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Bluetooth music streaming from iphone to Philips 9030 intermittent

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My bluetooth connection is so annoying from my iphone to my Philips 9030 . I have the latest IOS and Philips firmware yet the music will drop out of one ear or another off and on continually. I thought it was just an issue when I went mtn biking but even walking with the phone in my hand. It works good for the bit, then drops, then works good again. Any solutions out there for this? I’m going to try dropping and re-connecting the HA as well as re-booting the phone, an SE 12 iPhone. Thanks

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Sorry you’re having these problems. But I’m happy someone else is having the same problem I’ve been having. I too had the Phillips 9030s. Due to several problems with them (including your streaming issue) I returned them. I have changed to the Jabra Pro and had the same problem … any type of Bluetooth communication they would drop out from side to side. Again I returned the Jobras. I then tried a set of loaner Phillips 9040s (non-rechargeable). Again same problem. But I like the so I ordered a set (rechargeable). I’ve had them for 2 weeks now and yes they have the same damn problem.

I’ve had these problems with 9 different HAs now and 2 different iPhones. The first was an iPhone 12 running IOS 14 through 16. The second was an iPhone 14 running IOS 16 and up. Important note is both these phones work great with 4 different types of head phones.

If I hold my phone in my hand the works fine. It I put the phone in my pocket the sound drifts in and out from side to side. It absolutely baffles me how Phillips and Jabra can claim to be “made for iPhone” when their Bluetooth doesn’t work.

Please let me know if you ever find a solution for this problem.

Bob

@bob.sevcik said:

If I hold my phone in my hand the BT works fine. It I put the phone in my pocket the sound drifts in and out from side to side.

A lot of have this issue. Even Phonak do. Bluetooth can’t travel through water aka our bodies.

I don’t have this issue with Phonak but I wear big Aids. People with Phonak Audeo which are tiny HAs have this issue. It seems to be how big the antenna is in the HAs.

Phonak do better then Aids as the signal is stronger and goes for longer, the more distance you are from your phone.

I have Oticon MFi Aids and Phonak. The Oticon is shocking in terms of Bluetooth compared to Phonak.

We’re not talking about actually going through my body. The phone is in my pocket so the Bluetooth only need to penetrate a peace of cloth. And my pocket is only 3 feet from my ears not across the room. Beside, I don’t have this problem when using a common set of headphones.

Edited

Pockets are close to the body so body blocks the signal. Hold the phone slightly out from you at pocket level and you’ll find the signal is better.

Inside and the signal will be better as the signal bounces off walls. Outside unless close to building, the signal can’t bounce off walls so it’s never been great outside.

Unless you’re talking about pockets in your shirt at chest level then that is what’s been recommended as to where people carry theres.

@bob.sevcik lots and lots of talk about this issue on this forum that pockets in pants/trousers block the signal.

Ear bus / AirPods don’t work with limited power that hearing aids do. That’s why no issue there.

You’re hearing aids work on Low Energy Bluetooth which is another give away as to why the signal is so weak and Phonak work on Classic Bluetooth which is why the signal is stronger.

I guess one of us are missing the point here. My Bluetooth works great indoors or out while my phone is in my pants pocket and connected to any common headset. But it works intermittently with several hearing aids models I’ve tried. How is this the problem not the hearing aids themself? Let’s also consider if I am having these intermittent problems and start me car the phone transfers to the car. Like magic the bluetooth works perfectly between the phone and the car. But the phone is still in the same pocket. So I ask again how is this the fault of the bluetooth and not the hearing aids? My phones Bluetooth will stay connected to my Bluetooth speakers even while I walk around the house with the phone in my pocket. But again it’s intermittent 3 feet from my ears!

I’d guess it’s because the bluetooth antenna in ’s is miniscule. Simply no room for a bigger one, hence the signal strength is also extremely small, hence they only work reliably when very close.

Typically, when I have this issue either with my ’s and phone OR one of the myriad headsets/ear buds/etc. my wife keeps buying and trying for her phone, I find it best to go into the phone options, tell the phone to completely forget the device, reboot the phone, and pair the device again. Don’t forget the reboot in between.
If not too much of an issue, it is even better to have it forget ALL BT devices, and then re-pair each after the restart. Start with the one you use the most, and work down the list from there.
Sometimes it just gets confused…

Edited

In reply to @bob.sevcik

@bob.sevcik said:

My Bluetooth works great indoors or out while my phone is in my pants pocket and connected to any common headset.

Different Bluetooth

@bob.sevcik said:

Let’s also consider if I am having these intermittent problems and start me car the phone transfers to the car. Like magic the bluetooth works perfectly between the phone and the car. But the phone is still in the same pocket.

Different Bluetooth between phone and car.

@bob.sevcik said:

My phones Bluetooth will stay connected to my Bluetooth speakers even while I walk around the house with the phone in my pocket. But again it’s intermittent 3 feet from my ears!

I guess you don’t understand that your hearing aids are Low Energy Bluetooth which isn’t true Bluetooth and as stated already that’s why the signal isn’t great as well as how small the Aids are with the antenna.

“” Bluetooth has a transfer rate of up to 2.1 Mbps, while Bluetooth Low Energy has a transfer rate of up to 1 Mbps.””

Yes I understand all this. But that’s the point. You make it sound like the problem is the phone because it can’t transmit strongly enough which is not the case. The problem is the poor reception of the hearing aids due to low power consumption protocol not the phone.

Bottom line I like streaming to my hearing aids and can’t. And obviously others share this problem. Thereby, it’s the hearing aids industries issue to find a fix.

Have a nice day I done explaining!

and BTLE don’t inherently have different transmission ranges (“power”), that’s a factor of the design of the transmitter (phone) and the receiver (’s or ear buds/etc.). BTLE transmits less data, in smaller packets, to conserve processing power needed before sending or after receiving. Totally different than transmission range power. The link between devices will perform the same with either protocol. BTLE is better for little bits of data - like battery levels, and regular BT is better for higher amounts of data, like streaming sound. But either is spec’d to have the same connection strength.
So if ALL of a brand of HA’s have bad connection - it is their design. But if only some, there are a host of other factors that can interfere.

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