Buffering Issue while Connected to Bluetooth Speaker

[insidemand2]

I have been a Pandora subscriber (Premium) for many years and have rarely had any issues. For about a month now, I am having horrendous buffering issues. I connect thru my iPhone 7 wirelessly and then Bluetooth connect to my JBL Charger 3. I have rebooted the wireless router and my phone. No go, so I uninstalled and reinstalled the Pandora app, still no good. I dropped my sound quality down, still no good. What is going on?

Moderator Edit: Changed title for clarity

[AlyssaPandora]

Hey there, @insidemand2. 👋

Sorry to hear that you're encountering a buffering issue.

• Does this only happen when you connect to your JBL Charge 3 speaker via Bluetooth?
• Do you experience the buffering issue when you attempt to listen the Pandora app from your iPhone, not using connected devices?
• Have you tried repairing your iPhone 7 and your speaker? If you haven't already, I would recommend repairing your device.
  • To remove the pairing, please go into the Bluetooth settings menu on your phone, find the appropriate connection, and select "Forget this device."
  • Once you've done so, refer to the owner's manual for your device for how to reconnect to your phone.

I look forward to hearing back! 🎧

[insidemand2]

The issue occurs whether I am using the iPhone speaker or the JBL Bluetooth device

[AlyssaPandora]

@insidemand2 Thanks for that additional info. 

While I have the trace enabled, it may be helpful to try out these steps again. 

You can try rebooting your connection: 

1. Shut down your iPhone 7 device completely;
2. Unplug your modem and router, wait one full minute, and then plug them back in;
3. Wait five more minutes to allow the modem and router to fully boot back up;
4. Turn your device back on and try Pandora again.

++

I would still like to report this issue to our engineers. Could you tell me more about your device?

• Device & Generation: iPhone 7
• Carrier:
• iOS version: (Settings > General > About > Version)
• Pandora version: (Pandora > Profile tab > Settings gear & scroll to the bottom of the screen)

Are you connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data when this is happening?

Have you identified any other patterns or notable information?

[insidemand2]

After further investigation, it appears to be directly related to my bluetooth connection. Playing through the phone has no issues but when I connect  to any of my bluetooth devices the buffering occurs. I have rebooted phone, forgot devices and paired the devices again but nothing is working

[AlyssaPandora]

Thanks for the update, @insidemand2. I can report this for you.

Would you mind sharing a few more details about your iPhone 7 device?

You can find the requested info here.

Let me know.

[Stephen1515]

Absolutely terrible customer support. I can't pair with my Bluetooth speaker. On my Samsung Galaxy phone. There's no help period. Guess I'll be a new client for iHeartRadio 

I simply want to connect Pandora to my Bluetooth speaker 

[MariaPandora]

Hi @Stephen1515 , thanks for posting!

If you are having trouble connecting your phone to your Bluetooth speaker you may need to check your phone's manual.

However, if you are connected but having trouble playing your Pandora on the speaker, let's try re-pairing the Bluetooth connection between your device and the phone.

To remove the pairing, please go into the Bluetooth settings menu on your phone, find the appropriate connection, and select "Forget this device."

Once you've done so, refer to the owner's manual for your device for how to reconnect to your phone.

Let me know how it goes.