The Bluetooth connection keeps dropping and the music stutters like digital TV in a storm. Familiar story. Usually the cause is either simple or really simple – rarely anything serious.
Why does the connection drop?
Bluetooth is radio technology, and radio technology is basically magic that works most of the time. VMK20 uses Bluetooth 5.0 on a Qualcomm chip, i.e., solid stuff. But a couple of things can mess things up:
- Multipoint confusion. VMK20 supports multipoint, meaning the headphones can be connected to two devices at the same time. Handy, but sometimes the headphones try to jump to the other device in the middle of things. If your laptop or tablet has Bluetooth on in the same room, the headphones may switch to it.
- Old pairing record. Bluetooth devices store pairing data in memory. Sometimes this data gets corrupted – especially after updates. The headphones think they're connected, the phone thinks it's connected, but in reality they're just shouting past each other like a quarreling couple.
- Interference. A WiFi router, a microwave oven, another Bluetooth device, or the neighbor's wireless speaker – all operate on the same 2.4 GHz frequency. Congestion ensues.
- Phone Bluetooth bug. Especially on Android phones, the Bluetooth stack can get tied in knots. It's not our fault, but it's still your problem.
How to fix it
Try these in order. Usually one of them helps:
- Remove the pairing entirely. Go to your phone's Bluetooth settings, find VMK20, and choose "Forget device" or "Unpair". Turn off the headphones. Turn them back on and pair from scratch.
- Reset the headphones. Plug a 3.5 mm AUX cable into the headphones and unplug it. This resets the Bluetooth chip. Simple as can be, but it works surprisingly often.
- Check multipoint. If the headphones are paired with multiple devices, turn off Bluetooth on the devices you aren't using right now. That way the headphones won't try to serve two masters.
- Update your phone. Make sure that your phone has the latest operating system update. Bluetooth bugs are fixed regularly in updates.
- Restart your phone. Yep, the classic. IT support has been asking this since 1995 and it still works.
- Test with another device. Connect the headphones to another phone or computer. If the connection works flawlessly, the problem is with your phone, not the headphones.
If that doesn't help
If you've tried all of the above and the connection still keeps dropping, it may be a hardware fault. Rare, but possible – electronics are electronics.
Contact us at info@valco.fi. Include your order number and tell us what you've already tried, so we save time on both sides. If necessary, our service center in Kajaani will check the device. We repair headphones rather than throw them away – that's how we stand out from those big corporations whose service instruction is "buy a new one".
