ccbesq

I’ve got a Bluetooth problem that I simply can't figure out. I have a 2012 E550 cabriolet with Comand and the Harman Kardon system. Since I got the car last year the Bluetooth has worked fine with both my iPhone 6 and a newer iPhone 7 Plus, but suddenly it’s developed a problem. The iPhone is properly paired, and the phone function works perfectly - I can talk hands free and it plays the other end through the sound system. I can play music fine from the AM/FM or the SD card settings, but when I try to stream Pandora or any other source from the iPhone by Bluetooth, there’s no sound. The Comand control knob will switch between tracks on the iPhone, and the music is clearly playing on the iPhone - when I shut off the Bluetooth the music can be heard on the phone itself. There’s a bar on the iPhone screen which shows the progress of the track being played, and it works correctly. There’s a similar bar on the Comand screen, which works properly when I’m playing music from the SD card, but it doesn’t move when the iPhone Bluetooth is the source, even though the bar on the iPhone is moving. I’ve also tested the iPhone with stand-alone Bluetooth speakers, and they all work fine. I've looked around on this site and on others, and have tried everything I can think of, including unpairing and repairing the Bluetooth, shutting everything down and turning it back on, etc. Nothing has solved the problem. I realize that it may be something really simple and that I’m just being an idiot, so fire away, but does anyone have a clue what's going on?

PaulE550

Sounds like the problem is in the Pandora app instead of the Command unit. Have you upgraded the Pandora app on your phone recently or has Apple done it for you by way of their automatic update service? The Pandora app does seem to have a few problems based on some user feedback on the app site. Given that the phone pairs correctly with Command and you can do calls with no problem, the only variable is the Pandora app itself. Do you have another streaming music source you can try to see if this is the case?

400ixl

Bluetooth calling and Bluetooth streaming (A2DP) are two different protocols, so just because one is working, doesn't mean the other will.

First try a more simple app to stream music from, just the standard music app with local content rather than anything internet based like Pandora and see if that works. If it does then it is most likely the Pandora app. If not then you have another issue to resolve.

Flash Gordon

Your problem is not unusual as I have a similar problem with Pandora from time to time with my 2017 E coupe, not all the time but enough to get me annoyed. Heck, my garage door opener could not be paired since day one, using my old Sears clicker now. MB salesman told me, after I bought the car, to get the software updated. I will when I need important service and get it all done.

ccbesq

I guess it's another issue, because the same symptoms present when I stream music which is stored on my iPhone (i.e. not from an internet source), including that I can pause it on the phone and Comand says “device paused,” but no sound comes through the system.

400ixl

Is it multiple phones, or just that one? May help determine which end is not working.

In the engineering menu I believe you can switch off A2DP streaming. May be work switching it off, cycling the ignition and then switching it back on.

ccbesq

Thanks for your input, Stu. I've had two iPhones since I got the car - first I was using an iPhone 6 and now I'm using a 7 Plus. The system worked fine with the 6, and also worked until about a week ago with the 7. Then mysteriously it stopped working as described in my first post. You refer to the engineering menu, and I'm not sure what that means. Are you referring to the Settings menu in the Comand system?

400ixl

Yes, there is an engineering menu you can access through command which allows you to turn on/off the bluetooth streaming.

Quick search brought up http://www.mercupgrades.com/Comand+A...faq-15.html#25

Have you tried a different phone than the iPhone 7 since it stopped working?