14 DAY TRIAL // A mere day after Apple released iOS 8 to the masses, reports started trickling inside the company’s discussion board that the firmware breaks Bluetooth compatibility with some car accessories.
There’s a thread 23 pages long on Apple Support Communities that has been visited more than 26,000 times at the time of this writing where hundreds of users are discussing what seems to be a widespread occurrence among car owners using Bluetooth accessories with their iPhones.
Not limited to one car model
Despite the topic headline suggesting the issue deals with Audi vehicles, those who are reporting their woes reveal that the problem isn’t inherent to this particular car brand. Thread starter dsjankelow shares his experience with the rest of the class:
“Apon [sic[ upgrading to ios8 my iPhone connects to my cars bluetooth car kit (Audi A1 2012) but every time I place a call from my car the call drops from my car and i am only able to speak on my phone. Sometimes as my phone connects to the bluetooth kit my car dials the last number in my call log but in fact its not calling at all it just says it is on my cars display...”
User Soul Nights says, “I am having exactly the same problem. Worked great up until yesterday, but since installing the update last night complete disaster,” this person writes, referring to making the jump to iOS 8.
User Swordfisz says the problem occurs in three different car models – Renault Master 2014, Volvo xc70 (parrot), and Mercedes ML 2009 – with two separate iPhone 5s units.
Accessories could be to blame
As user Johnathan Burger points out, it may not be Apple’s fault that this is happening to so many users, despite being directly tied to iOS 8. Customers usually take to the forums whenever they have something bad to report. Some, like Burger here, make an effort to try and provide an explanation as to what may be causing the issues exactly.
“Works perfectly fine with my Ford sync. Apple does not make any of the hands free stuff in your car. It's not Apple's responsibility to ensure the iPhone works with any manufacturers product,” he opines.
However, he’s only half right. While Apple isn’t obligated to carry out tests with all accessories out there, the company is expected to at least ensure compatibility with CarPlay systems and popular accessories known to be used widely.
Check and see if your accessory vendor is aware of any issues tied to iOS 8 and whether they are planning to offer a firmware update to address the situation. We’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for any potential news on the release of a new firmware update from Apple.