How to Fix Bluetooth Sound Cuts Out on Home Theater
Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team
1. Introduction
Sometimes, problems can occur with the Bluetooth connection to your surround sound system. Your sound might appear to be cutting out or skipping. You might even hear dead spots where there's no sound at all.
This guide will walk you through checking range, restarts, closing applications, and re-pairing your devices to get everything working properly again.
Tools You'll Need:
A paperclip
iPhone charging cable
Access to a computer with iTunes installed
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Supplies You'll Need:
Zip ties
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Before You Begin:
You must have access to a computer with iTunes installed.
You must have that thing for the other thing so you can do the thing.
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2. Check Bluetooth Range Between Home Theater
The device needs to be within a reasonable range in order to connect.
In general, to pair and use a Bluetooth device, the device needs to be within 10 feet of your home theater.
Some medium and higher-power devices can be farther, up to about 30 feet, but this tends to be for larger devices that plug in or have very large batteries, such as a computer, media streaming device, or a plug-in speaker system.
Try moving the Bluetooth device closer if you have trouble.
If Not In Range
If possible, move the device you wish to stream from closer to your home theater.
If this is not possible, Bluetooth streaming may not be the technology you wish to use. Check to see if your home theater or surround sound system provides support for DLNA or Miracast streaming, possibly through your Smart TV, instead.
3. Close Unused Applications
Bluetooth transmission can be affected by too many applications are running at the same time on the connected device. Closing applications that you are not using will prevent a slowing down of the Bluetooth transmission.
 
Android
Tap Recent Apps at the bottom of the screen.
The Recent Apps button may be located on either the bottom left or bottom right as either an onscreen button or a physical button. If you're unsure which button it is, please refer to the user manual of your android device.
Either tap the X or swipe to the side to close an app.
 
iPhone or iPad
The way to show all running apps on an iOS device varies with the model you have:
Older iOS devices, up to the iPhone X, still come equipped with a circular home button beneath the screen.
Newer iOS devices, beginning with the iPhone X, no longer come equipped with the circular home button beneath the screen.
On iOS Devices with a Home Button
Double-press the Home button quickly.
On iOS Devices Without a Home Button
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen.
You will now see a list of apps that are currently open. Swipe up on any of the apps to close them.
A Windows PC
Closing Unused programs will give your computer more resources to use elsewhere.
Press the CTRL + ALT + DEL keys on your keyboard at the same time.
Choose Task Manager from the screen that comes up.
You will see a list of programs that are open. Choose a program you are not using, and click on End Task. Repeat as needed.
 
macOS
When you hit the red circle to close a window, the program may still run in the background. If you run too many applications at the same time you can have issues where you run out of memory, or an open program is using a good chunk of your CPU, and decrease battery life.
There are 2 ways to close a program on your Mac. The first way is preferred.
Quit A Program Normally
Look at the Dock, the bar with the icons, usually at the bottom of your screen.
Items that are running have a small black dot below them. Select that item to bring that App to the forefront.
Finder, the first icon on the bar, will always be running, and can be ignored.
Select the name of the program from the menu bar at the top, then choose Quit.
Force Quit a Program
Select the Apple menu, then select Force Quit.
Select the program you are having problems closing, then select Force Quit.
You will be prompted to confirm, select Force Quit.
Any unsaved work will be lost from a program that you Force Quit.
You can not close the Finder application.
 
4. Restart Home Theater and Bluetooth Connected Devices
Let's restart your Home Theater Receiver and TV.
On Your Home Theater
Select the Power Button on your receiver's remote to turn it off.
Wait 15 seconds.
Select the Power Button again to turn it back on.
On Your TV
Select the Power Button on your TV's remote to turn it off.
Wait 15 seconds.
Select the Power Button again to turn it back on.
Now let's restart the device you're using to send the Bluetooth audio.
A Windows PC
Before you restart or shut down your PC, make sure to save all necessary work to prevent data loss.
Select the Start menu, then select Power.
Select Restart.
 
A Mac
From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu, then Restart...
Android
Hold down the power button on your Android device. Depending on the manufacturer and model of Android device you have, the location of the power button will vary.
A prompt will appear on screen. Select Restart.
If the menu does not pop up, continue to hold the power button, and your Android device will shut off.
If you had to shut down your Android device, wait 30 seconds before turning your device back on.
 
iPhone or iPad
To restart your device:
Restart your iPhone X
Press and hold the Side button and either volume button until the slider appears.
Drag the slider to turn your iPhone X completely off.
After your iPhone X turns off, press and hold the Side button again until you see the Apple logo.
Restart your iPhone 8 or earlier, iPad, or iPod touch
Press and hold the Top (or Side) button until the slider appears.
Drag the slider to turn your device completely off.
After the device turns off, press and hold the Top (or Side) button again until you see the Apple logo.
With iOS 11 or later, you can also turn off your device by going to Settings, then General, then Shut Down.
5. Test Bluetooth Audio on Home Theater
Now that you've restarted your devices, let's test them and see if your problem is solved.
Make sure Bluetooth is selected on your receiver.
Open the app or program you want to play sound from on your computer or mobile device.
Select some media you want to play, then select Play.
If you're still not getting proper audio, let's try re-pairing the devices.
6. Forget and Re-pair the Bluetooth Device
If you're still having issues with your Bluetooth audio even after restarting the devices, let's go ahead and "forget" them and re-pair them to your Home Theater. Forgetting the devices will erase any settings you have saved and may fix any issues you're experiencing.
Forget or Remove the Bluetooth Device
There are many home theaters and related devices. Depending on the manufacturer and model receiver your have within your setup, your home theater may have different steps.
Access Settings.
Then select Controllers & Bluetooth Devices.
Select Other Bluetooth Devices.
Select the device that's having the connection issue.
Press the Menu button on your remote to unpair it.