Pixel 9 Android 16 — Bluetooth media audio completely dead on car head unit, calls work fine [A2DP bug]
^(I've been losing my mind over this for days and tried everything. Hoping others can confirm this is a known Android 16 bug.)
^(The problem:)
^(My Pixel 9 connects to my car head unit (Max2) via Bluetooth. Phone calls work perfectly through the car. But media audio is completely silent — music apps play but zero sound comes through the car speakers.)
^(What confirms this is a Pixel/Android 16 bug:)
^(Samsung Galaxy S24 ✅ works fine on same car)
^(Samsung Galaxy A17 ✅ works fine on same car)
^(iPhone 16 ✅ works fine on same car)
^(Pixel 9 Android 16 ❌ calls only, zero media audio)
^(Everything I've tried:)
^(Cleared Bluetooth cache)
^(Full Bluetooth reset)
^(Re-paired from scratch on both devices)
^(Disabled LE Audio in Developer Options)
^(Changed AVRCP to 1.4 and 1.5)
^(Toggled media audio off/on while streaming)
^(Disabled battery optimization for Bluetooth)
^(Bluetooth Audio Codec stays grayed out even while streaming)
^(Google's own Bluetooth diagnostics says "Possible issue with accessory" — incorrect since 3 other phones work perfectly)
^(Device info:)
^(Device: Google Pixel 9)
^(Android: 16)
^(Security patch: April 5, 2026)
^(Anyone else experiencing this? Has anyone found a workaround? I use my car audio every single day.)