Apple Watch interferes with car bluetooth connection?

[Cogsworth]

Since I upgraded to the iPhone 11 Pro and Apple Watch S5 at launch, I have had constant connection drops when playing music over bluetooth to my car's stereo handsfree (2009 Acura TSX, so no CarPlay sadly). The phone just keeps disconnecting and reconnecting from the handsfree every few minutes, and for some odd reason especially at the beginning of each song. It took me a while to figure out the Apple Watch was causing the issue, I left home without it one day and no dropouts. Airplane mode doesn't help but powering off the watch completely or switching off bluetooth fixes the issue. Turn it back on and the dropouts return, so the AW is definitely to blame.

Yesterday at work just for fun I unpaired the watch and set it up again as new. Amazingly had no dropouts the whole hour long drive home and thought I'd fixed it...but the dropouts resumed on the drive in today.

I've tried everything I can think of, looked through all the settings. If I even open bluetooth settings on the watch it destroys the connection between phone and car. Apple support has been useless. Anyone else having this issue or found any solution?

 

[barbu]

I have no insight but the weakest link seems to me to be the 11-year old car bluetooth system. I do have a Watch S2 and 11 Pro Max and use a variety of bluetooth devices in my cars and home. My VW has a builtin system that works just fine, my old car has a BT/FM transmitter and it also works just great with my devices. Can you test your Lexus with a different BT device such as an FM transmitter and see how that goes?

 

[perezr10]

I haven’t ever had any problems like that with my Apple Watch and iPhone (11 Pro Max and Series 5). I have both paired to my car and I switch back and forth depending on what I’m using for that trip.

I think the issue is your car.

 

[misstaymaree]

I have the same issue. I have a iPhone 11 Pro Max + Series 5 Apple Watch + 2020 Subaru XV. I didn’t have any Bluetooth issues until I got my watch and only when I have both devices. My audio will skip and stutter like a scratched cd. Help!

 

[swandy]

Which device do you have the car's Bluetooth settings to check for first? I have mine set to look for the iPhone 11 first and only look for the Watch Series 5 when the iPhone is not in the car. Perhaps that would help because I never had an issue with my Watch (even the earlier ones) interfering with my various iPhones connecting via Bluetooth.

 

[misstaymaree]

I haven’t set my watch up to connect to my car that’s why I’m frustrated! It’s not playing properly off my phone but only whilst the watch is nearby