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Music/audio over Bluetooth highly unstable

Yoghem
5 months ago

Hi!

Yesterday I received a new FR 265. One of the main reasons for replacing my old watch was because I did not want to bring my phone on runs anymore, but still wanted to listen to music while running. This morning I made my first run with the watch, and was a bit shocked by the instability of the music playback. I was playing music through the Spotify app, (listening on my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones) and there were just constant stutters/interruptions in the audio, both in the music and in the voice guide. I have tried rebooting the watch, rebooting the headphones, reconnecting the headphones and changing the codec settings in the Sony app, all to no avail.

Does anyone know what I can try to do to mitigate this issue? If it was only a bit of stutter I would be able to live with it, but in this state music is simply unlistenable, and I would (sadly) have to consider returning the watch.

Thanks a lot in advance!

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  • 0 1 month ago in reply to b908e738cf7b43c7af75f963e7fcda20

    I had Garmin replace my FR265 for this exact reason.  It made no difference -- the replacement has the same issue.  However, I suspect that the replacement is a refurbished watch, and not a brand new one, so it probably has the same hardware as the one it replaced.  If I were to complain to Garmin again, they'd probably replace it with another refurbed unit.  It's unfortunate and I don't feel like negotiating with Garmin to replace it with a brand new watch. 

  • 0 25 days ago in reply to lytleric

    Garmin, any update on this? I took my AirPods 4 to Apple, and they ran diagnostics on them and said they were fine. I also tested with AirPods 3 - same problem. 

    For what you pay for this watch, all I can say is, really? 

  • 0 22 days ago in reply to 9023732

    Instructions please on how to do this? 

  • 0 21 days ago in reply to 5801604
    9023732 said:
    I had the same issue. In your sound connect app you need to select: audio quality and then for stable connection. What this does is switching the Bluetooth decoder from ldac to aac. This is a less heavy decoder what the Forerunner 265 can handle much better.
    5801604 said:
    Instructions please on how to do this? 

    To be clear, those instructions only apply to *Sony* headphones/earbuds (like the WH-1000XM4 headphones in the OP).

    1) get Sound Connect app for ios or android: https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/support/software/00269130

    2) pair your phone with your headphones/earbuds and open the app

    3) tap Device Settings

    4) tap Bluetooth Connection Quality

    5) tap Prioritize Stable Connection

    helpguide.sony.net/.../TP0001548871.html

  • 0 7 days ago

    I have FR-265 Small, and WH-1000XM4, I also experience something similar. But not nearly as bad as everyone in the replies. I also have some JBL Free earbuds, cheap product, and they have the exact same issue.

    So for me i experience a lot of stuttering when I put them on at home. I have a lot of bluetooth speakers around the house. As soon as I walk out the door they play without issues. Mine are still set at LDAC. 

    However, every time I touch my watch (to press the lap button, or change the activity screen for instance) it stutters again. So it's not perfect. But this weekend i went for a 2h run with music, I didn't need to fiddle with my watch, and as such they played without issue for the entire workout session. 

  • 0 7 days ago in reply to 6183796

    Thanks for that. I purchased some new Sony LinkBuds Open, and they work flawlessly. Found them on sale for $99. I'm disappointed that I needed to add another expense to make the music work on a smartwatch in 2025, but here we are. 

  • 0 9 hours ago

    I use my 265 five times a week for running while streaming Spotify to my Airpod Pros. I have issues every sngle time. The airpods connect quickly, the music plays. Issues appear as soon as you pause or skip track, the music stops streaming but continues 'playing' on the watch. The solution is to pause / unpause. Click Previous, click next again. Eventually the music comes back only to stop again once you skip to the next track. Everything is up to date, everything is new. Folks on Reddit complain you have to buy certain headphones for this to work which is insane considering Air Pods are pretty popular. Shouldn't your pricey watch work with them?