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I do find it a frustrating technology. As the article says, pairing can be quite hit and miss. I generally have to search how to pair devices when I have to s

I do find it a frustrating technology. As the article says, pairing can be quite hit and miss. I generally have to search how to pair devices when I have to set it up on a new device, even for devices I've had for years! They're all different, and it can be unreliable. I have read that it suffers the interoperability issues because the spec is complex with many optional bits in it, although I don't know how true that is.

tgv 4y ago
I only have problems on a (cheap-ish) Android tablet. It often keeps asking "pair?" until you go into the settings and pair there, except directly after booting. I have the feeling it's not so much "the technology", but rather bad chips, lousy drivers and a 'lacking' integration in the OS.
- MattPalmer1086 4y ago
  I have had problems with premium devices too. I have a speaker that will connect to my pixel phone but not to an iOS device. It wasn't a particularly cheap speaker, although not premium. Ok, so that's a problem with the speaker Bluetooth, not the premium devices, in all likelihood. But after so many years I'd expect even low quality devices to Just Work™ for basic things like audio.
faeriechangling 4y ago
Pairing is my main issue with the technology as I’m frequently using one device across multiple devices. The ideal for me would be latency free crystal clear audio that can fuse maybe four different simultaneous input streams, but since that’s likely impossible, I would just like to spend less time in the hell of trying to force my headphones to stop autopairing to the wrong device every time it turns on. Nobody offers bug free Bluetooth - nobody.
- bgribble 4y ago
  Not bug-free, but I have used the Jabra Elite earbuds for a while now (75t and 85t) and they manage multiple-device connections pretty well. Up to 3 (I think) devices can be connected to the buds at the same time.
- meltyness 4y ago
  I hadn't thought about it, but yeah this headline captures it for sure. The music / voice / connect construct of the spec seems to have improved this in the past few years so that it's possible in software to connect. I downgraded from a flagship to a dirtpile phone, and now when I turn off Bluetooth from the Android Quick Settings, it turns itself back on exactly once, every. single. time. Sending interactions is pretty reliable too for switching between devices. Pressing the call button on my car or my headphones signals my phone to instantly change audio contexts, but it's inconsistent, and some devices send "pause" signals at will. It's probably an accident, but my car displays correct, up-to-date, scrubbing and metadata, and I can get audio from my ANC headphones at the same time. Bottom line, I've seen the "Connect" button work, and there was even a Quick Settings panel listing paired devices for you to plug/unplug at your pleasure, but only if you've paid for an expensive phone.
  - floodle 4y ago
    Android automatically re-enabling Bluetooth after I just turned it off irks me to no end. It feels like a violation of the contract that I have with my phone.

tgv 4y ago

I only have problems on a (cheap-ish) Android tablet. It often keeps asking "pair?" until you go into the settings and pair there, except directly after booting. I have the feeling it's not so much "the technology", but rather bad chips, lousy drivers and a 'lacking' integration in the OS.

MattPalmer1086 4y ago
I have had problems with premium devices too. I have a speaker that will connect to my pixel phone but not to an iOS device. It wasn't a particularly cheap speaker, although not premium. Ok, so that's a problem with the speaker Bluetooth, not the premium devices, in all likelihood. But after so many years I'd expect even low quality devices to Just Work™ for basic things like audio.

faeriechangling 4y ago

Pairing is my main issue with the technology as I’m frequently using one device across multiple devices. The ideal for me would be latency free crystal clear audio that can fuse maybe four different simultaneous input streams, but since that’s likely impossible, I would just like to spend less time in the hell of trying to force my headphones to stop autopairing to the wrong device every time it turns on. Nobody offers bug free Bluetooth - nobody.

bgribble 4y ago
Not bug-free, but I have used the Jabra Elite earbuds for a while now (75t and 85t) and they manage multiple-device connections pretty well. Up to 3 (I think) devices can be connected to the buds at the same time.
meltyness 4y ago
I hadn't thought about it, but yeah this headline captures it for sure. The music / voice / connect construct of the spec seems to have improved this in the past few years so that it's possible in software to connect. I downgraded from a flagship to a dirtpile phone, and now when I turn off Bluetooth from the Android Quick Settings, it turns itself back on exactly once, every. single. time. Sending interactions is pretty reliable too for switching between devices. Pressing the call button on my car or my headphones signals my phone to instantly change audio contexts, but it's inconsistent, and some devices send "pause" signals at will. It's probably an accident, but my car displays correct, up-to-date, scrubbing and metadata, and I can get audio from my ANC headphones at the same time. Bottom line, I've seen the "Connect" button work, and there was even a Quick Settings panel listing paired devices for you to plug/unplug at your pleasure, but only if you've paid for an expensive phone.
- floodle 4y ago
  Android automatically re-enabling Bluetooth after I just turned it off irks me to no end. It feels like a violation of the contract that I have with my phone.