You'll see in our iPhone 15 review that we were very impressed with Apple's flagship phone, but its launch hasn't gone without one or two issues, and it appears that a significant number of people are experiencing Bluetooth issues with the device.
As reported by MacRumors, based on comments on the site's forums, these Bluetooth issues have persisted since the iPhone 15 first went on sale in September 2023. Most of the complaints appear to be connection-related. to older Bluetooth devices, including car stereos. and headphones.
MacRumors users talk about audio that will “cut out and reconnect” and “frequent disconnections” over Bluetooth. While some of those affected were told that iOS 17 updates would fix the issues, reports have continued to come in even as Apple releases new versions of iPhone software.
What's more, judging by user reports, it seems that all four iPhone 15 models (iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max) are having the same kind of issues here.
Find a solution
It's difficult to gauge the magnitude of the iPhone 15 Bluetooth issue – it clearly doesn't affect all iPhone 15s or all Bluetooth devices – but a thread on Apple's official support forum has recorded 1,718 people saying “me too.”
According to feedback provided to MacRumors, the only way to fix these Bluetooth issues is to order a replacement device from Apple – iPhones come with a one-year warranty as standard. Restarting or resetting the phone, or applying “other typical solutions” doesn't seem to help Bluetooth work properly.
The fact that certain people see the problem disappear when they get a replacement iPhone 15 suggests that only certain units are defective. We haven't heard anything from Apple on the matter at this time, but it doesn't take much detective work to figure out that the Bluetooth module or a related setting could be to blame.
It's also worth saying that Bluetooth issues often arise with multiple devices, so not all of these complaints (of which there are a substantial number, if you do a quick web search) may be the iPhone 15's fault.
