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Bluetooth car connection: works, but no sound

Hi everyone,
I picked up my GSIII yesterday (SGH-I747, Bell version from Canada). The phone is a champ, but so far I found fairly serious problem. My car has bluetooth phone functions built in. I paired the phone with it, and it pairs just fine. I can receive and make calls from the car just fine as well, but there is no incoming or outgoing audio. When connected to my car's bluetooth, there is no audio going through my car's speakers or through the phone. It is only when I grab the phone and unclick the "bluetooth headset" button that I can talk on the phone. If I turn "bluetooth headset" back on, there is no sound again. My car worked with my old Blackberry 8330, so the car is fine. It's a 2009 Mercedes-Benz B200, fully loaded, Canadian spec. It has the AUDIO 20 system built in.
My phone specs are as follows:
-stock ROM, not rooted or anything (do we have root yet?)
-Baseband: I747MVLLE8
-Build: IMM76D-I747MVLLE8
The GSII seemed to have the same problem when it came out and it was fixed with a firmware update (http://samsunggalaxysforums.com/showthread.php/5212-Speaker-and-mic-problem-when-calling-someone.)
Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

Did u by any chance turned down the volume on the phone?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

Bluetooth worked fine in my car. Made a call. And they could hear me and I heard them. This with a Kenwood hdx6980
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah Bluetooth works on my CD player also
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

after pairing did you go into the bluetooth setting for the paired device (car) and check the "call audio" box?

martyzidek said:
Did u by any chance turned down the volume on the phone?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Nope, I checked the volume and everything is turned up the way it's supposed to be.
faulkton said:
after pairing did you go into the bluetooth setting for the paired device (car) and check the "call audio" box?
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Click to collapse
Yep. It's checked. Moreover, if I uncheck it, the car doesn't connect to the phone.

I'll check my calling this morning, but yesterday I had streaming audio via bluetooth (audible playing a book). The only thing I noticed was that, unlike my old myTouch 4g running CM7, the book didn't stop playing when I turned the car off. That's something I'll have to work out.
EDIT - it's only audible that gives me a problem - looks like a specific app issue.

I'll l have to check if my calls work. All my music and podcast work good. They stop when the car turns off and starts up again when I start the car the next day.
Edit: Just tried it out and incoming and outgoing call sounds work great. No issues here.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

I have absolutely no issues with incoming and outgoing calls through Bluetooth in my car. Also, I have no issues playing music through Bluetooth. Possibly try a factory reset on your phone and try again...

It sounds like all your cars support A2DP for playing music. Mine doesn't, it just acts as an old-school bluetooth headset. Can that make a difference?

Mine plays perfectly using Googles Play Music streaming service, also calls work fine, too. This is on my Dodge's U-Connect.

Update: I tried with an old jawbone headset to see if it's a general Bluetooth problem or just specific to my car. The jawbone works like a charm, so it's not a problem with Bluetooth versions or anything like that. But I did notice something interesting: in the Bluetooth options in the gs3 the jawbone comes up with a picture of a phone handset beside it whereas the car has a picture of headphones. I think that's the problem: the phone recognized the wrong Bluetooth profile. I can't seem to delete th car off the list of Bluetooth devices. This is rreally irritating. Any suggestions (short of a total reset)? Thanks!

You might see if there's an update for your car's Bluetooth... if so that might fix your issue.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

No go so far. I'll have to try a reset, otherwise wait for an update or some custom ROMs.

Update: I still haven't done the reset, but I went to the Mercedes dealer today. They told me (after almost a day of investigating) that Germany said that the GSIII is forever incompatible with the B200. I think that's pretty dumb because the problem is clearly software, but the dealer seems to be washing its hands of this matter.

[Q] In-Car Bluetooth Issues

Last night, I tried pairing up my GS4 in my car (which has bluetooth) and although I sync'd it and verified the settings on the GS4, for some reason no audio will play (both calls & music).
Is anyone else having this problem? I've paired my car to a couple bluetooth devices and this is the first time it's not working.

I havent made any calls yet, but Pandora was working fine for me yesterday.

Works fine in my 2013 sonata
ATT Galaxy S4, stock, rooted

No issues in my Wrangler JKU.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

davidusr said:
No issues in my Wrangler JKU.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
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What kind of car do you have...it took quite a bit of fiddling to get bluetooth to work well with my impreza

Works fine with my AVIC-z130bt

wdouglass said:
What kind of car do you have...it took quite a bit of fiddling to get bluetooth to work well with my impreza
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

There are indeed some issues with Bluetooth and I'm not sure who's to blame, or maybe both parties.
I have a 2013 Subaru wrx and it will pair fine, but sometimes it only pairs "Media" and sometimes it pairs media and phone calling functions.
Also, it will NOT pair automatically. I have to go in to the Bluetooth settings on the device and manually click on the Subaru car media, wait 5-10 seconds, then it pairs.
My galaxy nexus always worked like a charm, shame.

I have used Pandora and also made/received calls over Bluetooth without any issues. Always connects automatically a few seconds after my car starts. 2012 Honda Civic

I have had bluetooth issues as well with my pioneer 6100bt headunit. It would only auto connect to phone audio, it was driving me crazy. As a temporary solution i downloaded a free app called Bluetooth Auto Connect. It's free and you need to mark the checkbox setting: Auto Connect every time the screen goes on. Hope this helps you out

Krispydancing said:
I have had bluetooth issues as well with my pioneer 6100bt headunit. It would only auto connect to phone audio, it was driving me crazy. As a temporary solution i downloaded a free app called Bluetooth Auto Connect. It's free and you need to mark the checkbox setting: Auto Connect every time the screen goes on. Hope this helps you out
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Click to collapse
I am having the same issue. My phone portion will autoconnect and I have to go back in and check the media box everytime. I have unpaired and paired it back again and the same issue. Every single time I connect I have to recheck that box.
Edit: Sony DSXS310BTX is the deck I have. Worked 100% fine with my GS3.

ldejavul said:
I am having the same issue. My phone portion will autoconnect and I have to go back in and check the media box everytime. I have unpaired and paired it back again and the same issue. Every single time I connect I have to recheck that box.
Edit: Sony DSXS310BTX is the deck I have. Worked 100% fine with my GS3.
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Click to collapse
I have the same issue; phone works great, media not so much. it's not a huge deal, because i use the phone part more anyway, but still...

Wow thought it was only me that had this problem, I have to manually select the audio portion all the time as well. What gives!?

And I'm having the opposite issue - media pairs 90% of the time, phone doesn't. And, it will NOT autoconnect.
How is it convenient that I hop in the car, drive away and phone doesn't connect. Instead I have to get the phone out, open up the BT menu and manually connect while I'm driving - real safety feature there Samsung lol

no issues in my 2011 Murano

No voice on GPS while on Bluetooth

I have a strange situation here. My GPS will only read aloud when I am NOT connected to Bluetooth in my car. If I am connected to bluetooth while on the phone but not actually using the Bluetooth, using the handset to talk on the phone, the GPS voice comes through the earpiece on the phone. The GPS voice works fine when I'm not connected to Bluetooth in my car. Does anybody else have this problem? Any solutions? Thanks in advance!
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Ditto!
I too had that problem. I recently was traveling for work and needed GPS in the rental car. I almost missed my exit because the nav voice wasn't working over the car's bluetooth connection. Calls worked fine but not the nav voice....

madhacker7 said:
I too had that problem. I recently was traveling for work and needed GPS in the rental car. I almost missed my exit because the nav voice wasn't working over the car's bluetooth connection. Calls worked fine but not the nav voice....
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ok good to know that I am not loosing my mind
I have no idea what is causing it tho.

Under Bluetooth settings can you see if you are connected as phone and media or just phone? Every once in a while mine just connects as phone for some strange reason!

kilroy1stcav said:
Under Bluetooth settings can you see if you are connected as phone and media or just phone? Every once in a while mine just connects as phone for some strange reason!
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You know what....It didn't occur to me to check that. Good call!
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

kilroy1stcav said:
Under Bluetooth settings can you see if you are connected as phone and media or just phone? Every once in a while mine just connects as phone for some strange reason!
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Click to collapse
I will check this too! Was planning on checking it today but we took my husband's car all day, his doesn't have Bluetooth. But I will check that in the morning when I go to work! Thanks!
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

kilroy1stcav said:
Under Bluetooth settings can you see if you are connected as phone and media or just phone? Every once in a while mine just connects as phone for some strange reason!
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Click to collapse
Both media and phone was checked off.....hmmmm....not sure why it doesn't work when connected to Bluetooth.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Ok, today I tried my phone with two different Bluetooth devices to make sure I got music and GPS out at the same time and I did so i know the S5 is capable of it. So check to make sure your devices are actually are connected as phone and media when paired next time just to make sure.I know my Motorola roadster2 sometimes only connects as phone even though it is set up as both, I usually have to reboot both the phone and and my roadster to get it to connect as both fir what ever reason. I hope that helps, if not I am at a loss!

I tested this the other day, and it works fine for me. I am using a Kenwood DNX8120 head unit, and it is connected with the S5 with both the headset and media bluetooth profiles. Note that the head unit needs to be on the bluetooth input for me to hear it since it is using the media profile for the GPS voice. If it is on another input (i.e. tuner, CD), you won't hear the phone's GPS.

Still nothing. I cleared my cars system memory and repaired the phone. The weird thing is that it was working when I got the phone a few weeks ago. It worked for a week, then all of a sudden stopped.

A tad bit late, but here nonetheless
putney1477 said:
Still nothing. I cleared my cars system memory and repaired the phone. The weird thing is that it was working when I got the phone a few weeks ago. It worked for a week, then all of a sudden stopped.
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Click to collapse
I know this is an old thread, but I wonder if you were listening to bluetooth audio or not. If you weren't listening to bluetooth audio on your car radio, then you wouldn't hear the voice navigation prompts. Unfortunately I don't believe voice navigation works like the phone.
The phone will mute any audio currently playing and automatically switch to the phone.
The nav audio works through bluetooth audio only. It doesn't mute anything so unless you are listening to bluetooth audio you won't hear the prompts (they are there, but you aren't listening to the source where they come through).
I think the solution as stated was to turn off Bluetooth media profile so it only comes out of your phone and leave on bluetooth call audio profile so it comes through the car.

bl^5 said:
I know this is an old thread, but I wonder if you were listening to bluetooth audio or not. If you weren't listening to bluetooth audio on your car radio, then you wouldn't hear the voice navigation prompts. Unfortunately I don't believe voice navigation works like the phone.
The phone will mute any audio currently playing and automatically switch to the phone.
The nav audio works through bluetooth audio only. It doesn't mute anything so unless you are listening to bluetooth audio you won't hear the prompts (they are there, but you aren't listening to the source where they come through).
I think the solution as stated was to turn off Bluetooth media profile so it only comes out of your phone and leave on bluetooth call audio profile so it comes through the car.
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Thank you! I will give thus a try!!!

Try a program in the play store called BTMONO. This worked for me.
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app

Desperate Bluetooth problems...

S6 + Edge Att.
OK so here's the deal:
There are two bluetooth connections to the car; Calls & Media
If I have both connected, the bluetooth connection constantly drops.
If I disconnect Calls and leave Media connected, its flawless.
If I disconnect Media and leave calls connected, flawless.
But when both are connected it wont last 5 minutes without disconnecting.
This issue is close to making me want to drive the car into a tree - if anyone has a suggest I seriously appreciate it!

try resetting the car audio setup, and remove the pair between the phone and the Car Audio
sometimes even if you reset it the car audio might keep the paired devices saved
is this a OEM car audio set up, or a aftermarket one.
please lemme know

Pubbaa said:
try resetting the car audio setup, and remove the pair between the phone and the Car Audio
sometimes even if you reset it the car audio might keep the paired devices saved
is this a OEM car audio set up, or a aftermarket one.
please lemme know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - its the BT connection to a 2015 Acura. I have reset it several times. Another clue is that if the phone is reset to stock it works well for about 2 weeks. I have very few apps any I restore them the day the phone is wiped so its not an app or setting...it's almost as if something get cached and then starts to falter....

See if the car audio bluetooth is still visible after you have paired it.
Trying doing this with another phone.
After resetting the car audio did you check if the car has the phone still as an authorized devices
If true that will be the culprit
What are the apps you use?
Streaming/offline apps
Almost forgot....
Don't let the car retrieve your contact details and phone book. Sometimes this makes the cars audio to go loco
Sent from my SM-G928C using Tapatalk

Thanks Pubbaa - going to try another phone to see if it happens as well...

DPLOY said:
Thanks Pubbaa - going to try another phone to see if it happens as well...
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Click to collapse
check if the phonebook is shared with the car audio, if it asks to sync ...don't let it
issue with call logs and phonebook contacts can cause the audio system to restart or hang, i faced a similar issue.

Does bluetooth connects automatically?

I do love the phone and despite there are very few minor details i would love to be changed by LG (if any update), i have realized something. You know there are some devices that when you are nearby, and if your bluetooth is on and already has paired with that device before, the device connects automatically to the paired device.
I have a bluetooth FM transmitter in my car; eventhought i did pair with it, after turning off and then turning on my bluetooth, i didnt see it got automatically connected. Could it be that LG didn't implemented that feature, thus, making us go to bluetooth settings everytime we want to pair with it again?

I haven't had that trouble yet. It pairs whenever I am near anything I have paired with it.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

Tidbits said:
I haven't had that trouble yet. It pairs whenever I am near anything I have paired with it.
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I mean, is not that it wont allow me to connect. it does connect to the device and it is already paired, but for things such as a bluetooth in the car to be able to do it automatically, well, it doesnt do it automatically, when i turn on the bluetooth it does appear a floating box to select which one do you want to connect, regardless of whether the device is already paired or not. (Maybe it is a good thing ?) I mean, i activated the smart lock and i choosed that when im inside the car with the bluetooth on and paired to my car's bluetooth it will remains unlocked even when i turn off the screen

I hop into my car start the car couple seconds later my device is paired. I don't touch anything other than putting it in my car dock.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

mine pairs with my car in seconds. much faster than my note 7 or note 4 did

Tidbits said:
I hop into my car start the car couple seconds later my device is paired. I don't touch anything other than putting it in my car dock.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
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probablecauzdnb said:
mine pairs with my car in seconds. much faster than my note 7 or note 4 did
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I'm Going to try something . And i will report back

Hope everything works out.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

Tidbits said:
Hope everything works out.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
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And no. I tried to unpair and pair again and see, but it doesnt connect automatically even though it is paired. I also tried to unplug and plug the bluetooth once again but it didnt connect automatically. Which leads me to the following questions: What lockscreens and securities have you implemented on your device? such as: finger print, patter, pin, google voice, face unlock , etc.. ?

I have knock on and fingerprint on. I have voice, and all my Bluetooth devices as trusted.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

Tidbits said:
I have knock on and fingerprint on. I have voice, and all my Bluetooth devices as trusted.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
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Maybe i have way too many methods at the same time, i have knock knock, fingerprint, google voice, and pattern? maybe one of them is not allowing the bluetooth to connect because you need to activate some option?
P.S: On the other hand, my computer gets connected in milliseconds .

No idea but it sounds like something between your phone and your car.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

Tidbits said:
No idea but it sounds like something between your phone and your car.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
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Are you saying that my car is being as selfish as iphones (which never want to pair with android because of its selfishness???! <_<?)

Possibly or the V20 just doesn't like your car ?
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

Tidbits said:
Possibly or the V20 just doesn't like your car
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
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LOL!! (seriously though, whats going on with iphones? I do manage to pair with the iphone but the iphone dont want to pair with android). Anyway, i will try disabling some stuffs and see whether it connects automatically or not.

joseguillen1994 said:
I mean, is not that it wont allow me to connect. it does connect to the device and it is already paired, but for things such as a bluetooth in the car to be able to do it automatically, well, it doesnt do it automatically, when i turn on the bluetooth it does appear a floating box to select which one do you want to connect, regardless of whether the device is already paired or not. (Maybe it is a good thing ?) I mean, i activated the smart lock and i choosed that when im inside the car with the bluetooth on and paired to my car's bluetooth it will remains unlocked even when i turn off the screen
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Click to collapse
This box is giving you a choice of what to connect to? This doesn't sound like an issue to me but expected behavior. Somewhere in one of the threads is a photo someone else posted that sounds vaguely like this. Chances are, you've given your phone more than one choice of things to connect to and it's asking what to do.

CHH2 said:
This box is giving you a choice of what to connect to? This doesn't sound like an issue to me but expected behavior. Somewhere in one of the threads is a photo someone else posted that sounds vaguely like this. Chances are, you've given your phone more than one choice of things to connect to and it's asking what to do.
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Click to collapse
Yes. It does. However, my samsung galaxy s4 and LG G3 connect automatically to the bluetooth >> "Perhaps is because im using custom roms in all of them, :silly: .

The 'automatically connect' thing isn't dependent on the phone. its determined by the device you're trying to connect to it. Generally a peripheral will be the one initiating the connect, not the phone. For instance, for a car stero, the car stereo turns on and if the bluetooth mode is what turns on first (as in, you had bluetooth mode on when you turned the car off, so when the car is started it defaults to the bluetooth mode) then the radio sends a signal to the 'last paired device' and initiates the connection. Same thing for BT Headphones. If they were already paired to the phone before the headphones were turned off, then when they turn back on, they try to initiate the connection with that last paired device/phone. You can easily test this by simply hopping into your car with everything paired and playing music. Then, you turn the phone off and turn it back on. The connection usually never re-establishes because the phone usually never initiates anything unless explicitly told to by the user. This is a security feature... You dont want your phone actively trying to make connections with things that it 'thinks' is safe when they may really not be.
Now if you perform the same experiment backwards, where you turn the car/stereo off instead of the phone, then turn the car/stereo back on, you'll see it automatically try to connect. This is because its safer for a 'dumby' device like headphones and stereos to broadcast its existence since it contains zero personal info. Even the stereos that ask to sync your contacts. Because every time you connect the phone it resyncs. and most stereos delete their info once the connection is broken and so many seconds/minutes pass by.
So, more than likely, its your fm transmitter that's at fault. your bluetooth fm transmitter might be using an older bluetooth standard which may not function properly with the newer standards implemented in the V20. Ya need to remember that the Bluetooth radio in the V20 is special. Its not your every day BT. There is only one other phone in existence right now that is like it, and that's the G5. It supports a whole slue of different codecs at insanely higher bitrates. Because its either the fm transmitter's BT tech is too outdated for newer standards/codecs, or it isn't set to auto re-connect anymore somehow.

HikariNoKitsune said:
The 'automatically connect' thing isn't dependent on the phone. its determined by the device you're trying to connect to it. Generally a peripheral will be the one initiating the connect, not the phone. For instance, for a car stero, the car stereo turns on and if the bluetooth mode is what turns on first (as in, you had bluetooth mode on when you turned the car off, so when the car is started it defaults to the bluetooth mode) then the radio sends a signal to the 'last paired device' and initiates the connection. Same thing for BT Headphones. If they were already paired to the phone before the headphones were turned off, then when they turn back on, they try to initiate the connection with that last paired device/phone. You can easily test this by simply hopping into your car with everything paired and playing music. Then, you turn the phone off and turn it back on. The connection usually never re-establishes because the phone usually never initiates anything unless explicitly told to by the user. This is a security feature... You dont want your phone actively trying to make connections with things that it 'thinks' is safe when they may really not be.
Now if you perform the same experiment backwards, where you turn the car/stereo off instead of the phone, then turn the car/stereo back on, you'll see it automatically try to connect. This is because its safer for a 'dumby' device like headphones and stereos to broadcast its existence since it contains zero personal info. Even the stereos that ask to sync your contacts. Because every time you connect the phone it resyncs. and most stereos delete their info once the connection is broken and so many seconds/minutes pass by.
So, more than likely, its your fm transmitter that's at fault. your bluetooth fm transmitter might be using an older bluetooth standard which may not function properly with the newer standards implemented in the V20. Ya need to remember that the Bluetooth radio in the V20 is special. Its not your every day BT. There is only one other phone in existence right now that is like it, and that's the G5. It supports a whole slue of different codecs at insanely higher bitrates. Because its either the fm transmitter's BT tech is too outdated for newer standards/codecs, or it isn't set to auto re-connect anymore somehow.
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Click to collapse
In other words,,, i need to buy a new bluetooth fm transmitter HAHAHAHA . well. time to sell the old (8 month old though).

joseguillen1994 said:
In other words,,, i need to buy a new bluetooth fm transmitter HAHAHAHA . well. time to sell the old (8 month old though).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really just depends though. the LG V20 and LG G5 use Qualcomm's special BT chip which allows for "Aptx HD" audio streaming along with some other very high bitrate codecs. So it could be an issue with the FM Transmitter not being compatible with this and thus the V20 just goes 'nope, i dont want you'. While it also depends on the type of BT the transmitter is using. If its using 2.0 it may just not play nice with 4.2. Even though BT is supposed to be backwards compatible and all that jaz, it doesn't mean that 'every thing' is actually compatible sadly... what i'd do, is search "aptx HD" into google. there is what amounts to a 'product page' for it by qualcomm. it lets you see all the devices that are compatible. So once you're there, I'd have a gander at their FM Transmitters. there was I think 2 or 3 there when I looked yesterday. I did alot of research into this thing the past few days cause I'm getting the V20 and thinking about getting the LG Tone headphones that support aptx HD

I just bought the LG V20 and noticed the same thing... BUT instead of going over what BT devices didn't auto connect (none of them auto-connected), I just tried restarting the phone (power off, wait 10 seconds, and turned back on) and now it is automatically connecting to my old Jawbone headset. I have not tested it with my other BT devices that weren't auto-connecting before I restarted (I'll probably go back out to my car tonight to test it). I will report back if they still don't auto-connect.
Update (Fix): I don't think it was the restart, but I got it to work. I had to go into BT settings for each device, and make sure they all were enabled for "call audio". If "call audio" was not enabled, my devices would not auto-connect. I have now tested this with three of my BT devices, and they all auto-connect as long as "call audio" is enabled (media audio setting doesn't matter):
Jawbone Era
Flexsmart x3 BT FM Transmitter
Artic BT Stereo Headset
All of these devices are a few years old and two are ultra inexpensive, so no ultra high-end tech here.
I have not tested to see if I try to use my headset for calls with my BT FM transmitter for media while both having the "call audio" enabled. I hope this is not an issue. I usually listen to the news on my phone through the car's radio, and if I get a phone call I turn on my BT headset. My FM transmitter's mic sucks, so I have to use the BT headset when in the car. I will check this out tomorrow.