[Grlr]

We recently have experienced this odd bluetooth issue. When a call is either made or received (directly on cellphone or from an App like Whatsapp), at times the voice would be distorted (choppy and distortion). This can be heard on both ends of the call, not only heard from the Ascent side. The person on the other end of the call can hear the distortion as well.

Any idea what is going on? Thanks!

 

[JDV]

What is the device and OS version using Bluetooth to connect to the Ascent? Need those details because Bluetooth is definitely an interaction between two devices and unlikely just an Ascent issue.

 

[Grlr]

Samsung S7 phone. We didn't have any issues before so this problem is new.

 

[Mike’s Ascent]

We had something like this in our other car, (Impreza Sport Tech). The call from the car sounded like the voice was though a blizzard - all distorted.

It was fixed by fiddling with the microphone’s sensitivity in the settings menu. Now the voice emerges from a silent background, crystal clear. Good luck!

 

[Robert.Mauro]

We had something like this in our other car, (Impreza Sport Tech). The call from the car sounded like the voice was though a blizzard - all distorted.

It was fixed by fiddling with the microphone’s sensitivity in the settings menu. Now the voice emerges from a silent background, crystal clear. Good luck!

Ugh, I totally forgot about this.

Folks, the Ascent has this too. In Settings->Sound, you will find microphone settings. Turn it down and try again. Or, if they can't hear you, turn it up. You may need someone on a phone on the other end to help you. Generally, it seems to work "out of the box" (I've used three phones so far without having to adjust), but, sometimes, not so much.

 

[Mike’s Ascent]

This is correct, the trick is to turn the mic sensitivity down, then raise it slowly so that you stop it just short of hearing background noise. We were about to go to the dealer then...Eureka!

 

[Bobf]

This is correct, the trick is to turn the mic sensitivity down, then raise it slowly so that you stop it just short of hearing background noise. We were about to go to the dealer then...Eureka!

In my 2018 legacy and on my new Samsung A535G phone sounds horrible to the recipients of my calls when using Bluetooth... my voice is garbled and I sound like a robot. The solution to this is to move the phone away from the radio... there seems to be some kind of lack of shielding in the Samsung phone that's causing the distortion. When I have my phone on it's magnetic vent clip by the radio this occurs when I move the phone away from the radio it's fine.

 

[magus]

In my 2018 legacy and on my new Samsung A535G phone sounds horrible to the recipients of my calls when using Bluetooth... my voice is garbled and I sound like a robot. The solution to this is to move the phone away from the radio... there seems to be some kind of lack of shielding in the Samsung phone that's causing the distortion. When I have my phone on it's magnetic vent clip by the radio this occurs when I move the phone away from the radio it's fine.

I get to troubleshoot a lot of odd edge-case stuff for a living, so bear with me here.

Could it be the clip itself causing this? By moving it away you are actually testing two variables: 1. Distance 2. Disconnecting from the mount/clip

Keeping it attached to the clip and moving it away will isolate the distance variable. Bonus points for rotating the phone & clip at distance and see if the issue happens at some particular orientation of phone-clip-headunit.

Try holding the phone in the same rough position it would normally be in without the clip.

Wireless is great until you have an issue and then it's all funtimes to track it down.

Bonus story time: Once I had a client complaining that they couldn't get onto WiFi at their desk; which about 15' away from the router. I looked at the machine and it had no errors. Moving it near the router let it connect. I took it to another office and it was fine. Puzzled, I went back into their office and dropped it on the desk for a think.

Then I noticed that it was still connected. I had put it on the other leg of the L-shaped desk, and not the normal spot. I then moved it to the normal spot and WiFi dropped. I kept poking about until I figured out that the metal doorframe for the office's door was between the router and that exact spot the laptop usually lived in. The metal was absorbing the signal and casting a "shadow" over about 3' of the desk. The laptop got moved to the other part of the desk and all was well.

 

[Bobf]

My initial reaction was that perhaps was indeed the magnetic amount. However I completely took that out of the equation removed the case of the phone that has a metal backer on it from the phone and still when I hold the phone up by the radio suddenly I turned into a robot according to the people on the other end. So it's definitely an issue between the phone and radio and the Subaru… and in my dad's Tucson… I haven't tried at Toyota yet personally it feels like the phone should be shielded better but what do I know.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

My initial reaction was that perhaps was indeed the magnetic amount. However I completely took that out of the equation removed the case of the phone that has a metal backer on it from the phone and still when I hold the phone up by the radio suddenly I turned into a robot according to the people on the other end. So it's definitely an issue between the phone and radio and the Subaru… and in my dad's Tucson… I haven't tried at Toyota yet personally it feels like the phone should be shielded better but what do I know.

It could be the phone's NFC interfering if it's too close to the mic on the radio, or some other bit of circuitry. My Thinkpad has a magnetic screen position sensor to determine if the lid is closed or flipped into tablet mode, and, placing my phone on top of it wreaks havoc with it.

 

[magus]

My initial reaction was that perhaps was indeed the magnetic amount. However I completely took that out of the equation removed the case of the phone that has a metal backer on it from the phone and still when I hold the phone up by the radio suddenly I turned into a robot according to the people on the other end. So it's definitely an issue between the phone and radio and the Subaru… and in my dad's Tucson… I haven't tried at Toyota yet personally it feels like the phone should be shielded better but what do I know.

Huh, well... alrighty then. It's something to do with the phone, especially if it repeats the behavior in differing cars. Good on ya!

 

[Bobf]

It could be the phone's NFC interfering if it's too close to the mic on the radio, or some other bit of circuitry. My Thinkpad has a magnetic screen position sensor to determine if the lid is closed or flipped into tablet mode, and, placing my phone on top of it wreaks havoc with it.

What can I do about that..it is annoying to have to remember to pull the phone away from the radio when I get t a call...everything else is fine in that location.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

What can I do about that..it is annoying to have to remember to pull the phone away from the radio when I get t a call...everything else is fine in that location.

IF it's NFC, try turning it off when in car, and see if that helps. If so, there are apps you can use to schedule it turning off when in car.

 

[Bobf]

Is that a setting in the phone..where?

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Pull down your notifications menu on your phone, then pull it down again from the top. You will get a bunch more options. Scroll left or right looking for this one, and turn off if it's on.

 

[Bobf]

Well I found it but it was already off

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Well I found it but it was already off

Probably just regular cell/wifi radio interference then, sadly. Not avoidable, and the only solution is moving the phone.