There are increasing reports on the Internet from owners of the new Google smartphones Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold about Bluetooth problems. A bug tracker post was submitted to Google at the end of August 2024, so Google is aware of the issue and has forwarded it to the relevant developers.
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
According to Android Police, affected users have noticed poor audio quality and connection interruptions, even at short distances. The website was also able to reproduce these issues on its test devices. Additionally, some users have reported connection problems with Android Auto.
We didn’t notice any poor audio quality on our test devices, and the range was similar to that of the Pixel 8 Pro. However, we did encounter a problem that was related to the issues reported by other users.
Problems with Headphone Setup
Initially, we were unable to connect Sony’s noise-cancelling WH-1000XM4 headphones to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold via Bluetooth. The setup began but took an extremely long time and eventually ended with an error message. At this point, we tried the workaround suggested by Android Police.
The website suspects that the UWB module, or ultra-wideband chip, in the new Pro models is causing the Bluetooth interference. According to Android Police, turning off UWB and then restarting the device solves the problem, which was also the case for us. After following this workaround, we were able to connect the headphones and listen to music. We encountered the same issue with another pair of headphones.
Even after reactivating UWB and restarting the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the Bluetooth connection continued to work without any problems. It is possible that not all devices are affected in the same way. The Pixel 9 models do not have a UWB chip, so there have been no user complaints about Bluetooth issues with those devices.
UWB Used by Trackers and Wearables
The workaround of turning off UWB may not be practical for users of Bluetooth trackers. For instance, the Pixel Watch 3 likely relies on UWB to determine location and unlock the connected smartphone. It is currently unknown if Google can resolve the issue with an update or when such an update might be released.
