Splitting audio between Bluetooth headset (calls) and headphone jack (media)?

[TristanP]

Hi all, first post.

Got my DX back in October and love it. I've been using it in my work car (2007 Cobalt - meh) with an Arkon powered dock. I have a 3.5mm stereo audio cable connecting the DX to the Cobalt's headunit. No issues at all with Pandora, Nav, etc. I have LauncherPro Plus as my launcher.

Last week I bought a BlueAnt Q2 so I could use both my work and personal phones with a single headset (Vlingo InCar is pretty damn cool). Now when I have BT active, the DX in the dock, and cable connecting phone and headunit, calls and music are played through the headset. I found an option under Settings | Wireless | BT settings | long press the headset and Options:

BlueAnt Q2 v1.1 options
Connect to phone and media audio (checked)
Profiles
Phone (checked)
Media (unchecked)

I want only phone calls to come through the headset, all other audio to go through the headphone jack. Is this possible? Did I miss something?

Thanks in advance.

 

[mcapozzi]

I have the same issue.

The only workaround is to toggle the media playback setting for your BT after the music starts playing through it.

-Mike

 

[TristanP]

Thanks - tried it and it worked. Surely there's a way around that though - that's awful for such a smart phone. Nothing Tasker can do about it?

 

[LtKen]

I figured this one out a couple days ago. Caveats: You will lose all A2DP functionality, and you must be rooted.

So here goes:
With Root Explorer or other root-enabled file browser, navigate to /etc/bluetooth/ and open audio.conf for editing.

In the block of code that starts with [General]

Change:
Enable = Sink, Control
Disable = Headset, Gateway, Source

To:
Enable =
Disable = Headset, Gateway, Source, Sink, Control

Save and reboot.

Voila -- music will never be routed to an A2DP enabled bluetooth device.

 

[mcapozzi]

Sorry guys, but I have to rant on this one...

This is why I f-ing hate Android sometimes, you need to root and hack because the damn checkbox in the advanced Bluetooth settings does not work.

Let me ask this, do you think Apple, Palm/HP, or Microsoft would have missed something so simple.

This bug is also present on the Incredible, so this isn't just a Motorola bug.

-Mike

I figured this one out a couple days ago. Caveats: You will lose all A2DP functionality, and you must be rooted.

So here goes:
With Root Explorer or other root-enabled file browser, navigate to /etc/bluetooth/ and open audio.conf for editing.

In the block of code that starts with [General]

Change:
Enable = Sink, Control
Disable = Headset, Gateway, Source

To:
Enable =
Disable = Headset, Gateway, Source, Sink, Control

Save and reboot.

Voila -- music will never be routed to an A2DP enabled bluetooth device.

 

[LtKen]

This is why I f-ing hate Android sometimes, you need to root and hack because the damn checkbox in the advanced Bluetooth settings does not work.

Let me ask this, do you think Apple, Palm/HP, or Microsoft would have missed something so simple.

This bug is also present on the Incredible, so this isn't just a Motorola bug.

-Mike

As far as I can tell, this is a hack no matter what the operating system is. It's pretty abnormal to want to disable A2DP entirely. Some BT devices even have firmware that disables A2DP, but it's a firmware update, not a setting.

Yes, the selection bug shouldnt happen, but it does. At least we can work around it....

 

[mcapozzi]

I know this doesn't happen on a Pre

I previously owned a Pre, and I can attest to this not being an issue on WebOS.

If I say, do not play media audio through this Bluetooth device, it would never ignore the setting.

-Mike

 

[TristanP]

Two questions - is this bug only in v2.2 or do 2.3 and 3.0 (don't even know if that's possible) have it too?

Also, and forgive my ignorance, what exactly does A2DP bring to the table that I'd be losing?

 

[LtKen]

Two questions - is this bug only in v2.2 or do 2.3 and 3.0 (don't even know if that's possible) have it too?

Also, and forgive my ignorance, what exactly does A2DP bring to the table that I'd be losing?

I cant answer your first question, but in my experience, it's a Moto problem.

A2DP is the protocol for stereo audio over bluetooth. You would lose just that. Unless you like to BT connect your phone to your PC or car to listen to music wirelessly, then you're not really losing anything you would use.

A2DP is what's causing the music to play over the bluetooth device. All you're doing is turning it off for ALL devices -- I havent figured out a way to turn it off for a single device.

 

[mcapozzi]

I would just like to thank LtKen, you have fixed my phone's 2nd most annoying issue.

Now if only there was a way to get the voice dialer to not suck, then my phone would be perfect.

-Mike

 

[TristanP]

Which voice dialer? I've been using Vlingo which works most of the time.

 

[dmwoods]

If anyone else runs into this, try an app named SoundAbout in Google Play.