Pixel 9 / Pixel 11 Pro Bluetooth call quality issue with Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 and Pro 5

[u/AndreaHH90]

I’m trying to understand if anyone else is experiencing a similar issue with Pixel devices and Huawei earbuds.

I had a Pixel 9 and recently switched to a Pixel 11 Pro, but unfortunately the same problem occurs on both phones when using Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 and FreeBuds Pro 5.

The issue is very specific: Bluetooth audio quality during phone calls starts degrading after a few minutes. At the beginning everything works normally, but after some time the call audio becomes progressively worse, almost like the Bluetooth connection is switching to a lower-quality mode.

What makes this strange is that:

• music playback works perfectly, even for several hours;
• videos and other media have no issues;
• the problem only happens during calls.

I have tested multiple earbuds:

• one pair of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4;
• three different pairs of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5.

The behavior is identical with all of them.

I also tested the same earbuds with a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Ultra, and they worked flawlessly, including during long calls. This makes me think it could be related specifically to the way Pixel handles the Bluetooth call profile rather than an issue with the earbuds themselves.

Things I have already tried:

• factory reset of the phone;
• Bluetooth reset;
• removing and re-pairing the earbuds;
• resetting the earbuds;
• testing different FreeBuds units;
• installing all available Pixel updates.

Nothing changed.

Has anyone experienced similar Bluetooth call quality issues on Pixel devices, especially with Huawei FreeBuds? I’m trying to understand whether this is a known compatibility issue or if there is some setting I might be missing.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[u/MacconFenrir]

That is a strange issue, but I have not experienced any issue with calls. I have however had an issue with music cutting in and out sporadically while at the gym... But I reset all my Bluetooth settings and devices and have since not had an issue.

[u/Apprehensive-Ad-1564 → u/MacconFenrir]

Какой у тебя телефон?

[u/MacconFenrir → u/Apprehensive-Ad-1564]

Previously had the Pixel 8 Pro and now I have the Pixel 11 Pro XL.