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Apple Watch Causes Bluetooth Interference

Whenever I am using my Apple Watch and streaming audio to or from certain devices the stream seems to be encountering extreme interference.


Example 1: I have a 2018 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited. When playing music to my car via Bluetooth from my iPhone 14 Pro Max the audio is jumpy, skips, distorted, and very delayed. If I however put my Apple Watch in Airplane Mode the issue immediately goes away.


I have been having this issue with my car since day one when I had a Series 5 and iPhone 11 Pro Max.


Example 1a: My boyfriend has an Apple Watch SE and an iPhone 13 Pro Max. His work uses a 2010 Infiniti FX35. He has the exact same issue as I do.


Example 2: My boyfriend also has some Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio Bluetooth speakers. He has an original one and a 4th generation one. The original one does not experience this issue but the fourth generation one does.


In case I need any further evidence to back up my claims please be aware of the following issues a simple Google search yields:


2015: Apple Watch Interference with Auto Blueto… - Apple Community

2015: Bluetooth Interference - Apple Watch and … - Apple Community

2019: Apple Watch Bluetooth Interference - Apple Community

2020: Apple watch interferes with my Bluetooth … - Apple Community

2020: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-watch-interferes-with-car-bluetooth-connection.2224713/

2021: Apple Watch bluetooth interference - Apple Community

2022: Watch and audio dropping on Bluetooth - Apple Community


I truly believe this is a software issue but I'm not an engineer. This has been happening across two watches and four iPhones for me. But it doesn't happen with all Bluetooth devices. So maybe those devices are to blame? I hate to say that because I feel like Apple will jump on that as an answer. But then again, it only happens when an Apple Watch is connected to an iPhone that's streaming the audio. I think there's more going on here.


When is Apple going to take this seriously? Will we ever have an answer? This is extremely frustrating and I am completely helpless.


Apple Watch Series 7

Posted on Dec 22, 2022 2:55 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 24, 2023 1:14 PM

I think Apple is making excuses here by saying they don’t have enough reports to fix it. Fairly certain nearly every iPhone and Apple Watch is going through the exact same thing.

There’s definitely no lack of complaints online about it.

Similar questions

28 replies

Aug 14, 2023 5:39 AM in response to DakotaRickel

I think I've found the cause of it. As mentioned, it happens with different phones and smart watches. In my case it is the watch Spotify application which gets triggered when Spotify starts on iPhone. The solution for me is not to disable bluetooth, but rather to disable the "Auto-Launch Audio Apps" in the Settings->General->Auto-Launch. There are no hick-ups in the sound anymore.

Though the problem only appears in the car, not with any types of headphones or bluetooth speakers.

Has anyone experienced this also with Apple Music or do you also use Spotify?

Mar 4, 2024 5:37 PM in response to DakotaRickel

This is the only forum I can find about this. I have an Apple Watch series 9 and a 2020 Subaru Forester touring. I just bought the watch less than a week ago, and I have had audio stuttering/speeding up/slowing down/dropping out. I have tried the suggestions and now the audio is just off. I also noticed that the dot that lets you skip ahead during playback is transparent, it was not before the Apple Watch was connected. No audio has played for the last three days, but that was after I tried the fixes I read online. It was play a sped up version before I started touching the autoplay, WiFi, etc. I’m out of ideas, I need Apple to fix this

Oct 25, 2024 9:07 AM in response to DakotaRickel

Hi there

my case is kinda different from yours but I guess it is worth mentioning.

I also have Bluetooth issue with Apple watch.

My watch keeps disconnecting and reconnecting from my phone when I use my iPhone’s cellular data

It doesn’t happen when I use wifi or turn off my cellular data😕

my info also may help you guys find out more🤷🏻‍♂️

I would be glad to hear your thoughts about my issue 🙏🏻

Nov 13, 2024 5:38 AM in response to DakotaRickel

I'm having the same problem.


 The Bolero system in my Skoda Superb III and the Alpine iLX-705D multimedia systems in my Porsche Cayman constantly experience connection/audio skipping problems.


 My phone model is Iphone 14 Pmax and my watch model is Apple W10 GPS (watchOS 11.1).


 It is impossible to understand why a problem so well known by Apple has not been resolved until now.


 If it is not fixed within a month, I will return my Apple Watch, because this product clearly contains faulty features.


Local laws also allow this.

Apple Watch Causes Bluetooth Interference

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