Bluetooth Auto Enable not working

Hi there,
I'm using the SoundAbout Pro app to get notifications over my Bluetooth car system. So far, every time I want it to work, I have to wait until my car connects to the phone, and then open the SoundAbout app (just for a moment), and then go back to my home screen. After that, everything works.

The settings are:
Wired headset & microphone detection = both checked
Notifications to speaker = not checked
Media audio = let app decide
Phone call audio = let app decide

Bluetooth section:
Bluetooth Auto Enable = Checked
(A2DP) = unchecked
(Mono) = unchecked
(Dynamic) = checked
Phone call usage = checked
(Mono) microphone override = unchecked
Disconnect to speaker = checked (correct me if I'm wrong, but this means that if the phone loses the Bluetooth connection, during a phone call, it will switch to speaker phone)

Dock Behaviour:
Analog & Digital dock audio usage = both unchecked (I do not have a dock, but I only just unchecked these, not tested yet)

Since I posted this, updates have come out. The problem has changed now. Now, after my car connects to my phone, it instantly engages the phone, pausing my music, and waiting for phone audio. In order to fix this, I have to open Soundabout, go into Bluetooth Behaviour, uncheck (Dynamic) Media audio usage. My music then resumes. I then re-check Dynamic Media Audio Usage. My phone is now ready to read notifications to me.

Sorry, I didn't see the original post.

When you say "pauses your music", do you mean music on the car radio?

Bluetooth (mono) (dynamic) will detect that media is playing (if media is started after this setting) and try to send the media audio over a Bluetooth mono connection(usually for phone calls). This will fake a phone call to the car and try to send the media audio to the car system. The quality is not good for Bluetooth mono as it is meant for voice quality audio.

"Disconnect to speaker" is used when you are send media audio (not phone call), to a Bluetooth device and that device is disconnected, then send the audio to the speaker. You can un-check this so that if you are ...say, in a gym and are using Bluetooth headphones and walk away from the phone it doesn't blast music over the speaker.

Let me know what you are trying to accomplish and I will let you know what settings you need.

My phone (Samsung Note 2) is not playing any music or media. It's in my pocket, ready to receive calls/texts, etc...

Start my car, my music in my car-deck starts playing. The phone links to the bluetooth, and then my car music cuts out, and it thinks my phone is receiving a call. No sound comes over the speakers any more, and I can sit there and wait, but no change. To fix this, I open Soundabout, go into Bluetooth Behaviour, uncheck & recheck (Dynamic) Media Audio Usage. Unchecking makes my car no longer think it is receiving a call (car music starts playing again), and re-checking makes my phone ready to send notifications to the car again.

OK, so you want the phone to send notifications via Bluetooth phone profile dynamically.

After staring the car, it seems SoundAbout is engaging the Bluetooth phone connection for some reason. Is there anything running on the phone that could constitute media being played like PowerAmp or Winamp...etc running in the background?

To stop the connection you go into SoundAbout, un-check and re-check the (Dynamic)Media audio usage setting.

After re-checking the (Dynamic)Media audio usage setting, does it work OK?

I ask this because a lot of phones will not send notifications over Bluetooth...especially Bluetooth phone profile. Other media, like music tends to work, but notifications vary per phone and version of Android.

I have a software TTS called "Read it to me" that runs upon connection to Bluetooth. I would consider removing it and only using Soundabout, but it allows for voice commands to reply to text messages, a very handy feature for driving and replying to text messages. But it makes no sound upon connection. It is the only background sound related app I am running.

After un-check/re-check, the notifications work over the speakers most of the time. Sometimes, the notifications come over the speakers, but cut off at the beginning (the lag of activation of the bluetooth connection, I'm assuming).

OK, now I get a better picture of what you are doing.  Since the software playing the audio, uses TTS, we have a better option. First let's clear out the settings back to default and continue from there.

1 - Go into phone settings, choose Manage Apps,  find SoundAbout(not Pro key) and click on it.
2 - Clear cache,  Clear Data, Force Stop.  Un-install it so we can try a newer version.
3 - You download and install the latest Beta version from here:
https://soundabout.forumotion.com/f8-download-beta-versions
4 - Once installed, run it.  It will re-check the license, or use trial so you need an internet connection.
5 - We can leave the Bluetooth behavior settings as they are.
6 - While in SoundAbout, click on the "Text-To-Speech behavior ..." section.
7 - Set "Audio output..." to what you want.  (example:  Bluetooth (mono))
8 - If you were using Google Navigation then I would say that Google Navigation will request ALL of the directions at the beginning of the trip.  This won't work as we need to switch the audio dynamically when the direction is needed.  
  To help this, you would set "Max utterance per request ..." to 1 or 2.  Since you are using an app that you want to hear ALL of the text, then leave this setting as "Unlimited".
9 - If using Bluetooth mono, you may need to set "Delay utterance (secs)" to 1.5 or 2.  This will allow time for the audio to switch to Bluetooth mono, which is slow to switch over.  If you don't, you may miss some of the directions(like you mentioned above).
10 - Click on the "Android TTS settings..."
11 - You will see some TTS engine choices.   Choose "SoundAbout TTS".
12 - Click on "Listen to example" to see if audio comes out of the desired output.


Give it a try and see how it works from there.

Hi,
Just awakening an old thread.


I have the exact same problem as first described by the OP, however im simply using SoundAbout to get phone audio thru the car system via bluetooth (seems to be some incompatibility).

So basically, as the OP said, i have to wait until the car connects to the phone, then open SoundAbout, then close it, and then phone audio will correctly go thru the car.
If i don't do the SoundAbout open/close, the phone will connect fine, but no phone audio thru the car. Once i turn the car or phone off, and then on again, i have to open/close SoundAbout again to make it all work.
Note all settings are default.

Just wondering if this is something to do with using the trial version of SoundAbout rather than the Pro version?

Hi Guys,
Any idea on this one?
I don't want to buy the app, and then find out it has exactly the same problem.
Thanks.

Arghs,

When you say you are getting phone audio thru the car what kind of audio are you referring to?
Is this for Bluetooth phone calls, Bluetooth media (A2DP), Bluetooth mono, or Bluetooth mono (dynamic)?

Is the "Media audio" setting on "Let app decide" or on a Bluetooth setting?

Hi SoundAbout, thanks for the reply.
Sorry for not being specific - I am referring to bluetooth phone calls.

Media Audio is set to 'let app decide', but i've also tried this on bluetooth mono.
Both return the same result i mentioned above - only works if i actively open/close SoundAbout after i have made the bluetooth connection.

Arghs,

I tried this scenario a few times. I restart the phone and don't touch SoundAbout. I connect a Bluetooth device and call my phone. It is connecting to the Bluetooth device each time.

What phone and version of Android do you have?

What is the "SoundAbout Service" setting set to, in SoundAbout?

Do you have any kind of task killing app running on the phone? If so, you may have to exclude SoundAbout.

Hmm yeah im guessing its a very specific phone problem.
It's a Huawei G526 - Android 4.1, so not a 'mainstream' phone as such.

SoundAbout Service is set to 'on - auto restart'. but i also thought id try 'on (foreground)' - no difference.

No task killing apps. oh and not rooted.