Dozens of users have taken to Apple’s customer support page to complain about problems with call quality when using their iPhone SE over Bluetooth. Those pairing their device with car Bluetooth systems are reporting scratchy and distorted audio when using their phone to make calls.
Some also reported poor audio quality when using their phones for GPS navigation in the car, and one user said his Jawbone Bluetooth headset experienced similar audio problems when connected to the iPhone SE. The phone audio quality is fine when not paired to Bluetooth, and the connectivity issue doesn’t seem to affect music streaming over Bluetooth.
Users are reporting identical issues with nearly every car manufacturer, despite some customers claiming Apple has blamed vehicle manufacturers during troubleshooting calls.
Customers report being told that Apple engineers are aware of the Bluetooth issue and are working on a fix, but have received no estimates on when a workable solution will be found. The issue seems to affect iPhone SE models running iOS 9.3 or 9.3.1 and some running the iOS 9.3.2 beta say that update does nothing to resolve the problem.
