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Help Bluetooth range extremely dropped after 4.4.2 update !

S

stonegolem

Lurker
Hello,

As soon as I update my Note 2's Android version to 4.4.2, bluetooth devices started to disconnect. This issue started to happen around 1 week before, just after I update my phone. I was expecting to solve it by myself but I couldn't do it. Please help me.

Bluetooth devices only work within 30-50 cm range right now. I can't use them even if my Note2 is located in my bag.

I used to play music by using BackBeat Go2 while my phone is located next room before this update

It seems like Bluetooth is working but signal power is extremely low. If I ever put my hand around BackBeat Go2, BT disconnects now.

I have been using my Note II with "Gear2" and "BackBeat Go 2" accessories without any issue prior to 4.4.2 update.

Details:
my phone: GT-N7100
Android version: 4.4.2
N7100XXUFND3

affected bluetooth devices:
Plantronics BackBeat Go 2
Samsung GEAR 2
(I have no other bluetooth devices other than these)

My phone is not rooted and bought from a retail store.
Update was done by official ways.

what I have done to solve this issue?:
- tried to remove bluetooth pairings (doesn't work)
- backup my data and HARD RESET my phone (doesn't work)
- started a live-chat with my local Samsung help desk (they said: "go to service" :) )

Does any of you have/had a similar bluetooth issue after update?
What should I do now ?
 
eng_samy said:
Try to hard reset your device..this could help many problems appear after any update
Click to expand...

Thank you.
I have also done that as I mentioned on my post. I was expecting Hard Reset to solve that issue.

After posting this question here, I have learned that many people within my region are having similar issues with bluetooth just after updateing android to 4.4.2
 
Rukbat said:
I'd listen to Samsung and go to service. A reflash of the update might fix it.
Click to expand...

Things work quite different in my country. Customer rights might not
be similar or even close to most of you guys. This is why I will try to avoid customer service as much as I can.

Customer Service will get my phone, they wait until 30 days limit to even check it. Then they will say "it's a customer fault"... Later they will send back my phone with lots of scratches on it...

If a Samsung representative see this post he'll say "that's impossible!" But their operatives only know what is shown to them. All they see is a theatre act.
 
Did you fix your bluetooth issues? My Note 2 updated to 4.2.2 yesterday and my plantronics bluetooth is now crackling on my end. All else seems okay. The for any tips on fixing the bluetooth.
 
My phone and Note2 the Bose blue tooth headset are doing the same thing after the update. I even went and got a new Bose since it was still under warrantee. Still has the same issues crackling and bad reception between the phone and blue tooth. Any ideas??
 
Still searching for a solution to this. I realized the popping and crackling is possibly due to the decreased range after the 4.4.2 update.
 
You are correct the decreased range is causing this problem. If you hold you phone up to your blue tooth it will go away since it has a better connection. Now to figure out how to change back to the old software so your phone works like it use to.
You know that the new note4 is coming out, maybe that's why they caused a problem to a phone that worked just fine before the update, I'm just saying???

fiddle said:
Still searching for a solution to this. I realized the popping and crackling is possibly due to the decreased range after the 4.4.2 update.
Click to expand...
 
Ha! Could be a conspiracy. Just got done live chatting with Samsung reps. Went through the whole take battery out, clear cache, safe mode troubleshooting and still have same issues. Was suggested I reset phone to factory settings but that would delete all my photos, videos, texts and data. Need to save all this before trying the reset.
 
I did the same thing this afternoon with them. I spent over 2hrs going through all that. It still is acting the same for me also. They told me to go to bestbuy and have them do it. I might try to get over there this weekend to see if it changes anything??
 
Every update introduces some new issue. Possibly this is caused by some power management "fix" that put the BT into a lower power mode? This could also be device specific with some units affected while others are not. I didn't notice any difference with my N2 (Sprint) after the update, though I was running a custom rom (Community rom). I don't have similar devices, my BT headset sit in a drawer gathering dust. I had no problem connecting to our cars, home and work phone systems or our beach speakers. All worked the same as 4.1 and 4.3. The problem is this phone is now long in the tooth and past its final update, so getting any sort of fix may be difficult. Another option might be to root and downgrade the rom to 4.3 (if this is possible). Keep pushing hard with getting a fix or replacement and I wish you luck.

It looks like my beloved N2 will be heading out via the ebay highway next week. I bought a G3 to try out and it looks like I'm keeping it.
 
Thanks for the info. Buying a new phone is like paying $300+ for the BT fix. I was thinking of getting the Note 4 but it won't come out until September...at the earliest. I need my BT issue fixed now.
 
I spent 2 hrs + with Samsung yesterday trying to fix the BT on my note2. I have the same issues as before. I went to bestbuy today and they did a factory reset, also without any changes. They tried to do a flash and root that they could not get worked out?
Then I went to ATT since Samsung people told me it was there job to test the software. The ATT guy told me its Samsung software and phone that they just deliver to the network. So I am just were I started, without any fix, and my phone all messed up after the factory rest.
It was suggested that I find a dude, or a shady guy off the street, that can flash phone and install aftermarket software that will work compared to the factory software.
All I know is that I had a phone that worked great before the update and its my problem now...:(
 
Paul6527 said:
They tried to do a flash and root that they could not get worked out?
Click to expand...

Hi Paul,

I upgraded my note 2 to kitkat today and I am having the same problem. It is really annoying and I was hoping you'd know if rolling back to 4.3 would solve it. So did bestbuy actually do a rollback for you and it still didn't work, or they could not roll back?

Edit:
A very interesting observation! fully charge your phone and it starts to work like before!
 
Fully charge the phone? Allright...will try that although I'm pretty sure my phone has been at 100% at some point since the upgrade. Did u restart after 100% charge?
 
Hi guys,

I've been struggling with a variety of bluetooth issues for months now. I even bought a new bluetooth headset just to make sure it wasn't it. There seem to be issues in general with 4.4.2 and bluetooth - not just on Galaxy Note 2. In a LG forum they discussed an issue with the bluetooth dropping microphone during calls. They found the issue was related to WIFI. If wifi turned off, it bluetooth would not drop the microphone. I ended up with reverting to the standard corded headset. But just the other day, Samsung released a new update (I run an unbranded phone) that resolves "multiple issues". I could not find more details about the update, but I'm testing the phone right now to see if bluetooth performs better.

Regards!
 
I didn't restart it. It was plugged-in and had a full battery when I stepped into another room and it didn't disconnect anymore.
 
Hello everyone. Thanks for all the confirmation on this issue. I've had the same problem. All my bluetooth audio devices worked perfectly before the 4.4.2 update. Now, none of them work. I have done all that Samsung has recommended - hard reset, cleared cache in the Bluetooth apps, etc. Nothing has worked to resolve the issue! Clearly this is something with the update and Bluetooth that Samsung has not resolved, and like others, I need my Bluetooth devices to work - one of which is a Samsung earplug by the way - and it won't work at all. For those just checking in, please note that all the devices will pair, but once paired, they start checking in and out, so I agree with the person who said that it appears to be a range issue.....if I hold the phone right next to my ear (now isn't that practical!) then the Bluetooth will stay connected. Once I put it down, all connection stops. One other note - I've also noted that when I play music on the phone now, that the music starts to drag, not quite at the right speed, then it will speed up again, then normal, then a little draggy. I think that the 4.4.2 app has too many gizmos going and that the Note 2 just doesn't have enough power to drive it. And, as most of you know, many of the gizmos you can't delete or stop as they are integrated. I'll keep checking back in case someone finds a fix, as I certainly can't afford to buy a new phone! At least by reading this I was saved the funds for buying new headsets! Google, get your act together, and fix this Android version!!!
 
Samsung could not do a flash and software update since they did not have the software for my model phone???
The tech guy for Samsung at best buy said that I should have someone flash and root my phone for me. He said there is other software out there that will work better than there's. He also said he has it on his note and likes it better.
My son is good at all that kind of stuff and I think it will be done by the end of the week. I will keep you posted if it fixes the issue.

Did you say that you charged your phone and it works as before?
 
Everyone, according to Samsung, there is absolutely no way for you to go back to earlier versions of Android once you have updated, no matter if you take it to Best Buy and/or your carrier like AT&T. What's done is done.

What I did find, however, after reading this was that if I went into the Applications Manager>all and turned off everything that I didn't need and/or want, such as the camera, and particularly the weather things that my range on my Bluetooth Motorola headset improved dramatically, so at least this helps me a little. Unfortunately my Samsung earpiece is still bad. It will pair but the sound is either extremely distorted and/or doesn't function at all.

Does anyone know where you can go for the 4.4.3 update, or do you just have to wait until your carrier, which in my case is AT&T, puts it out?

Thanks for all the info everyone!
 
Thanks for the info TMHCM. I will try the Applications Manager and see if that helps. Will report back this afternoon.
 
I deleted some apps and it didn't work. I guess I could have deleted more but I got the warning that deleting certain apps would affect other apps.
 
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