Forerunner 165 disconnecting from Sony Xperia 1 mark VII and won’t reconnect unless removed and repaired

My son just got a new Sony Xperia 1 mark VII phone and his garmin forerunner 165 music which was flawless on his 5 year old lg phone won’t stay connected to the new phone. It pairs, but as soon as something interrupts the Bluetooth connection (distance, microwave, time sometimes,) the connection is lost and the only way to regain it is to remove the watch and then pair it again. 

We’ve tried deleting and reinstalling the app, restarting his forerunner, removing and pairing again, clearing the app cache. Nothing so far has solved the issue. Any suggestions?