of the troubleshooting threads, which are again, the majority of new thread activity.