[Jiggy1971]

I'm very disappointed with the Bluetooth performance on my Z10. Almost to the point it will be a deal breaker and I will return my phone to Verizon before the 14 day trial period expires. I have been a Blackberry user since 2005 btw.

When I first connected to my bluetooth headphones I was impressed; however I noticed I had to use the volume controls on the headset. This wasn't disappointing because I figured it was a setting and didn't bother with it at the time. Then I connected it to my car stereo. The sound was more robust than my other Blackberries in the past; however I couldn't use the volume on the phone again. Like with the headset not a huge deal because everything is within arms reach. I then came home to find my girlfriend enjoying music on our surround sound system through the bluetooth gateway we recently purchased. These things are great because you get the surround sound from the music, pandora, etc. from your phone and still get to access your phone. I asked her to disconnect hers and I wanted to try my Z10. The Z10 found the music gateway like a champ but once again I couldn't use the volume from the phone. This defeats the purpose and became my first BIG flaw especially since I realized there is no setting and I do an internet search to find hundreds of posts with the same issue. So I grab the remote to the surround sound thinking I can deal with this until Blackberry puts out an update to fix the issue. Well that is all. . . my girlfriend has a Samsung Galaxy Relay S and she can go all over the house, in the next room, downstairs and the music streams perfectly (not to mention she can control the volume) my Z10 would crackle just 10 feet away in the same room almost every time I moved. Forget about walking into the next room. I cut it off. Rebooted. And the device still played poorly when I was any kind of distance from the gateway. My 9930 and 9310 played better than this and guess what? The volume worked from the phones.The bluetooth performance on the Z10 almost embarrassed me as I have been telling her how great these phones would be and it cannot even do something that in this day and age is simple and expected, play music through bluetooth.

Am I the only one that is very disappointed with the bluetooth performance overall? Have others have better experience? Maybe it is my handset. I doubt it however as I have had no other issues. I am afraid I take it into Verizon to replace for the bluetooth and just get the same issues. I know I will get the volume issue for sure.

[HartfordWhalers]

I feel for you but have not experienced same issue. I have connected a Plantronics and Jaybird BT headsets and both were great. I used it on my Sync Ford rental car and worked fine. I agree on the volume control but not even an issue that's a problem. In my office, I can walk in certain areas farther than others. Bluetooth is very susceptible to EMI and construction that hinders signals so it could be that the Z10 BT is not a sturdy as other devices yet but it will improve.

[pandapurple]

Haven't used bluetooth for headphones but I use bluetooth to transfer individual photos from my Z10 to my iMac often, and my Z10 is paired to my car handsfree kit, which is activated every day.

[bigbadben10]

I have two BB Music Gateways, one in my car, the other for my hi-fi. Both work perfectly well using the volume up/down on my Z10.

I have other blue tooth music devices where the volume control does not work on my Z10. They worked fine on my old 9700. I assume BB will release an update for this.

Your BB MG should work fine like mine does.

[Jiggy1971]

Do you think it maybe the bluetooth in my phone? Not being able to walk very far away from the music gateway is a big ole bummer. I can get the phone replaced, but I will get a refurb potentially. I will call Verizon I suppose and see if they can replace it.

[niss63]

The 9900 has an exceptional range when connected to a Bluetooth device. I typically get a range of ~25 meters when using a bluetooth device connected to my 9900.

You are right, the Z10 doesn't do as well - it is more typical of how I would expect a Bluetooth device to perform. I begin to experience some crackling and dropouts at ~10 meters when using a Bluetooth device connected to my Z10.

How this compares to other phones, I do not know. However, I do think that expecting your Bluetooth device/phone connection to be able to go all over the house is unrealistic. I think Wifi is a better solution for that range of movement.

The volume issue is designed that way, and I find it very annoying. Allow me to control my volume level as I please, thank you very much. Hopefully, BBRY will correct this on a future release.

[Jiggy1971]

I just got off the phone with Blackberry support. They are working to resolve the volume issue. My gateway isn't a BB. It is a different brand. It worked much better with my 9310. I also let it be known I felt like the current playbook owners are being left behind. Back to the issue though, 10, 12 feet away from a bluetooth device isn't that much to ask. for it to crackle and dropout at that distance is very disappointing.

[dejanh]

FYI, if you are any sort of audiophile you will understand that there is a very good reason for locking source volume controls. For ideal sound reproduction you want to output a normalized signal out of your device and you want to control the actual volume on the target device. I this case if you are connecting to your home stereo or your Bluetooth headset you will want to control the volume through the receiver or the headset.

Now, in terms of Bluetooth range, Bluetooth is a short range protocol. It is designed to function best in the sub 15m range, though it is capable of going up to 30m technically, depending on version of Bluetooth and the strength of the radio. Strength of the radio though also affects battery life so a lower power radio will be better for a mobile device overall, but it will not offer as good a range. Again, this is expected.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the Bluetooth on the Z10 is perfect. It is not. I personally experience audio dropouts. This is however a software bug that will be resolved in upcoming OS releases. What you are reporting though as bugs are by design.

Posted via CB10

[sf49ers]

In my experience it is one of the best I have used so far, sound is clear crisp in my infiniti JX. Although the volume is bluetooth mode is fixed on the phone not a big deal for me since I don't change volume that often and I have steering controls for that if the case be. Coming from S3 I have had all kinds of bluetooth issues with that phone in my car.

[niss63]

FYI, if you are any sort of audiophile you will understand that there is a very good reason for locking source volume controls.

Posted via CB10

Sure, but on a Plantronics Voyager Pro? Sometimes the environment dictates more volume is required.

[Jiggy1971]

Don't get me wrong. In the car, my Z10 sounds incredible and like I mentioned not a big deal on the volume thing. If you believe the dropouts and crackles will be addressed in software updates I am willing to hold out. Overall for me the phone is a 9.875321 out of 10, but I was/am currently disappointed with the bluetooth performance.

[dejanh]

Sure, but on a Plantronics Voyager Pro? Sometimes the environment dictates more volume is required.

I won't disagree with this, though I will say that what you are suggesting is nothing but a workaround to a badly designed target device.

Don't get me wrong. In the car, my Z10 sounds incredible and like I mentioned not a big deal on the volume thing. If you believe the dropouts and crackles will be addressed in software updates I am willing to hold out. Overall for me the phone is a 9.875321 out of 10, but I was/am currently disappointed with the bluetooth performance.

Some of these issues will get fixed with updates. Range and range-related issues will most likely not change though. I really cannot say how much of your issues is software related vs simply hitting the limitations of the Bluetooth chip on this device. One thing is certain though, don't expect to see range boosts on the device since that would be very detrimental to battery life.

Posted via CB10

[jedwards73]

FYI, if you are any sort of audiophile you will understand that there is a very good reason for locking source volume controls. For ideal sound reproduction you want to output a normalized signal out of your device and you want to control the actual volume on the target device. I this case if you are connecting to your home stereo or your Bluetooth headset you will want to control the volume through the receiver or the headset.
Posted via CB10

Here is my very good reason why I want to control the volume on the phone when connected to Bluetooth, Ford Sync in my case. At work I turn the volume all the way down. So that if I (accidently or otherwise) click on something (game, video, etc) that has sound, it doesn't start blaring in the meetings. So at the end of the day, I get in my car, Sync (should but doesn't always) connects, starts to play music, and I can't hear anything. You can turn up the volume of the radio all you want but 10 x 0 is still zero. So I now I have to turn off BT on the phone, turn up the volume, turn on BT, and then tell Sync to reconnect to the phone.

And while I'm on the subject, the Z10 will not pair with Sync automatically the vast majority of the time. My Torch 9850 worked just fine. I'm still trying to get the exact sequence of events down, but it seems that Sync can't find the phone until the phone and Sync have been in range of each other for a minute to two. For example, I turn on the car and it is on radio. If I drive for a few minutes and then tell Sync to switch to BT Audio it will connect (which it should have done already and automatically) just fine. Yesterday, I tried connecting immediately after turning on the car. It wasn't until the fourth attempt to manually connect that it worked. Again, Torch 9850 connected 95% automatically and instantly, the other 5% of the time it connect the first time.

On the positive side, I think music sounds better through BT on the Z10 than the 9850. Other than that I'm not impressed and unfortunately don't have anything to contribute, good or bad, on range as I only use BT in the car.

[niss63]

I won't disagree with this, though I will say that what you are suggesting is nothing but a workaround to a badly designed target device.

Posted via CB10

I'm only suggesting that the volume control belongs in the hand of the user. It's a headset for phone conversations...

Posted via CB10

[potmunkey]

Same here I was thinking I got a lemon Z10. My previous BlackBerry I could walk away from my BT speaker (all the house with the phone in my pocket) but with the Z10 10ft is about as far as I can go without distortion and cutting out the signal.

Posted via CB10

[Thunderbuck]

The 9900 has an exceptional range when connected to a Bluetooth device. I typically get a range of ~25 meters when using a bluetooth device connected to my 9900.

You are right, the Z10 doesn't do as well - it is more typical of how I would expect a Bluetooth device to perform. I begin to experience some crackling and dropouts at ~10 meters when using a Bluetooth device connected to my Z10.

How this compares to other phones, I do not know. However, I do think that expecting your Bluetooth device/phone connection to be able to go all over the house is unrealistic. I think Wifi is a better solution for that range of movement.

The volume issue is designed that way, and I find it very annoying. Allow me to control my volume level as I please, thank you very much. Hopefully, BBRY will correct this on a future release.

25 metres BT range with a 9900? Really? Cos I had trouble at 25 INCHES. Seriously, if I wanted to listen to Moto S9s from my Bold, I had to keep it in a breast pocket; it wouldn't even work from a belt holster.

I've found the BT performance of a Z10 is WAAAAAY better, but I agree that the volume issue is irritating. If you pair with a speaker that doesn't have its own volume control, it just blares away at full volume with no way to adjust. I've had no problem, though with either the BB Music Gateway (figures ) or the Monster iClarity HD which has its own volume control and can also successfully skip songs from the speaker itself.

As for range, I'm finding the odd dropout at 15-20 feet, depending on conditions and how good a device I'm connected to (let's face it, some are better than others).

EDIT: Oh, and the phone pairs beautifully with my 2010 Kia's built-in BT both for calls and streaming, though it won't skip from the car's controls...

[jedwards73]

Minor update. The volume is either locked at mute or 100%. If your system volume is muted it will be locked at muted. If the system volume is anything but muted, it will get locked at 100%. So if you have the volume turned up just one notch above mute, it will turn up to 100% and lock when it connects to BT. And when you disconnect it goes back down to one notch above mute.

[Jakeman33]

Totally love my Z10 with the exception of the bluetooth. My 9900 was flawless, solid connection every time. The most common issue with the Z10 is full connection - yet no audio being routed to the speakers... a simple reboot will fix, but unacceptable. Poor, crackling audio is the second issue, I think a simple reconnect will fix. Anyone else experience this? Is it going to be addressed with a software update? Sure hope so. It's embarrassing.

Posted via CB10

[systemvolker]

10.1 is coming. I would wait than regret. BlackBerry wont let you have that problem (in my opinion) .

Just think about it why.

Posted via BlackBerry z10 (CB)

[akavbb]

I am experiencing a slight problem connecting (bridging) to my playbook.
most of the times I have to connect manually from my Zeee.
Also once when paired to my standard Mondeo (Ford) bt, the car speakears went crazy and made a deafening whistle.
Of fourse it hapened only once, so in my opinion it does not count, but still it happened.
Other than that no problems.
I am happy with my Zeee.

[Christo Mitov]

Nobody cares.

Posted via CB10

[anon(4050196)]

[QUOTE=Jakeman33;8289849]Totally love my Z10 with the exception of the bluetooth. My 9900 was flawless, solid connection every time. The most common issue with the Z10 is full connection - yet no audio being routed to the speakers... a simple reboot will fix, but unacceptable. Poor, crackling audio is the second issue, I think a simple reconnect will fix. Anyone else experience this? Is it going to be addressed with a software update? Sure hope so. It's embarrassing.


Jakeman33, I have been having the same problems with my bluetooth connection. I have a Z10 and my bluetooth is a Plantronics Voyager Legend. My biggest complaint is that when placing or receiving a call the audio will not go to the headset. Sometimes it kicks in after a few seconds but sometimes never. The quickest way I've found to get the connection back is to restart the headset. Usually works. Pretty unacceptable if you ask me. BlackBerry, and especially the new BB10 devices, is the self proclaimed communication king. Kinda puts a damper on efficient communication when you're holding your shiny new Z10 to one ear with your bluetooth in the other because you can't trust either one. There is no way this could be isolated to just 2 people. Wish more would sound off. Hope some updates help when they finally come around.


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[o4liberty]

The Z10 definitely has a few bugs but I am sure they will be worked out shortly. I don't think BlackBerry will make us wait too long for a fix.

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[conkybubs]

No bluetooth issues for me...I use it in my car and use both the car stereo volume and z10 volume all the time.

Posted via CB10 on my Z10!

[potmunkey]

Update on Bluetooth issues:

The volume control does not work with any of the wireless speakers I have or several hands free headsets, but I paired up my Jaybird Bluebuds X last night and volume control from the phone and ear buds work perfectly. Weird. On my Z10STL100-3/10.0.10.822

Posted via CB10