iPhone 17 running iOS 26 – Bluetooth audio issues

[stuartea]

After pairing my new iPhone 17 (iOS 26) with a JBL Go 3 eco (firmware 0003 - can't find any way to update that) speaker I'm getting frequent static and audio dropouts.

Troubleshooting attempted​

• Deleted and re-paired the JBL speaker
• Factory reset the speaker
• Reset network settings on the iPhone
• Tested with another Bluetooth speaker (Ruark MR1)

None of these steps resolved the issue.

Additional observations​

• Pairing with the Ruark MR1 speakers took a very long time.The speaker just didn't want to show up. Once connected, audio plays but with occasional dropouts but nothing like the JBLs
• Both JBL Go 3 and Ruark MR1 work perfectly with my older iPhone XR on iOS 25, so the issue seems specific to iPhone 17 / iOS 26.

Console logs (via Mac)​

• RSSI is strong, so it’s not a signal issue.
• Relevant log entries:
  • A2DP packet flushed: Audio Queue full
  • Write in progress (status=65535)
• These indicate that the iPhone is filling the Bluetooth audio buffer and dropping packets, which would explain the static and interruptions.

Cross-device testing​

• iPad Air (5th gen, iPadOS 26)
• iPhone 13 mini (iOS 26)
• Old iPod touch (4th gen)
• All work fine
• iPhone 17 + my old Skullcandy S21KW Ink’d Wireless earbuds: works fine.

This seems to be an iOS 26 A2DP bug specific to iPhone 17 hardware (possibly the new N1 chip?) and certain Bluetooth and the JBL Go 3. It does not appear to be a general Bluetooth or Wi-Fi interference problem.

Contacted JBL (now harman) who replied saying they had no issues with iOS 26, but I can't be sure if they actually tested it with the specific speaker.

Note: Updating to iOS 26.0.1 did not resolve the issue.

Beta 26.1 doesn't fix it. The Ruarks seem fine but the JBL, same skipping and glitching. So it seems some compatibility problem with the JBLs. The JBL Go 3 supports SBC maybe AAC?. It could be the N1 Bluetooth chip in the iPhone 17 is tripping up on JBL’s SBC? The phone's software is trying to transmit audio packets faster than the chip or the speaker can handle them.

Any ideas? I guess I just want to rule out it being a real hardware issue with my iPhone 17.