Galaxy A23 5G - wonky bluetooth connection to car radio

**melman** · 03-11-2023, 03:51 PM

I got an A23 5G (Android 13) last week. I've had 2 LG smartphones previously, and both played content flawlessly over bluetooth into my car radio (2014 Ford Escape with "sync2").

The bluetooth from the A23 to the car is terrible. From the passenger seat, it is constantly connecting and disconnecting. In other spots, it's better but still burps occasionally.

The phone works well over bluetooth into my ear buds, and it seems to have about the same range as my previous phones did. It also works well over bluetooth into my tv sound bar. So I can't say the phone is totally "bad". I don't know what to do next. I've disabled Android Auto and other things that my car does not have.

**Serial Port** · 03-11-2023, 05:09 PM

Just wondering, what make/model/year car? I would check with your car dealer who might be able to help. I use a Samsung S21 5G through my 2021 Hyundai's Bluetooth system (Tucson). Don't bother talking to your cell phone provider to resolve this issue.

**kaZZoo** · 03-11-2023, 05:31 PM

Do you have any other phones in the setup.

**melman** · 03-11-2023, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by kaZZoo

Do you have any other phones in the setup.

Nope, I deleted my old phone before I paired the new one. I've also reset the Bluetooth on the phone, which meant re-pairing all my devices again.

Either Android now has the ability, or Samsung has added it somehow, for Samsung devices to recognize each other. This goes by names like "Quick Share" and "Nearby Share". I disabled all that and rebooted the phone. It "might" be behaving better in the car, not sure yet.

Samsung adds an entire layer of crud "One UI" on top of Android, and I don't know where the dividing line is.

**melman** · 03-11-2023, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by Serial Port

Just wondering, what make/model/year car? I would check with your car dealer who might be able to help. I use a Samsung S21 5G through my 2021 Hyundai's Bluetooth system (Tucson). Don't bother talking to your cell phone provider to resolve this issue.

As I wrote, it's a 2014 Ford Escape. I posted on an Escape forum that has been helpful in the past. They've suggested resetting the radio which couldn't hurt anything.

I was almost ready to blame my streaming app (Podbean) but then I tried another app (I-heart) and it was hiccupping too. It seems like one of those problems where the hardware guys can blame the software guys and vice versa, which is what I deal with at work every day. Maybe there are diagnostic apps for problems like this but I would not know what they are.

**melman** · 04-11-2023, 06:29 PM

I installed an app "Bluetooth Scanner / Finder Pair" which is intended to help you find lost ear buds, by graphing the signal strength as measured by the ear buds and sent back to the phone. The closer you are the better the signal is. Anyway, using this in the car shows that unless I put the phone right next to the radio, the signal drops off dramatically and when it gets worse than -10 dBm, it starts cutting out. The app developer said that could indicated the BT antenna in the phone is bad/weak/etc. But since I bought the phone from my carrier ($^#% Tracfone) and the phone will pair and connect, that's good enough for them and they will not authorize any warranty service through Samsung.

If anyone else with this phone would like to check out their BT signal strength in their car, I would like to hear from you. I seem to be the only one with this complaint so maybe I really do have a lemon and I'm stuck with it.

**Serial Port** · 04-11-2023, 07:03 PM

Let me offer a possible solution. In my 2021 Hyundai, I connect my phone to a USB connection and the system connects the voice/GPS features directly to the car's system. Everything is hands free in my car.

When I got my new S23 phone, I just needed to pair my phone with my car. To be honest, I didn't think the phone store reps would be useful, so I went directly to the Hyundai dealership who got me set up in less than 1 minute with no difficulty.

**melman** · 04-11-2023, 09:32 PM

Thanks for the suggestion, but my radio is so old, it only recognizes flash drives in the USB ports. It won't recognize smart phones at all, and the ports only charge at the original USB spec of 0.5A (2.5 watts).

**Serial Port** · 04-11-2023, 09:44 PM

It might cost a couple hundred $$, but you can always install a newer radio that is compatible with the newer smart phones in your car. Sadly, such products are purposely designed to encourage you to buy a new vehicle instead of a new radio, but clearly it can be done.

**melman** · 04-12-2023, 05:09 PM

I really don't think it's a compatibility issue. The author of the bluetooth app I mentioned above said "Based on the symptoms, it seems the radio antenna of your newer phone is weak or shielded somehow. Car audio mostly uses BT3 or BT4 protocols which are sensitive to signal strength thus the range is limited (<10 meters). But it should absolutely work without issues if your phone is closer than 4-5 meters to the car." Based on that, I really think I have a defective phone. But good luck explaining Bluetooth protocols to a Tracfone CSR in South America somewhere who is only trained to say "no".

Unless I can escalate this with Tracfone somehow (they are legendary for their worthless customer service, and this is the first time I've experienced it), I will just live with it. Another couple hundred $ would just be throwing good money after bad.

**Serial Port** · 04-12-2023, 05:13 PM

I do understand your frustration and I don't disagree with you in any way. If you resolve the issue, please update us.

**melman** · 04-18-2023, 09:50 AM

After some discussion on the Tracfone forum, I called them again and I let the rep follow her troubleshooting script which I knew would not help, but resulted in getting a return authorization for an exchange. So now I can see if it is a systemic problem in the Galaxy, or if I just had a lemon. I suspect the latter because I posted this on several sites and no one else seems to have the problem.

**melman** · 06-09-2023, 07:35 PM

Closing this thread because Tracfone never sent me a replacement, claiming they were out of stock although it's still for sale on their website. The x4 series Galaxies are starting to come out so maybe Tracfone will never have any more A23 5G's. I disputed the credit card purchase and got a refund that way.

**zapjb** · 06-15-2023, 07:42 PM

Glad you got your money back.

**melman** · 06-17-2023, 12:45 PM

I kinda wanted to know if the A23 5G Bluetooth design was bad (unlikely since I seem to be the only one whining about it) or if I just had a lemon (did Samsung really not have a manufacturing test to detect poor BT signal quality?). But regardless, I was really unhappy with its size and weight, and I'm glad to be done with it.

Meanwhile I got what is surely the cheapest Android phone on the market right now (a TCL A3 at a grocery store which was free after a store rebate) and its Bluetooth works perfectly anywhere in or near the car. It's not 5G but I don't care.