New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on November 26, 2021) follows:

The Google Pixel 6 series consisting of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro is the latest installment in long-running series. Launched on October 28 this year, both phones come with the in-house developed Google Tensor SoC.

However, on the software side of things, users have been reporting a bunch of problems with the phones. From fingerprint sensor issues to banking apps not working, Pixel 6 owners have encountered several bugs.

Pixel-6

And since Android 12 is pretty new, we expect more issues to surface in the coming days. With that being said, it looks like Pixel 6 owners are now facing another issue. Reports suggest Pixel 6 users who need hearing aids are unable to connect them to the phone via Bluetooth.

This is really disheartening for those who need hearing aids to function properly. Moreover, it seems general solutions like resetting the phone, clearing cache, and rebooting the phone do not help either.

People said they tried connecting other Bluetooth devices such as earphones and they seem to work just fine, indicating that it is indeed a software issue that can be fixed via a software update.

Pixel-6-hearing-aids-bluetooth-connectivity_320x700
Source

HI Ive got a pixel 6 pro to replace my Pixel 5 but I’m having major problems connecting my Bluetooth hearing aids. They pair and connect after the phone or hearing aids have been restarted. But after a short period, no sounds are played through the hearing aids. The phone thinks its connected, but no sound comes out. Nothing seems to enable playback again unless I restart the hearing aids or the phone. If I switch the sound to speaker it plays fine, but after selecting Bluetooth again, the phone thinks its playing the audio, but no sounds are coming through them.
(Source)

I don’t have any new insight or suggestions to offer, but I’m running into this too. Pixel 6 with Hansaton hearing aids. The hearing aid on the right is the one listed as paired; if I power-cycle this particular hearing aid then the audio streaming works, but I have to repeat this almost every time I want to listen to bluetooth audio. I never had a problem like this on my Pixel 2.
(Source)

Many say they contacted the dedicated Google team to help people with Disabilities to troubleshoot the issue, which allegedly said that it is a known issue. They also said that a fix will be coming in the December update.

Nonetheless, we will keep an eye out on the matter and update this space whenever Google acknowledges the issue or releases a fix for the Pixel 6 hearing aids issue.

Update 1 (November 27)

04:57 pm (IST): One user claims they were able to fix the problem in a bizarre manner. Check out what they did below:

I just got my P6P yesterday and having same issues pairing. I have Costco hearing aids that work with the Phonak app.

Others have said that the P6P is pairing with the left hearing aid first. It should be pairing with the right one first though.

As an experiment, I opened battery compartment on the left to temporarily turn it off. Sure enough it connected to the right hearing aid and started streaming audio in both ears. (Source)

Update 2 (December 03)

03:55 pm (IST): Incoming is another user-suggested workaround that you can try out in order to fix the Bluetooth connectivity issue with hearing aids.

Enable developer options then search settings for “Disable Bluetooth A2DP hardware offload” this is in the off position by default, toggle it to enable it. It will then prompt you to reboot to enable that feature. After that you should be good to go. (Source)

Update 3 (December 06)

11:23 am (IST): A section of Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro users with the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds (1,2,3) now report issues with their setups.

According to affected users, the left earbud randomly stops working when connected to the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro devices, an issue that doesn’t afflict other devices when connected to the said Sony earbuds.

Some note that this issue could be caused by the WF-1000XM4 latest 1.2.6 firmware.

Update 4 (December 15)

10:54 am (IST): Some users are now reporting (1, 2, 3) that the issue with Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds still persists even after December 2021 update. However, the update does mention some bug fixes related to Bluetooth.

Update 5 (December 18)

05:24 pm (IST): One of our readers has confirmed that the Bluetooth connectivity issue with hearing aids on Pixel 6 is not fixed in the December 2021 update.

The device is still disconnecting after 10 minutes or so. And while Google acknowledged the issue saying that it’s a known bug, they didn’t provide any information as to when it will be fixed.

Thanks for the tip: Kimbull McAndrew!

Update 6 (December 31)

11:24 am (IST): The December update failed to fix this issue and reports have it that it brought even more bugs and issues to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro devices.

Now, Google has come out to officially suspend the rollout of the same.

Update 01 (January 11)

01:56 pm (IST): Some users report that the GrapheneOS January patch has resolved the issue reported in December 2021 patch. So, if you are still having Bluetooth connectivity issues with hearing aids then you can try installing it.

However, we recommend you wait for the official update that will arrive by the end of this month.

Update 02 (January 15)

10:36 am (IST): Google has now begun rolling out January 2022 update for the Pixel 6 lineup. The update brings bug fixes for some issues and also includes fixes from the December update.

It also include a bunch of fixes for Bluetooth connectivity, so users still having this issue can try installing the latest update and see if it gets resolved.

Bluetooth

– General Bluetooth stability improvements for certain conditions.

– Fix for distorted audio over Bluetooth in certain scenarios.

– Fix for issue causing Bluetooth to turn on after disabling in certain conditions.

– Fix for volume adjustment issues with certain Bluetooth audio devices.

Update 03 (January 31)

05:55 pm (IST): Some users now report that this issue with Bluetooth connectivity with hearing aids has been fixed with the January 2022 update.

Update 04 (February 08)

10:56 am (IST): Google’s February 2022 update is now live for Pixel 6 phones. And it includes a fix for the Bluetooth connectivity issue along with some general improvements.

Bluetooth

– Fix for issue causing audio playback to disconnect while using certain Bluetooth devices *[1].

– General improvements for Bluetooth audio quality with certain media codecs *[1]. (Source)

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Google Section so be sure to follow them as well.

Featured image source: Pixel Event

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Anurag Chawake
1373 Posts

My fascination with technology and computers goes back to the days of Windows XP. Since then, I have been tinkering with OS, mobile phones, and other things. When I am not working on anything, you will find me enjoying video games on some Discord server.

Next article View Article

[Updated] Instagram crashing on all Android phones, but there are workarounds

Here's the crux of the article in video form: New updates are being added at the bottom of this story……. Original story from (June 5, 2018) follows: We're...
Jul 10, 2023 6 Min Read