SoundCore 2 Issues with Bluetooth Pairing/Switching devices

#8

Thanks for the quick response, @TechnicallyWell. I did as you requested, and here’s how it went:

  1. On both iPhones, I “forgot” the Soundcore 2 in the Bluetooth settings, then left Bluetooth turned on on both phones.
  2. On iPhone #1 I successfully paired with the Soundcore 2 and started playing some music.
  3. I pressed and held the Bluetooth button on the Soundcore 2 for 2 seconds, then successfully paired iPhone #2 with the Soundcore 2. Music then began playing from iPhone #2. So far, so good.
  4. Without having turned Bluetooth off on either phone, I then tried to switch the music back to iPhone #1 by simply selecting the Soundcore 2 from my Bluetooth devices in the settings. No luck. I receive the same “Connection unsuccessful. Make sure “Soundcore 2” is turned on and in range.” message. In addition to this, as soon as I pressed the Bluetooth button on the Soundcore 2, iPhone #2 became disconnected and the music stopped playing. I was then no longer able to connect either iPhone to the Soundcore 2.

I can reach out to the support address you provided, but wanted to also follow up on your instructions.

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#9

Thanks for the information, @Thomas_Grimes! Ah, the world of Bluetooth is finicky! :confounded:
For step 4, I don’t believe the SoundCore will allow another device to connect while the speaker is currently connected to another phone (hence, the failure on iPhone #1).
In step 4, before attempting to reconnect iPhone #1, would you mind holding the Bluetooth button on the speaker so it enters pairing mode first and then try to have iPhone #1 reconnect? In my experience, once the iPhone fails to connect to a Bluetooth device, it will sometimes keep failing until you exit and restart the Settings app (or “forget” the device, as you found). I believe this may have prevented you from reconnecting iPhone #1 once it failed. Let me know how it goes!

#10

No luck, @TechnicallyWell. I had the same results. I can switch from device #1 to device #2, but then cannot go back to device #1 or device #2.

#11

I bet Apple Bluetooth speakers would work perfectly. I think it’s time to abandon the sinking ship that is Apple.

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#12

Sorry about that @Thomas_Grimes, I’ll need to test this out some more. I could have sworn my friend paired their phone to my SoundCore the other day and I switched it back without an issue, but I’ll try it again this evening.

#13

Try a reboot
Just like restarting a computer often fixes problems, restarting your iPhone sometimes works wonders:
•Press and hold the sleep/wake button. …
Slide the red slider to turn off the iPhone, and then wait a few seconds.
•Press and hold the sleep/wake button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

#14

Hi @TechnicallyWell , thank you for your help in suggesting some things… I have tried all the steps you shared Just like @Thomas_Grimes I have not gotten this to work properly.

Further, I called Anker Support, they didnt give me any steps to try they just told me they were going to send me a brand new speaker. I got the new speaker a few days ago and still no luck with this issue. I’m trying all of the same steps with the new speaker they sent me and the problem persists. Its impossible to switch the speaker back and forth from devices unless you tell your devices to “forget” the speaker then re-pair it.

I am really curious to hear if anyone at all can switch the speaker to different devices without this issue, especially since I got a brand new speaker from Anker and its still not working, it seems like this could be a more serious product flaw?

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#15

HI @nigelhealy I don’t think this is normal behavior? Every other bluetooth speaker/headphones etc from many other manufacturers I’ve used has allowed me to switch which device I’m connected to. Depending on the device sometimes its finicky how you can switch bluetooth connections, but it works at least. (E.g. sometimes you must turn off bluetooth on the device you’re currently connected to before you can connect to another device… etc).

As example I have the Jaybird X3 bluetooth headphones, and I can switch between devices seamlessly without even turning off bluetooth on the devices I’m switching away from.

The issue with this Anker speaker is that the only way to switch between devices you’ve connected it to it is to manually tell your device to “forget” the speaker, then do a fresh re-pair.

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#16

Works fine on my Android devices.

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#17

@zach1 and @TechnicallyWell, I actually reached out to the Anker support team via email. Here is their response:

We are sorry to know you have connection issues for switching the speaker between different devices.

Please be advised that the speaker will auto connected to the last
paired device. If we want to pair the device with a second device, we
need to forget the speaker from the last paired device first. However,
sometimes we cannot switch the speaker smoothly due to the different
Bluetooth versions. In this case, you can try resetting the speaker by
holding the power button for 8s to solve the problem. Could you please
try again to see if it works?

Thank you and we are looking forward to hearing from you.

I did reset the speaker, as instructed, but this did not resolve the issue. According to the support representative, it seems that we are indeed required to “forget” other devices in order to switch. I agree with @zach1 that all of the other Bluetooth speakers I’ve owned allowed you to pair numerous devices (only pairing on the first occasion for a given device) and you could then switch freely between devices from then on. This appears to be a feature flaw on an otherwise good product.

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#18

@TechnicallyWell, were you able to try it out on your Soundcore. And are you using a older Soundcore or the Soundcore 2?

#19

Hi there!
I have the same problem with my Soundcore 2. I can pair it with my PC and then with my android phone. But if I try to reconnect to PC, which was the first device, I just can’t do this. The only way to reconnect to the previous device is to fully delete the pairing history, so to do this, I need to hold longer the bluetooth button on the speaker. It’s annoying, because my previous bluetooth speaker from Philips was working OK, so I was able to change the devices without issues while sitting on the couch :confused: Philips has got even a standby mode when plugged in to the charger, so I don’t even turned it off and the speaker connected to my devices automaticaly after I were back from work. In this point is Soundcore 2 really annoying and I’m considering a return. :frowning:

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#20

@Thomas_Grimes, sorry for my delayed response as I had some unexpected travel come up.
I tested this out on the SoundCore 2 and it does seem that the first phone was not able to reconnect without first “forgetting” the speaker in the iPhone’s Bluetooth settings.
I know this feature is important to you and I know Anker wants you to be completely satisfied with your purchase, so feel free to either reply to your email with Anker support or visit the refund information page to discuss your options. Thank you for your patience!

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#21

No problem, @TechnicallyWell! I am in the proces of working with support on a refund.

Thank you so much for your continued assistance in troubleshooting this issue. Anker definitely gets an A+ in my book for customer service.

Tom

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#22

I’m having the same problem with my newly purchased SoundCore 2, which my son and I are sharing. I’m returning mine to Amazon. Surprised a company that makes such quality products like Anker would market a flagship speaker with such a glaring flaw. This is the only one of my Bluetooth speakers that doesn’t pair automatically with an unlimited number of previously paired devices. A shame, as this is a really nice speaker. Grab it if you’re only pairing with one device!

#23

Try only pressing the bluetooth button on the SoundCore 2 once for 2 seconds. Each time you redo that you are forcing the device to un-pair other devices. You could try the 8 second power reset too.

In summary:

  1. Forget the SoundCore 2 from all devices
  2. Reset SoundCore 2 (8-sec power button) (might be unnecessary)
  3. 2-sec on BT button, see flashing blue light
  4. Connect 1st device - solid blue, then disconnect (do not choose “forget”), flashing blue
  5. Connect 2nd device, then disconnect
  6. Connect 3rd device, then disconnect
    And so on…

I have 4 devices on my SoundCore 2 and it looks like I can switch between them without re-pairing.

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#24

Hey @Doug01 , I’m curious what devices you have connected where you’re able to switch between them without re-pairing. I have tried a lot of things and am using a replacement speaker Ankur sent me, but I still have to “forgot” a device and re-pair it every-time I want to switch.

I’m trying to connect the speaker to iPhone 7 plus on 10.3.3, iPhone 7 on also on 10.3.3, and Macbook Pro.

Ankurs response to my support email is a bit confusing as to whether this is a problem with my speaker or a normal behavior of the speaker. I think that they are saying it is a normal behavior and that The Soundcore 2 will not automatically switch between previously paired devices on startup. It only will connect automatically to the LAST device with which it was paired.

Ankur’s Comment on the issue:
With regards to the connecting issue, kindly note that this speaker can automatically pair with the last device which it paired, if your speaker had paired with a different Bluetooth device, you should first remove it and then re-connect them.

Honestly I’m really more surprised that people aren’t complaining about this issue on this forum, or on Amazon etc.

Despite how frustrating this is I have to admit Ankur support has been really nice about it and as per usual the customer support is very good.

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Problems with bluetooth of Soundcore 2
#25

What is there to complain about if that is how the speaker is designed to be? I currently own x4 SoundCores which get alternated between an iPhone, Chromebook, iMac, iPod Touch, work phone and I can say the 30 secs to forget and pair to another device doesn’t cause me that much stress…

Members / owners could always make a suggestion to Anker for allowing pairing of multiple devices for a future revision or new product.

#26

I’m having a discussion here on the Ankur forum to get feedback from other owners to see if they have this connectivity problem, and to engage with Ankur for product feedback. Perhaps complain is not a good word, and sure you are correct its only 30 seconds to do this step, but no other speaker on the market that I’ve tried will make you do this to switch devices, so for that reason I think its a big deal

#27

Hi @zach1,

iPhones, Macbook, Windows laptop. Same iOS version as you. Did you try my steps?

Pair all your devices that first time and stop pressing the BT button for 2 seconds as this unpairs older devices. Pair your first device, disconnect via the device, pair your second device, disconnect via the device, etc. I’m not sure this has to all be done at the same time but it worked for me (in other words in my case can I add a fifth device when the SoundCore 2 powers up provided I have no other devices grabbing the BT radio - don’t know). Repetitively pressing the BT button on the Anker SoundCore 2 for 2 seconds means you’ll be forever forgetting and re-pairing all your devices, which I don’t have to do.

Let us know if that works for you

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