[V15.5.345] Bluetooth audio routing completely broken

[caesay]

Software Version:
I'm using the latest version of 3CX and the latest version of the Android client beta (V15.5.345). However, I have tried this with several versions of the android app including the latest non-beta and some older APK's I found online and they all can reproduce for me.

Device Info:
Samsung S9 (SM-G960F) running Android 8.0.0 Oreo

Issue Info:
The app in general works great, but the bluetooth audio routing is totally broken for me. I've tried multiple bluetooth devices (including my Bose QC35 headset, my car, and a small bluetooth speaker).

I hear the phone start to ring (audio for the ring plays through bluetooth, and not the device). When I answer the call, the audio ONLY plays through the phone handset speaker, and never plays through the bluetooth device. This is debilitating because it means I need to take my bluetooth headset off and put the phone to my face in order to actually hear a call.

I have never had this issue with any other VOIP apps (including but not limited to: Skype, Discord, Slack, Google Hangouts, Google Meet)

Note: I have reviewed all the 'bluetooth' threads in this section prior to posting. The only issue acknowledged by 3CX in previous postings are about hands-free answering. I'd like to be clear that I don't care at all about the comforts of using buttons on my handset to answer a call, and just want the audio to work properly.

 

[LeonidasG_3CX]

A version with full BT support is coming very soon but it will initially be only available for very few Android devices. This is because of vendor support, not 3CX.

 

[caesay]

I'm sorry, but I'd like more clarity into this issue please. I'm not interested in 'full bluetooth support' and this is not an Android vendor issue. I only want call audio to be played over my bluetooth device, which is something you claim to have. How can you claim that you have any Bluetooth support at all if you can't play call audio over a bluetooth connection? Why don't any other internet calling apps suffer from this problem?

Your reply is unsatisfactory - I could have nearly built a android app from scratch which plays audio over a bluetooth connection in less time than it took for you to respond to this.

 

[caesay]

I'm looking an answer which is one of:

• We are not planning on supporting calls over bluetooth devices with the 3CX client at all.
• We are investigating this problem and/or have scheduled work to fix this issue in CY19 Q1, Q2 etc.
• We have acknowledged that there is an issue with our software and have decided it is not important to us and are not going to be investigating or fixing it.

Blaming this off as a vendor issue is just not correct. Can someone from the 3CX team please address this? The answer to this question is vital to my decision on whether we will be migrating our call center to 3CX or to some other alternative, and it will only take you a couple minutes.

 

[LeonidasG_3CX]

I'm looking an answer which is one of:

• We are not planning on supporting calls over bluetooth devices with the 3CX client at all.
• We are investigating this problem and/or have scheduled work to fix this issue in CY19 Q1, Q2 etc.
• We have acknowledged that there is an issue with our software and have decided it is not important to us and are not going to be investigating or fixing it.

Blaming this off as a vendor issue is just not correct. Can someone from the 3CX team please address this? The answer to this question is vital to my decision on whether we will be migrating our call center to 3CX or to some other alternative, and it will only take you a couple minutes.

Ok so,

Tldr answer:
Try using Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook, Google Hangouts on Android with a bluetooth headset.
You will notice that the call answer/drop button on the BT headset doesn't work. If you move to another solution other than 3CX, they won't support this either for the reasons i previously mentioned.

If none of the big players can do this, why would you expect that 3CX can do it?


Now actually in the next release of our Android Client where we will include support for something called "Android CallKit". This CallKit thing adds bluetooth and better audio routing support. It exists in the Android 8.0 O/S. (It's already implemented in our iOS Client btw)

Now the problem is that though it exists in the Android 8.0 O/S, phone manufacturers need to also have their development teams make their phones to support CallKit. So far only very few manufacturers have added support for this. In the next version of the 3CX Android phone 3CX has added support in our 3CX Android client for CallKit.

We are testing as many devices as we can internally right now to find out which ones fully support CallKit. These devices will be whitelisted in our app and anyone using them in the next release will get full Bluetooth Support & Amazing audio routing. Users with non-whitelisted devices will be able to enable this feature and see if their device/vendor has added support for this

After the above, Viber, What'sApp, Facebook, Google Hangouts won't have this CallKit initially, but 3CX will have it first. I highly doubt you'll see this feature and level of commitment in any other PBX/Call Center software.

Short Answer:
It will be supported in one of the next releases of our client which will occur within a couple of months, it will be for very specific devices initially until vendors can add support for this in all their devices.

 

[caesay]

@LeonidasG As I mentioned twice, I don't care about the ability to answer/drop calls via the bluetooth buttons on the headset. I can't hear call audio through bluetooth devices, even after the call has been answered by using the 3CX answer in the 3CX client itself.

Furthermore, as i mentioned in my first post. ALL other apps (including Viber, What'sApp, Facebook, Google Hangouts) support this, because without this, bluetooth does not exist. Please re-read my first post carefully.

As stated in both of my posts, I can not hear any call audio at all. Even after the call has been answered.

Please address the issue at hand here, which is that call audio does not work. Please do not address the issue of answering the call using the headset buttons, which has been addressed before in this forum.

 

[caesay]

For clarity, I will expain the issue one last time.

I have a Samsung S9 running Android 8.0. I have a bluetooth device connected. When the call rings, I hear audio (the call ringing) come through the bluetooth device (expected, good!). When I answer the call (using the 3CX client, not the headset buttons) I can not hear any call audio through the bluetooth device (no, this is bad! everyone else supports this!). I then need to take my bluetooth headset off, put the phone to my face, and either use speakerphone or the S9 earpiece to hear the call audio. (even though the bluetooth device is still connected!!)

This simple function (hearing an ACTIVE call, via bluetooth device) does not require anything special and all major (and minor) players and devices have supported this since the beginning of Android. It does not require CallKit, which I do understand and agree will be dependent on when vendors update their individual distributions of Android.

 

[caesay]

Still looking for an answer on to what 3CX plans to do to action the above issue.

 

[caesay]

ping @YiannisH_3CX @LeonidasG Can the above please be reviewed? the problem was misdiagnosed and misunderstood, and now ignored.