Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR
- iPhone 16e users are experiencing intermittent audio stuttering when connected to multiple Bluetooth devices.
- The issue occurs primarily when using non-Apple smartwatches or fitness trackers alongside earbuds.
- It remains unclear if the problem is related to Apple’s new C1 modem, other iPhone 16e hardware, or an iOS software bug.
The iPhone 16e is Apple’s latest smartphone, and it’s a fairly simpler interpretation of what a smartphone is and what it can do. However, we can all agree that connecting to your mobile accessories over Bluetooth is something we can take for granted, even if this is the first iPhone with Apple’s own C1 modem. Users seem to be having issues with the phone, though, and it has to do with connecting to multiple Bluetooth accessories simultaneously.
Macrumors highlights that there are plenty of complaints on Apple’s Support Community, Reddit, and X from users trying to stream audio over Bluetooth and finding that it periodically stutters or cuts out. The problem here appears to be the phone being connected to two or more Bluetooth devices, and with two of these connections trying to communicate at once, which causes stuttering that is best observed with audio playback.
I tried to replicate the issue on my iPhone 16e but couldn’t, at least with a connected Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 2, and even trying to pair with my Windows desktop. However, my colleague Ryan Haines could replicate the issue with his iPhone 16e paired with a Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED and Shokz OpenRun Pro earphones.
From what I can assess across the complaints, the people affected are using non-Apple smartwatches and fitness trackers alongside Bluetooth earbuds. When both connected devices try to communicate over Bluetooth simultaneously, users notice the audio stuttering.
It’s not immediately clear if this is an issue related to the new Apple C1 modem, any other bits of the iPhone 16e hardware, or an iOS 18.3.x software issue. We’ve contacted Apple for more details, and we’ll keep you updated when we hear back from them.
Are you facing Bluetooth stuttering issues on the iPhone 16e? What Bluetooth devices are paired to your iPhone? Let us know in the comments below!
