Galaxy S8 has a frustrating Bluetooth problem, but a fix is on the way

By Daniel Bader
last updated

The Galaxy S8, like any popular phone, has its share of problems. While its most visible issue, a red tint on some of its SuperAMOLED displays, has been dealt with in a widely-released software update, another chorus of people are making noise about a less publicized issue: Bluetooth instability.

According to a number of forum posts, both on Samsung's official forums and here at Android Central, some Galaxy S8 owners are having a difficult time maintaining a smooth connection to their Bluetooth speakers, head units and headphones.

In fact, one forum member is considering going back to his old phone because of the problem:

I have enjoyed many things abouty S8+ so far, but one issue has been plaguing me and many others since day one - Bluetooth connectivity. I am often facing disconnects with my Gear S3, something that was never an issue on multiple S7 Edge devices or my Note devices. Also, the S8+ almost never automatically reconnects to my vehicle Bluetooth for music steaming, further contributing to an...

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People in the official Samsung forums are having similar problems{.nofollow}, and are working with someone on the moderating team to get an ETA on a fix, but no one from Samsung has been forthcoming (we reached out to Samsung but haven't heard back. Will update when we do).

Plenty of Bluetooth issues here as well with the S8 Plus. My Gear S3 Classic randomly loses connection. Definitely a phone problem as the same Gear S3 has no issues with my S7 Edge or even my iPhone. Also, Bluetooth connection in the car for media playback is unstable. It either refuses to connect, or sometimes drop out. AgaIn, no such issues with the S7 Edge or iPhone. Hardware is not faulty. Clearly a software/firmware problem. Samsung needs to step up and address this issue urgently.

The good news is that Samsung reportedly has a fix in the works. An update that purports to fix "Bluetooth connectivity and stability" has begun rolling out to Galaxy S8 customers in the United Arab Emirates, and it should hit other, larger markets in the coming weeks.

Are you experiencing Bluetooth issues with your Galaxy S8?

Join the discussion in our forums!

Daniel Bader
Daniel Bader

Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Central. 

71 Comments
  • Yes the S8 I own has a terrible bluetooth problem
  • I just got an Galaxy S8+, imagine my disappointment when I found out that it won't connect to the BT in my 2013 Nissan Rogue or the 2013 Kia Soul! :( It connects, and even receives calls, but the contact information is never transferred. This process was seamless with the previous Samsung Galaxy Note 4, makes me wonder why I "upgraded" for more problems! Doesn't anybody test this stuff? How do they screw up such a basic and widely used function?
  • Good to know that a fix is being looked into. I've had Bluetooth/Wifi problems since day 1 and it's pretty frustrating since it's a pretty big smear on an otherwise perfect phone. It's somewhat understandable though since this is the very first device with BT5. Newer tech tends to have some bugs
  • While the S8 does have the basic hardware BT5 support, in its current form it does not support BT5 since the software support for BT5 is not currently supported on Android.
  • No issue on mine. But when in the car, my gf's iPhone connects first so she has control over the playlist. :(
  • You could remove her iPhone connection information from your car, thus you'll have full control. But play innocent and have no clue how to fix it.
  • Can't you set which phone has priority? Or is it in your best interest not to? Lol
  • Unabke to set the prio. And I'm getting tired of Madonna. :)
  • No issues here with connectivity, but I do hate that when I'm listening to music in my car and I shut the car off mid song, when I start the car up again and it reconnects it starts the song over from the beginning instead of where I left off. Did that on my Note 5 too. Even using Poweramp with the option to resume upon reconnect enabled, it still starts the songs from the beginning again. I don't get it. Samsung phones are the only ones I have that problem with. Same head unit, every other phone resumes from where I left off. Very frustrating.
  • That's weird. Didn't have that problem with my s7 edge or s8+
  • Starting to wonder if it's something that got carried over from my iPhone when I used smart switch that's somehow messing with it. Idk. Maybe a full reset and starting fresh will fix the issue.
  • I had a similar issue with my Note 4. My fix was turning Battery Optimisation off for that particular music player.
  • Well I'll be a monkeys uncle... I didn't even think of that. I just turned off optimization for Poweramp and the Samsung Music app, which I personally really like. Hopefully that does the trick. Thanks!
  • Welp, that didn't fix my issue. This is extremely annoying. I have to consciously remember to pause the song I'm listening to before I turn my car off, so that when I start my car again and reconnect to Bluetooth it will resume from where I left off. Makes no sense.
  • I'm not trying to downplay any issues people are having, and I hope Samsung can release a fix. That being said, I've never owned am Android phone with solid Bluetooth functionality. It seems there is always some small or large issue that I'm having to deal with.
  • Sounds about right. Distance and consistency are issues I always face with various bluetooth devices.
  • It was the Bluetooth disconnect issues (despite the monthly promise of a fix from Google) that had me finally give up on the Pixel. Even my smart watch was constantly dropping it's connection.
  • I had issues with my Pixel as well. It had issues but only with car stereos. It was like the connection would get weak and it would get static-y, like when a radio station loses reception.
  • Never had an issue.
  • Have none of these issues.
  • Me either. Good to know I'm not.
  • First I've heard of it actually. My BT connection works reliably and hasn't dropped yet. I use a Jaybird Freedom headset and a Gear S3 Frontier around the clock.
  • No worries, I don't use BT therefore I'm guessing no one else does either.
    No story here people
  • Ha, I made it to the front page! Happy to hear a update is forthcoming. The tiny display of the iPhone 7 Plus has been frustrating :|
  • I have noticed this.
    My galaxy s8 pairs with my gear s2 and my speaker just fine, but I get much less range than I did with my v20.
    Very disappointed that such a great phone has an issue like this.
  • Whats more frustrating is that no one is talking about the home button issue. Phantom vibretions turning the iris scanner on. Quiet a few people are complaining on Reddit. Atleas the Bluetooth problem is getting a fix. I think we need to make more noise about this issue to get it acknowledged by Samsung.
  • I've seen this bug too! Sometimes the home button just gets stuck in perma-vibrate mode. Usually screen power off and power on fixes it.
  • Nothing but problems since the S8 came out.
  • This may actually be a hardware problem, my Note 4 and my old Nokia N95 have this problem. The Bluetooth connection cuts out/gets garbled when the other devices are more than a foot away from either phone. Also my body blocks the signal when wearing bluetooth headphones while the phone is in my pocket.
    The problem might be caused by faulty chips/antennas/shielding.
    Posted via the Android Central App
  • I hope not. That would be really weak of Samsung.
  • This is the exact problem I have experienced that launch. My bluetooth headset and speaker sounds becomes choppy or garbled when I move more that 5 feet from them or if the phone is in my pocket or if I am between the phone and the bluetooth devices. Been such a pain. Never had this problem on the S7 edge or my iPhones. Hoping this is not a hardware problem and strictly software but I wouldn't be surprised. Something they would "fix" in the Note 8.
  • I can't connect my S8 to my Bluetooth speaker or Satnav. It was working fine for the last fortnight but now It connects to the speaker for a second then disconnects immediately. The Satnav constantly asks for passkey permission codes, one after the other not connecting at all 😠. Even my WiFi doesn't seem stable.
  • Worst bluetooth ever on s8 Plus. Both my smartwatches lose connection when leaving the phone and going to another room in the house or away for the phone at very short distances where all my other phones would have no problems at all
  • I have horrible bluetooth connection confirmed with both of my Bose QC30 headsets, Bose QC35, LG Tone +, LG Tone Active and Parrot Zik. (I'm a power audio book listener while I work and play). My Ford Superduty radio hasn't had any problems, mysteriously but that truck has always had phenomenal phone connections and better call quality that using the handset itself. The only way I could hold a somewhat steady signal is if I keep the phone in my shirt pocket, 1ft from my headsets. Even then it's not completely stable. Samsung claims my body was blocking the signal. What a load of BS!!! There is no point in having a bluetooth radio if you can't do anything with the phone besides hold it up to your face to keep the connection.
  • And always will have a problems, Because they try as soon as possible to take out a new model, and have little time for testing
  • No issues for me (knock on wood)
  • The "Best Overall Android Phone of 2017" sure has had its share of issues since launch eh?
  • I don't think any phone out there has been faultless.
  • Minor when you consider the millions sold already.
  • I don't have any issues in the car or connecting with other devices but me GS3 does drop more frequently than with my previous s7e. Not a big deal though as wifi gets picked up to keep things running. I assume this has to do with being an early adopter of 5.0
  • Never had an issue on mine but received an update to fix it last week
  • Have not had a problem in a car, but I've noticed in the last several days my gear s2 disconnects at a very short range sometimes less than 10feet other days it's fine. My Bluetooth headset occasionally gets crackly but I've had that problem with every phone I've ever owned.
  • I've been using all my bluetooth devices no issue with my S8 plus
  • Guess I've been lucky. 0 Bluetooth issues for me. No tint issue. Only problem I had was the DQA thing and that was fixed.
  • I have not had any problems with bluetooth connectivity on my S8. It's my favorite feature on my phone.
  • Takes longer than other devices I have had to connect to the Bluetooth in my Nissan Rogue, and sometimes randomly drops. This is only an occasional problem, but annoying when it happens.
  • The bluetooth issue is very legit. I planned on changing from iPhone to Android this past weekend. A lot of this change was Apples lack of support for aptX audio codec. i bought the S8+ and Gear S3 Frontier Friday night. The audio was so much better on the V-Moda Forza Metallo wireless headphones compared to when i used them on my iPhone. All was looking good until I used them for a little longer. I started getting constant break ups in the audio even within a few feet of my phone. At the time I thought it was a headphone issue, but as the day went on, I noticed the Gear S3 watch was dropping bluetooth a lot. I started looking into things and found the many posts regarding this issue. I really want to believe the firmware update will fix the issue, but I cannot wait for it. I have 14 days from last Friday to return the phone and I am not feeling good about the update getting to me within that period.
  • Guess I've been lucky too. My S8+ always connects to my car, to my headphones, bluetooth speaker, huawei watch, moto 360 1st gen and even to the Pokemon Go+ instantly (I had a real big problem with the S7 edge and the Pokemon Go+, only connected 1 out of 20 tries).
  • My only problem with Bluetooth is everytime after I restart my phone and my headset connects with my phone it asks me every time if I want to use media audio sync. Of course I want to use it. Why can it not stay selected by default after each restart?
  • I definitely. Notice the Bluetooth issues. My wireless headphones skip and scratch all the time when connected to the s8. Drives me nuts.
  • It's amazing how the s8 keeps being excused for their issues.. let this had been lg or HTC a lot of ppl would've been tearing them a new one by now... At least it is good they seem to be on top of fixing things pretty quickly
  • My new edge s7 has similar issues...
  • One issue I've had with the multiple S7 edge's I've owned is whenever you're streaming through Bluetooth and you connect/disconnect from WiFi there's a slight stutter in the music. Sometimes it lasts for a full 2 seconds other times it's just a split second. Is this still something that's an issue on the S8/S8+?
  • I'm always on Bluetooth I've had no problems with my Galaxy S8.
  • Kind of regret leaving my iPhone 7 plus now. Way more stable then my S8. Not as pretty but really need something that I can depend on. May just keep it till next iPhone is due. Got my Tab S2 8 to take care of my Android cravings anyways. Guess live and learn they say.
  • Odd, I've had my S8+ since launch and haven't experienced any bluetooth issues with my car, Here One earbuds, Bose SoundLink Mini, Amazon Echo, Withings Steel HR, Automatic, Tune2Air, etc etc etc
  • I'm glad to know it not just me. Problems with my Samsung Gear S3 and Bluetooth speakers connection issues.
  • I've had the same issue. Got the s8 on April 20th and can only connect to my Clarion nx602 for calls and contacts!
    Had no problems with my s6 edge plus. AN $800 PHONE THAT REQUIRES AN AUXIALARY CABLE IS UNACCEPTABLE!
  • Damn I thought it was just me my s8 plus has bad connection with my speakers I figured they where just old. Good thing I did t go out a buy some new ones.
  • Lmao 😂. Best phone ever. Good thing there aren't problems, upon problems, upon problems, etc., etc.........
  • I've had no issues with BT at all with my S8+ and devices
  • yep disconnects from my gear s3 all the time and my jaybirds. My pixel xl would do the same thing as well.
  • My bluetooth keeps shutting off on my S8+. And by shutting off, I mean shutting off completely. And not turning back on regardless of reboots. So that means no bluetooth, I can't connect with my phone, my watch, my car. I CAN reset all wireless settings on the phone and then I'm good. But that requires me to repair my phone with every device in my life. 4 bluetooth speakers, a pair of bluetooth earbuds, my vehicle. my girlfriend's vehicle. And also every wifi. I just went through resetting Monday, and it's back to the same BS today, 4 days later.
  • Hey all, just got my s8+ a few days ago. I got Bluetooth pairing to work with my Ford Sync 3 and it seems stable so far. I came from the iPhone, and when the iPhone was plugged in via USB to the truck, you could see individual playlists. Is that possible with the S8?
  • I've had my S8+ since May 3rd, and I've never been able to get it to show anything other than "Galaxy S8+" on my display. Always have to go into my music on the phone to get a different playlist. But I'm waiting for the Bluetooth fix, since my phone refuses to connect to my vehicle lately. I too came from iPhone, which worked no problem when plugged in. I miss that bit. Lol. Apparently iPhone is the only one that works issue-less.
  • Ever since the latest firmware update, my S7 active has had problems with Bluetooth. It worked perfectly until a week or so ago.
  • Which is why I have an LG V20, and before you go into boot looping issues, I have YET to experience it on my phone that I've had since last fall. Bluetooth is flawless on any Bluetooth device I've connected. Great phone for those who don't want to deal with this annoying issue..
  • It is definitely not an issue with all bluetooth devices I have but the majority. My Garmin Fenix 5 watch = Connected, disconnected, Connected disconnected within 5 feet. My V-Moda Forza wireless headphones = music breaking up within a few feet. Samsung gears S3 watch = Disconnect all the time. Cadillac Cue = Break up music all the time. PowerBeats 3 = Have not had break up issues.
    Friday is my 14 day end so I am hoping the firmware update hits the USA prior to this. Samsung sure seems to have recent quality issues that, to me, should be caught in quality control testing. It's like their goal is to push a product out at a specific time whether testing has been done or not.
  • Very frustrating. Telstra Australia here - when the FitBit app is installed Bluetooth audio stutters and the FitBit app drains incredibly quickly. Uninstall the FitBit app and it's fine. All other devices work fine with the FitBit. When is the fix coming???
  • Time to update these comments. We're a month and more later than the original update that rolled out with some Bluetooth fixes in Europe and we still have nothing in North America. Most recently I am trying to use my S8+ with Samsung Flow and Windows 10. There is no way to make it work. Bluetooth connects and disconnects immediately. I received a new updated as well just today (AQF7) and it also did not include any fixes. It only included a security patch update for June 1st.
  • I recently got an S8 for work. I pair it to a Peltor WS5 headset as I work in a Datacentre. If I am listening to media and a call comes in the call will connect but I can't hear the caller. Then after I hang up my media will not restart. I have to un pair and re-pair the phone to the headset! Even though it says I'm connected to Bluetooth. So frustrating, wish I had my S5 back!!