[busby]

Hi,

I just purchased a 2021 Crosstrek Sport and was surprised that once I connected my iPhone 11 to bluetooth I started experiencing audio stuttering over the bluetooth connection. There are times prefer to listen to music via bluetooth since I can just leave my phone in my pocket. I researched the problem and found plenty of blame going around for both Subaru and Apple. Since this was the first time I had experienced this type of stuttering in many years of connecting to bluetooth devices with an iPhone I decided to approach it more from the Subaru perspective. It still could be a compatibility issue between the 2 devices but I "think" I have a solution that works for me.

So I did a little more research and I'm fairly positive I have a solution for my situation. I can't speak for anyone else. My Crosstrek has the standard HU (I think). I do have the 8" screen but do not have the Harman Kardon version. I tried multiple things mentioned and that are normal when troubleshooting bluetooth issues. Re-pairing, etc. I wondered if if it might be an interference problem since WIFI and Bluetooth can share 2.4Ghz frequencies. I turned off the Wifi and drove around for 1/2 hr or so and no stuttering using a Bluetooth connection for audio. I turned it back on and within a couple of minutes the stuttering returned. Turned Wfi back off and it went away. I have no idea if this is what others are experiencing with Subaru HU's but I "think" it is resolved for me. I never heard a stutter once in my 30 minute drive when Wifi was turned off. Since I should only need the Wifi connection to do system updates I'll keep it off normally and turn it on to check for updates periodically.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Keep in mind that different models of Subaru have different head unit manufacturers. The HK piece applies to the speaker system/amp, but not necessarily the head unit. You may want to post your situation in the Crosstrek forum since this one is focused on Ascent.

 

[busby]

Keep in mind that different models of Subaru have different head unit manufacturers. The HK piece applies to the speaker system/amp, but not necessarily the head unit. You may want to post your situation in the Crosstrek forum since this one is focused on Ascent.

Thanks. I planned on doing that as well. I posted it here after some of my research led me to this forum. Bluetooth issues can be somewhat generic in nature and I thought my comments might be helpful for others that had experienced similar problems as I had and save them some time trying to figure out a fix.

 

[RobertD]

Thanks for sharing. You are right problems like that can be the same for several platforms. Even though I am not experiencing the issue personally it is good to know in case it happens.

 

[HeyChris]

Welcome to the forums @busby and great first post...

Safe to say you have more than one Subaru in your stable? Have you checked out www.subaruxvforum.com for your Crosstrek?

Total self promotion on that... lol

C.

Also...

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[Subabubaru]

I just bought a brand new 21 Touring and it has the same problem, iOS 14.3 with 11 Pro Max. It doesn’t matter if I stream through media or use the Pandora app to stream from my phone. It seems to happen about 15 minutes after the car has been running. Sometimes it gets very jumpy and others it’s not very noticeable. My 19 Impreza does it as well.

 

[Get24kt]

Hi,

I just purchased a 2021 Crosstrek Sport and was surprised that once I connected my iPhone 11 to bluetooth I started experiencing audio stuttering over the bluetooth connection. There are times prefer to listen to music via bluetooth since I can just leave my phone in my pocket. I researched the problem and found plenty of blame going around for both Subaru and Apple. Since this was the first time I had experienced this type of stuttering in many years of connecting to bluetooth devices with an iPhone I decided to approach it more from the Subaru perspective. It still could be a compatibility issue between the 2 devices but I "think" I have a solution that works for me.

So I did a little more research and I'm fairly positive I have a solution for my situation. I can't speak for anyone else. My Crosstrek has the standard HU (I think). I do have the 8" screen but do not have the Harman Kardon version. I tried multiple things mentioned and that are normal when troubleshooting bluetooth issues. Re-pairing, etc. I wondered if if it might be an interference problem since WIFI and Bluetooth can share 2.4Ghz frequencies. I turned off the Wifi and drove around for 1/2 hr or so and no stuttering using a Bluetooth connection for audio. I turned it back on and within a couple of minutes the stuttering returned. Turned Wfi back off and it went away. I have no idea if this is what others are experiencing with Subaru HU's but I "think" it is resolved for me. I never heard a stutter once in my 30 minute drive when Wifi was turned off. Since I should only need the Wifi connection to do system updates I'll keep it off normally and turn it on to check for updates periodically.

Thank you this fixed the issue in my Ascent as well