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Why did Apple cripple the iPhone Bluetooth?

Z

zedLondon

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 25, 2007
44
0
London
Initially when i tried to use bluetooth to pair to another iPhone, the iPhone could not discover the other phone. I just assumed there was a bug with the bluetooth.

After reading up about it a bit, i discovered that Apple have limited the Bluetooth to pairing with headsets ... by design!!!

Why on earth would they do that! I don't think i've ever owned a bluetooth phone that was crippled in this way!

So no ability to send contacts to another phone, or transfer files between phones without having to resort to email (which not all phones have)

Do you think this is something that could at somestage be fixed by a software update or is this hardwired to the bluetooth chip?
 
It does seem a strange and annoying decision. I'm not sure Apple will ever do anything about it because they obviously decided to remove the functionality for a reason. However, it could be fixed with a firmware update as it's just the Bluetooth stack that's been crippled and that's implemented in software / firmware
 
Well at least there's hope then. Maybe we should start a campaign to send requests to apple to un-cripple the Bluetooth. :D
 
zedLondon said:
Well at least there's hope then. Maybe we should start a campaign to send requests to apple to un-cripple the Bluetooth. :D
Click to expand...

My slant on this would be that Apple crippled it to prevent some geek hacker finding a quick and easy way to bluetooth your audio files about between your pals. That would open up a whole raft of copyright infringement issues.

Even "non-crippled" handsets like Nokias have measures in place to try and prevent you sending certain file types via bluetooth, although on most S60 Nokia handsets this is easily overcome with the use of a 3rd party application.

However, if you are starting a petition to Apple to get this changed, show me where to sign! :)
 
bigscotal said:
My slant on this would be that Apple crippled it to prevent some geek hacker finding a quick and easy way to bluetooth your audio files about between your pals. That would open up a whole raft of copyright infringement issues.

Even "non-crippled" handsets like Nokias have measures in place to try and prevent you sending certain file types via bluetooth, although on most S60 Nokia handsets this is easily overcome with the use of a 3rd party application.
Click to expand...

I have no problems with certain files being tagged as non sendable. Maybe limit it to pictures, contacts, text files from your notes ... that kind of thing.

This kind of limitation exists on other phones so no reason why it can't be done on the iPhone
 
zedLondon said:
I have no problems with certain files being tagged as non sendable. Maybe limit it to pictures, contacts, text files from your notes ... that kind of thing.

This kind of limitation exists on other phones so no reason why it can't be done on the iPhone
Click to expand...

Seems a very fair point.

I vote you have a quick word with Mr Jobs about it!

:)
 
Apple don't want users sharing Music, Ringtones, Wallpapers and Videos. Why not? Because they want you to buy everything from Apple instead!! I really do think it's that simple.
 
Just allowing contacts and user picture sending would be sufficient, but Apple frankly don't seem to have the imagination to implement it.

Phazer
 
I have six bluetooth devices, including an Apple made keyboard and mouse, and not a single one of them works with the iPhone. They all work with the Macbook Pro, two Windows laptops and an AT&T Tilt WinMo phone. And that's why it sits on my desk without a sim until Apple decides to grow up and act like it knows it's users exist.
 
here is my theory. What would most people sync with Bluetooth? Contacts, emails and calender. It would be very convinient to do this wirelessly. Well if you still want to do this you can, by paying for mobile me. This is the main reason I think Bluetooth is disabled.
 
eplchamps0304 said:
here is my theory. What would most people sync with Bluetooth? Contacts, emails and calender. It would be very convinient to do this wirelessly. Well if you still want to do this you can, by paying for mobile me. This is the main reason I think Bluetooth is disabled.
Click to expand...

Could be. I have no idea why Apple insists on a limited number of their own methods for getting 'things' onto the phone (iTunes, app store).

It could simply be a company mentality that they don't want to give users too much freedom. If they do it's much harder to develop/test features and functionality on a product and be sure things will work properly. Looking at the 3G release it seems they've had a hard enough time as it is with things pretty much locked down the way they want it to be.

Touch wood, I've had no problems with my 3G, although I've had it less than 24 hours.
 
eplchamps0304 said:
here is my theory. What would most people sync with Bluetooth? Contacts, emails and calender. It would be very convinient to do this wirelessly. Well if you still want to do this you can, by paying for mobile me. This is the main reason I think Bluetooth is disabled.
Click to expand...

Which is all well and good if you want to sync

But what if you want to share? If my mate want's to send me a contact from his phone he can't. I've got to manually create the contact on my phone, then manually type in any numbers and email addy's i want from the contact. Which is slow and error prone.

The iPhone address book doesn't even give you the option of sending a contact by SMS or email!!!!
 
eplchamps0304 said:
here is my theory. What would most people sync with Bluetooth? Contacts, emails and calender. It would be very convinient to do this wirelessly. Well if you still want to do this you can, by paying for mobile me. This is the main reason I think Bluetooth is disabled.
Click to expand...

I doubt it. Bluetooth syncing is only an option if you're in range of a computer. If you're within 10m of a computer, you could just use the cable and sync through iTunes.
 
It is quite a disastrous decision. I have 200 contacts in my N95 and when (or should I say if?) I buy the iphone I will have to manually imput every single one of them. and most of them have a few tel numbers, emails etc.

Shambles..
 
Psyxologos said:
It is quite a disastrous decision. I have 200 contacts in my N95 and when (or should I say if?) I buy the iphone I will have to manually imput every single one of them. and most of them have a few tel numbers, emails etc.

Shambles..
Click to expand...

you can always use isync to get the n95 contacts into address book, the they will auto sync to your iphone from there.
 
Psyxologos said:
It is quite a disastrous decision. I have 200 contacts in my N95 and when (or should I say if?) I buy the iphone I will have to manually imput every single one of them. and most of them have a few tel numbers, emails etc.

Shambles..
Click to expand...

Don't you backup your contacts on your computer? What if you lose your phone? What happens to all your contacts? The iPhone can sync with your Outlook, Windows, Google or Yahoo contacts (and whatever Mac uses). You won't have to manually input them.
 
Psyxologos said:
It is quite a disastrous decision. I have 200 contacts in my N95 and when (or should I say if?) I buy the iphone I will have to manually imput every single one of them. and most of them have a few tel numbers, emails etc.

Shambles..
Click to expand...

Did you manually enter them into your N95? I haven't manually entered any contact data* since my ancient Nokia about 10 years ago. Since then, all my contacts have been in some PIM or another and have been imported and exported as better devices and PIMs come along.

* Sure, I've added a couple here and there straight into the phone, but 99% of my contacts were transferred around electronically.
 
The Phazer said:
It would be if they sold Wallpapers. They don't. Nor do they sell your address book contacts.

Phazer
Click to expand...

Maybe wallpapers are coming to itunes store since i can't sync my hi-res artwork to iphone without avoiding an automatic resizing by itunes.
there's the workaround: i can email myself hi-res images! as 2008, this things are like a seal of idiocy growing up at apple.

you can count with fact that iphone OS is a propretary but scalable plataform, but we have to realize too, that iphone is has been around for a year and simple things are not added, others like bluetooth are crippled or untouched.

So i don't know if Apple will sell wallpapers and addresses to pay these boys who adds features to iPhone. If this is true, better start today cause i want to attach more than one photo in a email and exchange them as well with my friends through bluetooth :p
 
Reverse Syncing

bluenoise said:
Did you manually enter them into your N95? I haven't manually entered any contact data* since my ancient Nokia about 10 years ago. Since then, all my contacts have been in some PIM or another and have been imported and exported as better devices and PIMs come along.

* Sure, I've added a couple here and there straight into the phone, but 99% of my contacts were transferred around electronically.
Click to expand...

Question: Having used the iPhone now for the past two months, all my contacts are now contained on the iPhone and backed up on my computer. I'm need to carry another phone (work number) and wish to transfer the backed up contact numbers from Address Book onto a non-iPhone phone. Assuming the phone doesn't have any syncing software, what's the best procedure to export the contact names and corresponding phone numbers?

FYI, I have a sim card reader which I can attach to the computer via the USB2.0 port.

Thanks in advance.
 
citrate said:
Apple don't want users sharing Music, Ringtones, Wallpapers and Videos. Why not? Because they want you to buy everything from Apple instead!! I really do think it's that simple.
Click to expand...

If you're going to do this, why use Bluetooth? Bluetooth 2.0 is 3Mbps. 802.11g WiFi is 54Mbps. I don't know why they don't allow stereo bluetooth headphones yet, but this whole data transfer over Bluetooth thing is seriously dumb with such speeds. This also goes with the wireless syncing to your computer. It takes a little long to do it over a USB 2.0 connection. Imagine the pain of syncing wirelessly. I do hope for some limited file transfers wireless, but the syncing needs to be done with the fastest bloody cable around.
 
I don't think Apple would Bluetooth music. It would suggest to users too much to not buy from the iTunes store, and instead, get mp3s. After all, how many other phones can play m4p?

Picture sharing would be interesting. Course that's just like asking why MMS isn't there.

Contacts...now there's something useful.

Stereo Bluetooth...same here.

Videos...forget it. No other phone can play m4v, mp4, mov.

Calendar events...also useful...too bad Exchange is like the only thing that is close to this.

Hopefully Apple delayed iPhone firmware in order to add bluetooth profiles along with the Nike+ profile :p (or at least Mac Rumors article suggests that's what the iPod touch Bluetooth chip is for).
 
tinfai said:
Question: Having used the iPhone now for the past two months, all my contacts are now contained on the iPhone and backed up on my computer. I'm need to carry another phone (work number) and wish to transfer the backed up contact numbers from Address Book onto a non-iPhone phone. Assuming the phone doesn't have any syncing software, what's the best procedure to export the contact names and corresponding phone numbers?

FYI, I have a sim card reader which I can attach to the computer via the USB2.0 port.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Do you have a mac? Does iSync support your other phone?
 
i think the thing that really irritates me the most is the fact that there's no hands free dialing. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Apple headquarters located in California? The same state that passed a law this past July requiring you to use handsfree driving. I reside in California and hate the fact that I have to take out my phone and search for my contact while driving. Yes my headset works but I want to use voice dialing like any other 3+ year old phones currently do. Why Apple decided to not include this function is beyond me.
 
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