Axon 7 Doesn't "See" Anker Soundcore Under Available Bluetooth Devices

#1

I am unable to pair the Anker SoundCore Bluetooth Speaker with a new ZTE Axon 7. Bluetooth is enabled on the phone, and the speaker is in standby mode (blinking blue light), but the phone is unable to “see” the speaker. I have tried refreshing the Bluetooth available items list on the phone, but it still doesn’t see the speaker. And I have the speaker right next to the phone, so distance shouldn’t be an issue.

I was able to pair a different Bluetooth speaker with the Axon 7 the other day, so the phone is able to detect Bluetooth devices. And the Soundcore is able to pair with my old Moto G2, so at least one other phone is able to see and pair with the speaker.

I’ve tried holding down the Bluetooth button on the speaker for 2 seconds, but it has not resolved the issue. Maybe I’m not doing it right because I get no audio or visual cues indicating that anything has happened with the speaker. I’ve also tried rebooting the phone, but that hasn’t helped either.

Any ideas?

Thank you.

#2

I don’t own either of those devices so probably can’t help but I’ll give it a shot.

Physically get away from everything you’ve ever paired. What might be happening is the speaker is connecting to what it has been paired with and so won’t pair with anything else. Go with your phone and speaker quite some distance from everything.

One thing could be happening is you have a prankster nearby, if you put speaker into pairing mode they pair with it before you have a chance.

However, probably, you have a problem and should ask for a return.

FYI one of the 4 different Anker BT products I have refuses to pair with one of my devices, I tried to get Anker help but they told me to do the obvious things. I think it is just sometimes 2 devices simply don’t get along, probably to do with BT versions and the device support. I can’t get my Soundcore Mini to pair with my Thinkpad laptop, but say an Oontz speaker or the Anker Nano or Anker Soundbuds Slim works fine.

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#3

As @nigelhealy has mentioned it does sound like a BT compatibility issue from the troubleshooting steps taken, I’ve often had a hit and miss pairing between my SoundCore Nano and a 6th gen iPod. When you are trying to pair with your phone do you get any message about failing to pair or can you just not see the speaker in the device to pair?

It’s also worth having the devices 1m apart when trying to pair so I have found with some devices.

#4

It’s the case that the phone doesn’t see the speaker at all. Although I should note that several days ago, the phone did see the speaker, but it failed to pair. After the failure, the speaker disappeared from the available devices list and the phone has been unable to see the speaker since.

I tried this suggestion, but with no success.

But wouldn’t the speaker come out of standby mode? The blue light blinks continuously.

I do think you both are right about it being a compatibility issue because I am able to pair an Oontz speaker with the Axon 7, and the speaker does pair with my old Moto G2.

My next step is to contact technical support and I will reference this thread. The speaker was purchased from Amazon and unfortunately I am outside of the 30 day return for them, so I’m not sure what options I have at this point. I will provide and update to this thread if I hear back from technical support.

Thanks for your time and help, nigelhealy and ndalby.

#5

I’m suspecting a replacement will behave exactly the same, because all you say suggests its an incompatibility issue. Good luck with support, I’d expect them to copy paste basically PEBKAC.

#6

Perhaps due to Android Marshmallow (unless you got your Moto G2 to Marshmallow from KitKat)? Would be interesting knowing for other’s if it’s possibly OS related…

#7

It takes 2 devices to cause a problem, it may be an Anker problem but also could be an ZTE problem. If you’ve asked in Anker forum for support, then recommend asking in ZTE forums. Examples:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/search/forum/5446?query=bluetooth

https://community.zteusa.com/search.jspa?q=bluetooth&place=%2Fplaces%2F1517&depth=ALL

You have almost no options with the Anker product to change any setting, but the phone has more options to change. Don’t have the ZTE so can’t be specific.

My feeling is problem won’t be fixed and its not a unit problem just fact of life with BT and some devices just don’t get along.

#8

@ndalby @nigelhealyThank you for your answers! We really appreciate it. @whiskeywhiskey We are afraid that it is the incompatibility issue between the two devices. Although the speaker will work with most of the Bluetooth devices on the market, we are unable to make sure it will pair with every single Bluetooth product. In this case, could you please let us know if you want to keep it or return the speaker? If you want to return it, could you please contact us via support@anker.com? We are happy to help you out ASAP. Thanks

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#10

UPDATE:

Anker has reached out to me and is going to allow me to try another Soundcore speaker in exchange for the original speaker I purchased. It’s already been sent off and I am waiting for the replacement. I will update again after I test the replacement speaker.

3 Likes
#12

I’m so happy to see your review!:grin:

#13

UPDATE (sorry past due):

I’ve received the replacement Soundcore speaker and I am happy to report that it successfully pairs with the Axon 7! It is hard to say if it was a problem with the original speaker because as I was waiting for the replacement, I updated the phone from Android 6 (Marshmallow) to Android 7 (Nougat). Perhaps updating the OS was the fix?

Either way, it works and it sounds great. My thanks to everyone who took the time to offer their help, and to Anker for their willingness to allow me to try another speaker :smiley:

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#14

Good to know. I take it you had to return the original speaker, with you not mentioning testing again it since your OS update?

#15

different model?

Also it is an excellent pro-Anker conclusion, while Bluetooth is a nightmare of interoperability with so many versions and subversions its impossible to make everything work with everything, good on Anker in the end.

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#16

Hi ndalby,

Yes, the original was sent back. In fact I think Anker waited to get it back before sending me the replacement, which is understandable. Hopefully it’ll find a good home :slight_smile:.

#17

Hey nigelhealy,

No, the replacement is the same model as the original. And yes, Anker was really cool about the situation. They reached out to me by email and then responded to my replies within a day or so, ultimately sending the replacement.

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#18

Hi, my Anker SoundCore Pro 25W Premium Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker with Superior Bass and High Definition Sound with 4 Drivers that I received yesterday has this problem, Its not discoverable on any device while the BT light keeps flushing nonstop

#19

Sorry to hear this issue, you can contact us via suppot@anker.com to request a replacement.