After upgrading my Android phone, all Bluetooth controls stopped working on my 2017 Subaru BRZ factory receiver. I was unable to pause, play, or skip songs from receiver or steering wheel controls. Furthermore, the receiver would say "no audio device connected", even though Bluetooth audio was working.
The fix was to downgrade the version of AVRCP in Android from 1.5 to 1.4. This can be done in the developer tools menu. After completing these steps, everything is working normally again. It is unclear if the problem is the radio or Android, but my guess is that AVRCP 1.5 is just not supported by the radio and it doesn't handle the compatibility problem gracefully.
Process to Fix:
- Tap on the Settings (gear icon) icon to open the setting on your Android device.
- Tap on About phone
- Click on Build number 10 times to unlock developer mode. Enter your password if asked.
- Go back to Settings and click System, then Advanced, then Developer options.
- Scroll down to the Networking section and find Bluetooth AVRCP Version.
- Change it to AVRCP 1.4
- That should be it! If it doesn't work immediately, try rebooting your phone.
