[Q] S3 Bluetooth issues connection to car stereo - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have a Sprint S3, and it will pair to my car stereo just fine, but it keeps disconnecting. Once paired, there is option boxes for "Call audio" and "Media audio"
It seems like if I turn one option on, it disables the other, and vice versa. Every time I start the car, the pairing is out of whack and I have to start over, enabling whichever one I want, and after a few times it works. I did get both to work one time, but as soon I turned car off then on, it was broken again.
My old phones have never had a problem connecting both Call and Media to my car, so I am concerned it is an issue with the S3.
I have 2010 Nissan Altima with the upgraded stereo. I have removed all previously paired devices so only the s3 shows up. I have removed and re-added the s3 several times. I have renamed the car's bluetooth name several times as well.
Is anyone else experiencing a similar issue, or can you test it with your car audio systems and let me know if it works for you?
Let me know if there some information I should provide to better understand the issue.
Thanks,
Rob

Hey robmtx, this might help you out. Theres an app in the market called bluetooth fix repair.
I had the same issue with my last two droids (1 and 3), and this solved the dropped connections. good luck

Thanks.
I'll give that a try.
I've also been reading how this might be more of an ICS issue than a device issue. It appears there are similar discussions in other device threads. I'll keep researching and also try this app.

I used my S3 in a rented car a view days ago and paired it with the installed Ford car stereo.
I played MP3 via Bluetooth and made some calls via Bluetooth. It all worked flawless. I also did not see any checkboxes for "call audio" or "media audio".
When I left the car and came back later it connected automatically. So I guess the problem is not a general problem.

this happens on mine as well from stock XALE8 to the latest XALF5. i went ahead and posted on samsung's FB page..but doubt we'll get a response
by the way, ive had this same issue whether im connecting to a bluetooth 2.0 or bluetooth 3.0 headset/car kit.

Right I might know the answer to this as I had the same problem as few weeks ago.
If you have Facebook, twitter, whatsapp or anything like this best thing is to get rid of them if you don't want to go to your accounts and sync on your phone and untick the sync with contacts on any of the apps you have installed.
Then go to call log and clear your call history.
Delete the bluetooth pairing turn the phone off and back on, repair with the car, mine has worked perfectly since I did this.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

Motogp1 said:
Right I might know the answer to this as I had the same problem as few weeks ago.
If you have Facebook, twitter, whatsapp or anything like this best thing is to get rid of them if you don't want to go to your accounts and sync on your phone and untick the sync with contacts on any of the apps you have installed.
Then go to call log and clear your call history.
Delete the bluetooth pairing turn the phone off and back on, repair with the car, mine has worked perfectly since I did this.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you remove your Gmail account too when doing this? I plan to remove FB, stock e-mail (yahoo) but wasn't sure I wanted to go through removing gmail and removing Touchdown for Exchange.

ExTREmE99 said:
this happens on mine as well from stock XALE8 to the latest XALF5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the newb question - but what are these in reference too? Are they a firmware or similar version of something? I was looking under About phone but didn't see anything similar.

Robmtx said:
Did you remove your Gmail account too when doing this? I plan to remove FB, stock e-mail (yahoo) but wasn't sure I wanted to go through removing gmail and removing Touchdown for Exchange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Gmail is fine.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

I have no problems pairing the s3 with my Volvo. Streaming, skipping titels, switch to phone during streaming - everything is working fine. Syncing E-Mail via Exchange an Gmail makes no difference.

Robmtx said:
Sorry for the newb question - but what are these in reference too? Are they a firmware or similar version of something? I was looking under About phone but didn't see anything similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes this is your firmware version. settings > about > build number > I9300XXALF5. this is the most current. stock should be I9300XXALE8. under baseband version is your modem (which should contain the drivers for your 3G radio/bluetooth/wifi (i think)

ExTREmE99 said:
yes this is your firmware version. settings > about > build number > I9300XXALF5. this is the most current. stock should be I9300XXALE8. under baseband version is your modem (which should contain the drivers for your 3G radio/bluetooth/wifi (i think)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Build number is IMM76D.L710VPALEN which threw me off. Guess it is different for Sprint. Baseband L710VPLEN
I think I'll just buy a car without bluetooth and be done with this mess. It's so annoying playing the "will it pair" game. :laugh:

Some Sony Head Units tend to be a nightmare.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

bluetooth bug
I have a strange problem with my bluetooth audio...I have a Denso radio in my Ford Mondeo and the nightmare starts whan I connect phone via bluetooth to it. Phone some time don´t wake up from sleep. The only way how to solve (partialy) this is to reset phone (long press of power button). Then phone connect perfectly and everything is working like a charm. This problem I had on every rom I´ve tried yet
Every other phone I´ve had before didn´t suffer such prblems (galaxy note, evo 3d...)
Somebody could help? I don´t know what to do...

Same Issue
I'm having the exact same issue with my SG3 (Stock, not rooted *yet*). The initial pair works great - phone and audio sync. Once I shut the car off and back on again, the Phone connection does not automatically initiate and I have to manually connect it on my head unit. I'm driving a 2013 Mazda CX5. It's not my headunit since both my HTC Inspire 4G and HTC One X connect without issue. Another annoyance is the lack of song titles or other ID3 info on screen. Even my old Inspire had that!

My connection is great, but I am having an issue with tags. I'm using PowerAmp, but my Alpine unit displays the wrong song info - it automatically uses the default app. Is there any way to fix this?

Robmtx said:
I have a Sprint S3, and it will pair to my car stereo just fine, but it keeps disconnecting. Once paired, there is option boxes for "Call audio" and "Media audio"
It seems like if I turn one option on, it disables the other, and vice versa. Every time I start the car, the pairing is out of whack and I have to start over, enabling whichever one I want, and after a few times it works. I did get both to work one time, but as soon I turned car off then on, it was broken again.
My old phones have never had a problem connecting both Call and Media to my car, so I am concerned it is an issue with the S3.
I have 2010 Nissan Altima with the upgraded stereo. I have removed all previously paired devices so only the s3 shows up. I have removed and re-added the s3 several times. I have renamed the car's bluetooth name several times as well.
Is anyone else experiencing a similar issue, or can you test it with your car audio systems and let me know if it works for you?
Let me know if there some information I should provide to better understand the issue.
Thanks,
Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have the exact same problem, having before a Milestone/Droid 1 and a Galaxy S1, both have functioned flawlessly with my car...
By the way, my car is a Renault Fluence 2011, maybe it uses the same BT chip as your Altima as Renault and Nissan are pratically the same manufacturer...

SmoothB said:
My connection is great, but I am having an issue with tags. I'm using PowerAmp, but my Alpine unit displays the wrong song info - it automatically uses the default app. Is there any way to fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PowerAmp does not send the Tags - Period
The devs may be working on it soon
---------- Post added at 03:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:25 AM ----------
otakonx said:
I'm having the exact same issue with my SG3 (Stock, not rooted *yet*). The initial pair works great - phone and audio sync. Once I shut the car off and back on again, the Phone connection does not automatically initiate and I have to manually connect it on my head unit. I'm driving a 2013 Mazda CX5. It's not my headunit since both my HTC Inspire 4G and HTC One X connect without issue. Another annoyance is the lack of song titles or other ID3 info on screen. Even my old Inspire had that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1732226
Not just you mate :crying:

Mazda CX5
otakonx said:
I'm having the exact same issue with my SG3 (Stock, not rooted *yet*). The initial pair works great - phone and audio sync. Once I shut the car off and back on again, the Phone connection does not automatically initiate and I have to manually connect it on my head unit. I'm driving a 2013 Mazda CX5. It's not my headunit since both my HTC Inspire 4G and HTC One X connect without issue. Another annoyance is the lack of song titles or other ID3 info on screen. Even my old Inspire had that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Did you get it working with CX-5 as I just spent 500pounds on this phone and have exact same problem. Thinking of getting an HTC One X instead.

gravyuk said:
Hi,
Did you get it working with CX-5 as I just spent 500pounds on this phone and have exact same problem. Thinking of getting an HTC One X instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far I'm still in the same boat. I rooted today and used a market app called "Bluetooth fix" so next time I'm in the car I'll see if it fixed the issue.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

Related

[Q] Car Bluetooth Issue...

Hey guys, I upgraded to the Atrix from my Tilt2... I set up the bluetooth with my car (Audi A5) and the calling works fine but the car no loner imports my SIM contacts, recent calls, missed calls, and dialed calls list that my Tilt2 used to send over. Those options on the car are now just blank. Is there anyway to enable this? The bluetooth profile on both phones is just listed as "hands free". Is there any way to fix this or enable other connection profiles to send that data like my last phone did?
Thanks guys
I can pair my Atrix is my BMW 3-series but when it tries to download the phone book the BT connection drops. Sometimes I can start to make a call but it will drop the connection.
I can connect all my BB's and my HTC Inspire 4G just fine.
I think there is something wrong with the BT stack.
Ziuck said:
I can pair my Atrix is my BMW 3-series but when it tries to download the phone book the BT connection drops. Sometimes I can start to make a call but it will drop the connection.
I can connect all my BB's and my HTC Inspire 4G just fine.
I think there is something wrong with the BT stack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you may be right... I did some more online searching after the post and stumbled upon an Audi forum where multiple people have lost the ability on several different car models after moving to a stock android device... however, it appears things fix themselves with CM roms which may have a more sophisticated BT stack. I wonder if it's hopeless about having that capability until 2.3 or the bootloader is cracked?
If I can't get this fixed soon then I will be forced to return this phone.
How can they screw up something so simple??
UTZorro said:
Hey guys, I upgraded to the Atrix from my Tilt2... I set up the bluetooth with my car (Audi A5) and the calling works fine but the car no loner imports my SIM contacts, recent calls, missed calls, and dialed calls list that my Tilt2 used to send over. Those options on the car are now just blank. Is there anyway to enable this? The bluetooth profile on both phones is just listed as "hands free". Is there any way to fix this or enable other connection profiles to send that data like my last phone did?
Thanks guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this same problem in my Chevy Volt. Sometimes the phonebook works (but very slowly) but the call lists never work. Also seems to take a very long time to pair initially.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
A lot of cars can only import the phone book from the SIM card. Not from any other application on the phone.
So if your phone book is in Google Contacts or some other application...you'll need to port it into the SIM card itself for most cars to be able to read it.
Return it. I have new A4 and atrix pairs fine. I actually think its the clearest device I've used in my car yet
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
fade?
"I have new A4 and atrix pairs fine."
And do you know WHICH phone book your numbers are in, or which phone books the A4 can pair with?
If his BT is connecting, and the phone is working over BT, there's no reason to think the phone is defective. yet.
UTZorro said:
I think you may be right... I did some more online searching after the post and stumbled upon an Audi forum where multiple people have lost the ability on several different car models after moving to a stock android device... however, it appears things fix themselves with CM roms which may have a more sophisticated BT stack. I wonder if it's hopeless about having that capability until 2.3 or the bootloader is cracked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a BT Stack problem...it's an Audi problem (or BMW, etc...). The manufacturers need to program their devices for Android. The ability to grab contacts and such isn't a standard bluetooth handsfree device option. It has to do something extra. How it *handles* that extra something differs by device...which is why some don't work with Android devices.
On top of that, there's a dialogue when you first pair the device that asks if it should have access to your contacts, call lists, etc...that you have to "Allow" or it won't ever be able to get those lists. It's been the same way on every Android phone I've ever used. If you don't hit Allow within 10 seconds the dialogue will go away and never come back...unless you unpair and re-pair the device. Try doing this and seeing if the dialogue comes up. If it doesn't, it's an issue with the way your Audi/BMW polls for contacts.
BTW works perfectly with my Kenwood receiver.
Ziuck said:
If I can't get this fixed soon then I will be forced to return this phone.
How can they screw up something so simple??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"They" didn't. Audi/BMW did. They didn't spend enough time programming to figure out that Android handles contacts slightly differently. Put blame where it's due.
hotleadsingerguy said:
"They" didn't. Audi/BMW did. They didn't spend enough time programming to figure out that Android handles contacts slightly differently. Put blame where it's due.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 08' audi a4 and my contacts sync just fine, as do the missed calls.
" my contacts sync just fine"
SIM card contacts? Google Contacts? Exactly which or what "contacts" ?
Hi, new user here to searched and figured it'd be better to post in this thread rather than starting a new one.
I'm another Atrix user who is having issues with pairing the Atrix to a bluetooth car kit. I've got the VW Touch Phone Kit (rebadged Bury CC9060) which used to work perfectly with my previous Samsung Omnia as well as my partner's Samsung S8500. The problem I have was that with the 1.57 firmware, I could initially pair the phone and it would sync the phonebook up fine so that I could make or receive any number of calls without a hitch. But the issue was when I switched the ignition off then back on, the Atrix appears to pair correctly, it'll grab the phonebook but cannot make or grab any incoming calls. When dialing from the phonebook, it will initiate the call then drop out while the call still goes through. Incoming calls just aren't picked up at all. If I deleted the pairing and paired the phone up to the car kit again, it'd work until the first ignition off and back on again.
After I updated to the 1.83 firmware, this no longer works for me at all even though it appears to pair correctly and syncs the phonebook as well.
I've looked into upgrading the software on the car kit but I'm already on v0181 which is the latest for the VW branded kit. The Bury CC9060 kit has available a v0235 update but won't load on the VW kit as it does a checksum check. I'm looking at possibly editing the flasher to bypass the checksum check.
Has anyone else used the Atrix with this car kit and experiencing the same issues?
Thanks in advance
fmflex
A quick bump.
I find it hard to believe that I'm the only one using an Atrix with this car kit...
I really wanted to buy a car kit, I was even willing to pay the rather high price. Then i saw tht the Atrix just "snaps it" with those two spring arms.
You know what happens in an accident? The phone will fly out as a missle. Good luck finding it, if you were doing 30 when you got slammed, the phone will still be doing 30 when it launches out of the clips.
If it doesn't hit you, you still won't be able to find it or call 911 on it.
So, nice dock, I'm holding off for something that can be used "in case of accident". For that price, I expect a more robust product, designed to survive. (Note to Moto, calls Mercedes and speak to crash safety team.)
hotleadsingerguy said:
"They" didn't. Audi/BMW did. They didn't spend enough time programming to figure out that Android handles contacts slightly differently. Put blame where it's due.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure that the blame can be directed to the car makers not suiting the android configuration.
I had concerns about Androids paring car bluetooth, so when my wife got her Samsung running Froyo before i purchased the Atrix, I tested it on my 2010 A4 and it all worked faultlessly. All phonebook, dialled, missed calls & received calls. All her contacts are stored on the Phone too, not the SIM. It actually worked better with it than my old Nokia's, and my old iPhone 3G. All of which had contacts stored on the phone not the SIM.
Being in my car all day, I had to make sure it the Atrix running Froyo would work too, and that's why I tested it with my wifes phone before buying the Atrix.
I would have to say that the problem does have something to do with how the Atrix handles bluetooth. I have been having all the same issues that other users are having.
To be fair to the Atrix, I had only one problem when I originanlly bought it and that was loading the contacts from the phones storage, all the other options were working and it never displayed the annoying error message and it never dropped the connection either.
This has only started playing up completely since I rooted it and installed HeLauncher with Fancy widgets (maybe it's just a coincidence, but its unlikely i think IMHO).
I have since uninstalled the HeLauncher and Fancy Widgets, and yet the problem is still there, so I have no realistic reason why it isn't working anymore.
Because i work for Audi, I will check at work why this issue might be happening ( just with the Atrix not all the other Android phones) and see if their is anything that can be done to fix the issue.
Hi Staunch
I'd be very interested in what you can find out about this issue. I've basically got nothing out of VW and their official stand is that the atrix isn't compatible.
fmflex said:
Hi Staunch
I'd be very interested in what you can find out about this issue. I've basically got nothing out of VW and their official stand is that the atrix isn't compatible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I have tried connectivity with the current version of MMI and it seems to pair up with NO error messages at all. It would appear at this stage that the new MMI generation have the "issue" fixed. I am still waiting for a reply from Service Technical Support to answer why the issue exists on the older MMI generations. It would appear that Audi in conjection with Apple focused their MMI setup for iOS, not considering Android OS's.
Will keep you updated once I have some more information about previous versions of MMI.
Blame the cars not the phone.
My phone works 100% well and perfect with my Acura.
I've also had fun trying to get my E46 3 Series BMW ULF BT module to talk to the Atrix - has no issues speaking to an older Nokia phone. Anyway after a LOT of experimentation I've finally pinned down the root cause of the problem, text messages (SMS).
I've yet to figure out the specific trigger but it is either the number of messages or something in a specific message it doesn't like. I figured this out because I noticed the envelope icon coming up on the BMW screen for 5-10 seconds before the bluetooth would drop out each time after connecting the pairing. Each connection only lasts 15 seconds at most.
Anyway there were 193 SMS messages in the car memory, maybe the 194th message was upsetting it. I deleted almost all the 1150 SMS messages in my phone and it was only when I got rid of all of them that it connected. I then had to manually clear the SMS messages in the BMW one by one (took a long while).
I then did some testing whereby I sent an SMS or two to my phone. I noted that the Atrix seems to periodly get asked to upload messages to the car. You can delete them in the car but if they are still on the phone, they come back shortly after. They always show as unread on the BMW unless you read them on the car screen. Reading them on the phone has no affect. Maybe the SMS side of BT headset support is borked on the Atrix.
So my conclusion is that while I don't know the detailed trigger specifics, for BMWs at least the Atrix Bluetooth issue comes down to SMS messages. My large contacts directory uploads in its entirety without an issue. The solution for reliable BT connectivity to the Atrix and a BMW seems to be in SMS message management. Get yourself a copy of SMS Backup from the market when you experiment.
Hope this helps others!
Matt

Voice control auto starts when I have headphone connected

I have Razr international GSM version model XT910. Over the last few days when ever i am listening to music through my headset (came with my phone) voice control starts automatically. It even ended up calling somebody in my contact list automatically.
Also, when I am using headset for my calls if i put the phone in my pocket it automatically ends the call or activates mute even when i lock the phone before i place in my pocket.
Haven't had this problem before. Only last few days. I am using stock phone haven't made any changes or installed any new app. I just use popular apps like facebook, linkedin, etc.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
This is a smartphone-wide issue, you may want to try different headphones.
[TSON] said:
This is a smartphone-wide issue, you may want to try different headphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! good know! kind of sucks though . only confusing part it just started two days ago and even after factory rest the problem hasn't gone away
njoismartguys said:
I have Razr international GSM version model XT910. Over the last few days when ever i am listening to music through my headset (came with my phone) voice control starts automatically. It even ended up calling somebody in my contact list automatically.
Also, when I am using headset for my calls if i put the phone in my pocket it automatically ends the call or activates mute even when i lock the phone before i place in my pocket.
Haven't had this problem before. Only last few days. I am using stock phone haven't made any changes or installed any new app. I just use popular apps like facebook, linkedin, etc.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I was the only one, I had the same problem as well. It was so frustrating, my phone called my husband 18 times.
Btw anyone know of working earphone controls for the razr? Mine don't work with the phone.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
Having the same issue sometimes with my Razr using Etymotic hf5's. A reboot usually fixes this but it gets frustrating at times as I don't like to carry my iPod classic around with me on the regular commutes and this will probably force me to use it.

Use your GPlayer as a regular Cell Phone

A few days ago I bought a device called GMATE ($80), a type of smallcell without display or keyboard which is inserted a normal simcard and communicating via Bluetooth to the Samsung Galaxy Player, which means an application is integrated with android, receiving and making phone calls, and SMS, in addition to allowing internet access GPRS.
It's a perfect combination that increases the possibilities of Our Player
IPhones must be jailbroken, a repo is added to Cydia, and then the Gmate app is installed for the integrated Gmate functionality. How does this work in Android?
In GooglePlay you can download a Gmate aplication that integrates the gadget with your android player (also convert your android phone in a double sim phone) and uses android phone's features like dialer, contacts, or any thirtd party aplication likes rocket Dial.
Received and Make calls don´t need special features, if you uses the Gprs/edge to internet (in places with no WIFI) need to be rooted.
The application is not compatible with my U.S. 5.0 Player.
CreekDirt said:
The application is not compatible with my U.S. 5.0 Player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to skyroam webpage and ask for a .apk file, i have Intl 5.0 and working great, sometimes any aplication in GooglePlay seems to be incompatible for my SG player but, on a external apk source works fine.
Dutch 5.0
Thank you for the info! I will definitely buy one if it works in The Netherlands.
That does look interesting.
Anyone using it with the USA version?
Is there something similar that i can connect it to my player or to put it in the galaxy player? So this wey i dony have to worry if i get out of 10 neters or jf i fodget it at home
Sent from my YP-G70 using xda premium
Wow, wonderful find. I was looking for exacly something like this. Unfortunately, With ICS CM9 installed on my GP5 Bluetooth doesn't work =( (neither does the camera or hardware acceleration. They really need to fix that.)
So I can make phone calls/sms without having wifi?
oncaribe said:
A few days ago I bought a device called GMATE ($80), a type of smallcell without display or keyboard which is inserted a normal simcard and communicating via Bluetooth to the Samsung Galaxy Player, which means an application is integrated with android, receiving and making phone calls, and SMS, in addition to allowing internet access GPRS.
It's a perfect combination that increases the possibilities of Our Player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the Gmate app, can your SGP connect to a regular cell phone with bluetooth or it can only connect to the Gmate?
testrider said:
With the Gmate app, can your SGP connect to a regular cell phone with bluetooth or it can only connect to the Gmate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gmate only.. I tried it with my other android phone and it doesn't work.
I came further when I changed my phone's Bluetooth id to "Gmate". It didn't connect because of a password failure
It's seems good
I don't quite understand... So besides buying the Gmate, would i need a sim card as well? secondly so would i practically be using a sim card with a data plan to use with gmate? but wouldnt that defeat the purpose of just using a smart phone with a card in it?.... these are all continuation Q's if the first is a yes lol.
This seems like a stupid question, but I'll ask anyway. How well does the device actually work? Does it keep a connection throughout the day, sending and receiving text messages without too much delay? I'm considering using this to replace my old dumbphone, but I'd rather not plunk down a sizable chunk of change with little indication as to how well this thing actually works.
Gmate calling speaker sound
Question: Does the sound come out of the front speaker while calling?
(I don't like to call everywhere with loud back speakers)
crowelfly said:
Question: Does the sound come out of the front speaker while calling?
(I don't like to call everywhere with loud back speakers)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about GMate, but on Groove IP (and probably others), the front speaker on the 5.0 is quite functional and is used for calls.
Mevordel said:
I don't know about GMate, but on Groove IP (and probably others), the front speaker on the 5.0 is quite functional and is used for calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the info!
P.S. I like your rom a lot!
Cool!
Sent from my YP-G70 using xda app-developers app
EDIT: I HAVE FIXED THE MAIN ISSUE WITH MY GMATE, MORE INFORMATION BELOW
Well, my Gmate+ came in the mail today, and I've been playing with it for a little while now and am able to give first impressions. First off, the device is much smaller than I imagined, it easily fits in my palm, the vibration (on the plus version) is very loud. As for the function itself, it works. You can call and send and receive text messages (haven't tested the web access yet) with a few minor (and one major) annoyances. My device is currently a US SGP 4.0 running Terrasilent 1.1 and EtherealRom 2.3.
Minor annoyances I have found with the Gmate+:
- Notifications (read: texts) do not make noise/vibrate while the screen is locked. Once the screen goes on, if you do have a new text, it notifies you, kind of ruining the point of the notification.
- Text messages you send have proper time stamps, for some reason, the ones you receive are off by a few hours, as if the sender is in a different time zone
- Seems to be no way to delete contacts from the address book, even uninstalling, wiping data, reinstalling didn't do anything about this.
Major annoyance with the Gmate+:
- It disconnects, and by that I mean it disconnects ALL THE TIME, the device is pretty much useless because of this, it will be fine for a few minutes, then disconnect, regardless of how close the Gmate is to my SGP. Every few minutes, I'd check it, and guess what? No connection. Sometimes it would reconnect, sometimes I'd have to manually do it, sometimes I'd have to restart one or both devices to get it to work again.
Seeing as everything the device does it actually does quite well when actually connected, I want to rule this problem to some battery saving tweak in my kernel/rom. As such, I'll be returning to stock and trying the Gmate again to see if any of these issues are cleared up. As it stands, I have a 75$ paperweight that buzzes occasionally.
EDIT: After flashing back to stock and noticing no change, I began searching around and found other people having similar problems with similar devices, mainly connecting their smartphones to the bluetooth sound system in their car. Turns out in Deep Sleep, the device has issues keeping constant bluetooth connection. After downloading an app (Bluetooth KeepAlive: ~$1.30) on the market that keeps the device from entering this mode, the Gmate no longer disconnects, and has remained connected for several days, having no problem with calls or text messages at any time. In summary, with this app, I am now happy to recommend the Gmate to anyone who is looking for this kind of functionality. Guess it goes to show that non compatible apps are listed in the Play Store as non working for a reason

[Q] Bluetooth carkit problem

I have a Galaxy S3 I9300 for a couple of weeks now and I love it, other than the fact that I keep having a strange issue with the Bluetooth connection with my carkit. I've been searching forums for similar issues and I found a variety of carkit related problems, but none of the ones I found describe the same problem as what I'm having:
- Initially the Bluetooth connection works fine and I can play music or make a call through the carkit just fine
- When I switch off the car's systems and don't use any apps on the phone in the meanwhile, and then start the car's systems again, it establishes the Bluetooth connection just fine again
- When I switch off the car's systems and I use other apps for a while and then start the car again, it won't work. Bluetooth does appear to connect, but after that it just doesn't play ball. When I try to play a song at this point, the phone shows the song is playing, but neither the phone nor the car audio produces any sound
So anyway, every morning before leaving to work and every evening before going home, I reboot my phone first. Then I step into the car and it establishes the Bluetooth connection just fine. But if I don't reboot the phone first, it just won't work. Now I guess I could setup a tasker profile to automatically reboot the phone, but I'd rather just get the problem fixed.
I run a Galaxy S3 I9300 with stock Android 4.1.1, rooted. I have already tried to run the "Bluetooth Fix Repair" app and afterwards had to pair the phone with the carkit again, but that made no difference.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
*bump*
Some additional info:
This issue has now also happened a few times while driving. While music (through Spotify) was playing over the bluetooth carkit, it would sometimes just stop working when I opened a different app (like for example opening an SMS). Spotify was still running (and the song was still ongoing) and also the bluetooth connection still showed as being connected, but it just wouldn't produce any sound anymore.
Anyway, it seems clear to me that this is a bluetooth issue, but I have no idea how I can troubleshoot this beyond what I've already done.
I would be happy to pay whoever can fix this problem..
With an issue like you are describing it may be helpful to list the headunit model too. I do not own an S3 but I have a multimedia headunit (Pioneer AVH P4400BH) and have found that toggling my Bluetooth on and off will help the headunit to see the Bluetooth on my Android device. This may not resolve your issue though.
Another thing to consider, your headunit may have an update-able firmware. That said if your headunit does have an update-able firmware I would check out the procedure, ensure there is a way to roll back to your current firmware and try that. If your headunit was purchased at an electronics or and audio retailer you may wish to speak with them. Your issue may not be with your phone but with your headunit, but this should help as far as troubleshooting since your issue involves multiple devices.
ItzCrooK2UxD said:
With an issue like you are describing it may be helpful to list the headunit model too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My car is a Renault Megane RS, the carkit was built in. I believe it's called Renault Carminat TomTom.
ItzCrooK2UxD said:
I do not own an S3 but I have a multimedia headunit (Pioneer AVH P4400BH) and have found that toggling my Bluetooth on and off will help the headunit to see the Bluetooth on my Android device. This may not resolve your issue though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've covered everything like that in about 100 different ways, none of which made any difference.
ItzCrooK2UxD said:
Another thing to consider, your headunit may have an update-able firmware. That said if your headunit does have an update-able firmware I would check out the procedure, ensure there is a way to roll back to your current firmware and try that. If your headunit was purchased at an electronics or and audio retailer you may wish to speak with them. Your issue may not be with your phone but with your headunit, but this should help as far as troubleshooting since your issue involves multiple devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. It does have an SD card slot, but as far as I know that's only to update the maps of the navigation system. I'll see if I can figure that out.
Thanks for the tips!
By the way - I do think that it's unlikely that the carkit itself is the troublemaker. Especially because opening an SMS on my phone can trigger the whole thing to stop working (it doesn't happen every time, but it did happen several times). Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Apoc_ said:
By the way - I do think that it's unlikely that the carkit itself is the troublemaker. Especially because opening an SMS on my phone can trigger the whole thing to stop working (it doesn't happen every time, but it did happen several times). Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is in fact very possible that it is your phone, but wanted to throw it out there that bluetooth headunits can be troublesome on their own. Now I am not familiar with your headunit, but does it save bluetooth IDs? Like on my headunit and many other aftermarket headunits, it will save 3 bluetooth devices. If it does, have you tried clearing other devices and moving your S3 to the top? Odd as it sounds this has made a difference for me. Also do you have other bluetooth devices in the car, such as the 3GS you mentioned?
Also a logcat of this happening would be beneficial. If you do not know how to pull a logcat there is an app on the market called catlog or alogcat. Both are free and are invaluable in troubleshooting a ROM issue. In short it tells a developer what is going on as far as events being triggered or failures within the ROM.
ItzCrooK2UxD said:
Now I am not familiar with your headunit, but does it save bluetooth IDs? Like on my headunit and many other aftermarket headunits, it will save 3 bluetooth devices. If it does, have you tried clearing other devices and moving your S3 to the top? Odd as it sounds this has made a difference for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I had read that too in some other thread (I went through just about every bluetooth related thread I could find, before I posted this topic). Mine saves up to 5. It didn't have anything in there except for my previous phone, which I had cleared. I also tried re-pairing the S3 several times, that didn't make any difference either.
Now, I just read somewhere that some people are having disconnection issues on the same carkit. In their case, in the end the problem turned out to be that their carkit will import all of their contacts from their phone (so you can call people even while your phone is in your pocket), and this would cause trouble when there are contacts without a phone number associated with it (just like my thousands of Exchange contacts). The people in question are talking about random disconnects though, whereas in my case it happens after doing some stuff on my phone. So it's probably unrelated, but I'll give that a try anyway just to rule it out. I just need to figure out a way to stop the carkit from importing contacts, because removing thousands of email contacts is obviously not an option.
I'll keep this topic updated with any progress. If anyone has any other ideas, please keep em coming. Thanks for the help so far!
ItzCrooK2UxD said:
Also a logcat of this happening would be beneficial. If you do not know how to pull a logcat there is an app on the market called catlog or alogcat. Both are free and are invaluable in troubleshooting a ROM issue. In short it tells a developer what is going on as far as events being triggered or failures within the ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't think of that, great tip, thank you! I do run the stock ROM by the way.
I've installed alogcat just now. Does it just keep running automatically in the background?
Apoc_ said:
Didn't think of that, great tip, thank you! I do run the stock ROM by the way.
I've installed alogcat just now. Does it just keep running automatically in the background?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It reads a file that is being constantly updated (which happens to be the logcat file). Typically I will clear it right before doing what it took to cause the failure, like in your case in your car with the bluetooth on.
I've got Audi with BT and S3 with custom rom and I've got similar problems with BT. It connects automatically but if I switch off BT in phone and switch it on again - it doesn't connect any more. I had this since I bought a phone and it was on all ROMs I used.
YoghurtPL said:
I've got Audi with BT and S3 with custom rom and I've got similar problems with BT. It connects automatically but if I switch off BT in phone and switch it on again - it doesn't connect any more. I had this since I bought a phone and it was on all ROMs I used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep - I have that too. The weird thing is that in that situation the phone does seem to think it is connected, while it really isn't. Just to be clear: this is not the only way to cause this issue (because it also happens when trying to reconnect the Bluetooth while on the phone it hasn't been disabled in the meanwhile).
So far I haven't been able to pull anything related from the logcat.
Also, while reading up on common bluetooth issues, I came across some posts of people who were saying that some phone/carkit combinations are having trouble with 2-way communication (because I can stream music from the phone to the carkit, but I can also change a song using the carkit or initiate a phonecall from the carkit). I'm going to try to only use communication initiated from the phone, and see whether that makes any difference. In the meanwhile: does anyone happen to know anything about 2-way communication issues with bluetooth, and how to overcome such issues?
Update:
- Updated carkit to latest firmware. No change, still same problem
- Have not been able to capture anything unusual in the logs
- I have a Bose Soundlink now, which is a wireless speaker. Whenever my S3 is connected to the Soundlink (with bluetooth), wifi doesn't work. Upon turning off bluetooth, wifi instantly works fine again. So this definitely confirms this is a problem with bluetooth on the phone, not on the carkit.
- Wanted to upgrade to Android 4.1.2 but Samsung won't let me, as it says the device is modified (rooted). Triangle away isn't helping. Damn you, Samsung. This is *the* reason I moved away from Apple, as I don't like companies who don't let you use your stuff any way you like. And now Samsung is moving down the same route. Idiots. Anyway, I guess the only option left, is to start using a custom ROM.
Does anyone happen to have experience in terms of solving bluetooth problems by using a custom ROM? I'm thinking of using Cyanogenmod 10.1
In the meanwhile I have upgraded to Android 4.1.2: still the same problem.
I have also discussed this matter with quite a few other Samsung smartphone owners, and all of them appear to be having the same issue. Most of them just don't seem to be bothered to spend time on looking for a fix.
Also, I have figured out that this problem is specific to media streaming. I'm able to use my phone on the carkit for calls at any time, without having to reboot first. Only when I try to listen to music, the problem occurs.
Anyway, I have ruled out that this problem is specific to me or my devices - this appears to be a global issue. So I'm completely puzzled as to why there's not a lot more fuss going on about this.
If anyone has any more suggestions for a resolution of this problem, please share.
S3 bluetooth connection problem
Had the same problem with my S3 and renault megane III handsfree bluetooth system.(Arkamsys software version 2.2.0.19 auditorium)
I downgraded to 4.0.4 baseband I9300CELH1 (stock) and problem seems fixed
hope this helps.
Hi Bennes,
Thank you for your response.
I'm still dealing with this problem myself. All upgrades so far haven't made a difference. So far, I've been able to figure out that if I first initiate a phonecall, after hanging up, the audio streaming works (while before the phonecall it usually wouldn't). This works about 8 out of 10 times (the other 2 times it doesn't make a bluetooth connection at all). So what I've done, is to use Tasker and to automatically make it call my own phone number whenever bluetooth gets connected to the carkit, and hanging up after 3 seconds. But this is obviously far from ideal.
Do you know whether it is possible to change the baseband version without changing the firmware version? I wouldn't like to downgrade to an older firmware version, as I like the new features in the newer versions. I do also prefer to stick with the stock firmware, but that's not a requirement.
Carkit bluetooth issue
Apoc_ said:
Hi Bennes,
Thank you for your response.
I'm still dealing with this problem myself. All upgrades so far haven't made a difference. So far, I've been able to figure out that if I first initiate a phonecall, after hanging up, the audio streaming works (while before the phonecall it usually wouldn't). This works about 8 out of 10 times (the other 2 times it doesn't make a bluetooth connection at all). So what I've done, is to use Tasker and to automatically make it call my own phone number whenever bluetooth gets connected to the carkit, and hanging up after 3 seconds. But this is obviously far from ideal.
Do you know whether it is possible to change the baseband version without changing the firmware version? I wouldn't like to downgrade to an older firmware version, as I like the new features in the newer versions. I do also prefer to stick with the stock firmware, but that's not a requirement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmm, don`t know about baseband only. Try google.
I have read that after downgrade to 4.0.4 and then upgrade again to latest stock version, bluetooth connection keeps working.
I cannot confirm this as i am still on 4.0.4, but will get an update of the arkamsys radio to the latest renault firmware version next week and then start experimenting again. i will report back once i have new results
Bennes18 said:
mmm, don`t know about baseband only. Try google.
I have read that after downgrade to 4.0.4 and then upgrade again to latest stock version, bluetooth connection keeps working.
I cannot confirm this as i am still on 4.0.4, but will get an update of the arkamsys radio to the latest renault firmware version next week and then start experimenting again. i will report back once i have new results
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BB only, try this :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2106424
Confirmed the update thing, i have updated the S3 to version 4.1.2 BB I9300CEELL1 and have no bluetooth issue whatsoever, car audio still on 2.2.0.19 byt the way
Pretty strange ... , but glad its working !
I have the same issue with a Ford Focus =/
also, while using CM or Omega, the music title never changes.

Need advice to return or not.

Background
- I picked up a S4 Sunday with a upgrade on another line in my plan. I then transferred the S4 to my unlimited plan.
My reverse phone time line is S3 <-Thunderbolt <- Incredible
I rooted it and installed clean ROM, then learned that the bluetooth won't auto connect to my cars stereo. I have to manually go into settings and check "media audio" every time I turn the car off. I tried the "bluetooth auto connect app" which does it's job but it's still annoying since I have to turn the screen on every time I sync (plus the app can mess with wife speeds/connection).
I tried every combo of resetting, and factory resets for the phone and my car (subaru 14).
I tried different bluetooth system apks, but no luck. CM10 rom worked but I'm not a fan of cm10 (it's exactly the same on my S3).
This bluetooth thing is annoying as I'm in and out of the car all day and don't want to fiddle with it.
Plus I'm not sure now if the S4 is worth burning my 2year upgrade over my S3, should I wait 4 months for something better. The only thing that stands out is IR remote and camera.
Any other S3 owners have advice? Am I being too much of a baby about the bluetooth?
Thanks.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
S4 camera issue
anyone here got s4 camera issue?
Forgetfull said:
Background
- I picked up a S4 Sunday with a upgrade on another line in my plan. I then transferred the S4 to my unlimited plan.
My reverse phone time line is S3 <-Thunderbolt <- Incredible
I rooted it and installed clean ROM, then learned that the bluetooth won't auto connect to my cars stereo. I have to manually go into settings and check "media audio" every time I turn the car off. I tried the "bluetooth auto connect app" which does it's job but it's still annoying since I have to turn the screen on every time I sync (plus the app can mess with wife speeds/connection).
I tried every combo of resetting, and factory resets for the phone and my car (subaru 14).
I tried different bluetooth system apks, but no luck. CM10 rom worked but I'm not a fan of cm10 (it's exactly the same on my S3).
This bluetooth thing is annoying as I'm in and out of the car all day and don't want to fiddle with it.
Plus I'm not sure now if the S4 is worth burning my 2year upgrade over my S3, should I wait 4 months for something better. The only thing that stands out is IR remote and camera.
Any other S3 owners have advice? Am I being too much of a baby about the bluetooth?
Thanks.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
grab some cheap NFC Tags. Im loving the GS4
---------- Post added at 10:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------
aaronlee1979 said:
anyone here got s4 camera issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whats your issue?
Patients is often rewarded
I'm not coming from the S3, I upgraded to an S4 from a Galaxy Nexus. I would encourage you to give the S4 custom ROM developers time to hone the ROM's to address these kinds of issues. The combination of Samsung, Android and Verizon is almost always going to manage to screw up some parts of the OS, interface and/or functionality, but the hardware is great and it seems like things are moving quickly in the custom dev community to fix issues. It sounds like some ROM's have addressed this BT issue. I would think a TW ROM may address this issue soon. I'm still trying to be patient for a fully functional ROM with stock Android base.
If you wait 4 months for a new model, it may have same issue and then you would have to wait a couple more months for a custom ROM that does everything you want it to.
If there's a reason to return it, make it about the lag it has. NFC tags will solve your issue.
With NFC would I still have to take my phone out of my backpack/pocket/suitcase to "bump" the nfc chip?
The phone connects fine it just doesn't auto enable the "media audio" option.
Yup have the same problem with connecting my phone's bluetooth to my car stereo. I had to manually connect the audio everytime. There is a work around app on the play store called A2DP volume by JimRoal. The app forces to turn on the audio connect and works automatically. Also can automatically launch apps apps once bluetooth connected i.e. pandora.
mugenfa5 said:
Yup have the same problem with connecting my phone's bluetooth to my car stereo. I had to manually connect the audio everytime. There is a work around app on the play store called A2DP volume by JimRoal. The app forces to turn on the audio connect and works automatically. Also can automatically launch apps apps once bluetooth connected i.e. pandora.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I don't have to turn the screen on (this was the method with "bluetooth auto connect"), it'll do it without any input from me?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Forgetfull said:
So I don't have to turn the screen on (this was the method with "bluetooth auto connect"), it'll do it without any input from me?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
screen doesn't have to be on.
1) Phone in pocket
2) Bluetooth auto-connect
3) Automatically launch apps (if set)
4) ??????
5) Profit
theidoctor said:
grab some cheap NFC Tags. Im loving the GS4
---------- Post added at 10:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------
whats your issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My auto focus doesnt work very fast
mugenfa5 said:
screen doesn't have to be on.
1) Phone in pocket
2) Bluetooth auto-connect
3) Automatically launch apps (if set)
4) ??????
5) Profit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holy cow you're right. Nice job!
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