If you're having issues with Bluetooth on your Pixel 9 Pro series phone, try this fix for now
The Pixel 9 Pro XL is having some problems with Bluetooth. While the issues show up more on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Pixel 9 Pro, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold have also been hit with similar problems. What are these problems you ask? How about a limited range for a Bluetooth connection, a static sound coming through the speakers, sound dropping on some connections, Bluetooth links shutting down at random, and problems hooking up with Android Auto.
The only Bluetooth specs that Google has shared about the Pixel 9 series is that the series contains "Bluetooth v5.3 with dual antennas for enhanced quality and connection." An Issue Tracker thread was started on August 26th, created for this very problem, and the form was filled out in a way that allows you to know exactly what some of the problems are. When asked what kind of issue is being reported, the Pixel 9 Pro XL user answered, "Bluetooth." So far, so good,
The user told Google that to observe this issue in practice, someone should have audio playing on the phone while using Pixel Buds Pro. Without the phone, Google should test Bluetooth by walking to the kitchen without the phone.
Pixel 9 Pro XL users complained about their poor Bluetooth experiences on the Android Issue Tracker. | Image credit-Google
The Issue Tracker notes that the Pixel 9 Pro XL user would normally find that the "Phone stays connected with quality audio like Pixel 8 Pro." But when this scenario played out in real life with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Pixel Buds drop out entirely or you can hear only garbled audio. The Pixel 9 Pro XL user submitting this form was asked in the document how often this issue happened, and to the chagrin of the Google employee reading the results, the response was, "Every time."
A fellow Pixel 9 Pro XL user had his Bluetooth experience included in the Issue Tracker and his complaint, filed on August 31st, said that the Bluetooth range of the Pixel Buds Pro with the Pixel 9 Pro XL is much less than the Bluetooth range on the Pixel 7 Pro.
"(My Pixel 9 Pro Fold compared to my Galaxy Z Fold 3) has much shorter (Bluetooth) range and two pairs of wireless earbuds are no longer consistently usable while my phone is in my pocket. If my phone is on the charger, I can walk less (than) half as far away before connections start to drop."-Pixel 9 Pro Fold owner
Some users complained that the Bluetooth functionality on their Pixel 9 series device worked perfectly until they installed the September security update. Others claim that the Bluetooth issues have been on their Pixel 9 Pro devices prior to installing the security update indicating that the Bluetooth problems have been around from the get-go.
While waiting for a fix from Google, there might be a workaround you can try. Android Police News Editor Dallas Thomas disabled the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) settings which he says greatly improved the performance of Bluetooth on his Pixel 9 Pro. To do this, go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Disable Ultra-Wideband and restart your phone. Hopefully, this will get you through the colder fall days with enough Bluetooth capability on your Pixel 9 series device until an update from Google fixes this problem permanently.
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