I Liked The IPhone 16e Until It Broke My Playlists

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

In theory, the iPhone 16e is a fun little device. It combines a simple design with a streamlined spec sheet yet makes enough room for Apple’s latest chipset and updated Apple Intelligence features. On paper, it’s everything you need from an iPhone, even if it makes a little bit less sense to spend your money on than the more flexible Pixel 9a or Galaxy S24 FE. Overall, I enjoyed my time with the iPhone 16e — right up until I realized I couldn’t really listen to music on it. Here’s what went wrong.

Life is tough outside of Apple’s walled garden

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

For the first week or so that I had my iPhone 16e, I didn’t realize anything was wrong. I spent most of my time with the phone paired to my trusty Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED and nothing else. As a mostly social runner, the bulk of my weekly miles add up without headphones or music playing, so there was nothing for my iPhone 16e to worry about. Then, I headed to my local climbing gym, hoping to pop headphones in and spend a little time on the wall, and that’s when my trouble started.

While I had no issues firing up a bouldering workout on my wrist, the stuttering began as soon as I turned on my Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones and hopped into my Spotify Daylist. Every couple of seconds, whatever song I was playing would hiccup, pausing for the shortest breath before continuing. I’d occasionally get a little bit lucky with a song running 15 or 20 seconds before it stuttered, but there was no way to know. After about a song and a half, I gave up on my tunes and trusted that the gym’s Pandora station would be half-decent — it was fine.

Like a nervous kid at a talent show, the iPhone 16e just couldn’t make it through a song.

When I finished my workout and headed back to my apartment, I decided it was time for some homework and experimentation. I quickly looked to see whether other users were having the same problem I had and found that my colleague Aamir had noticed similar complaints online. He hadn’t been able to replicate it himself as he only had an Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 2 handy, but he came to me wondering about the issue at just about the same time I was already looking into it.

As it turns out, most of the iPhone 16e’s Bluetooth stuttering issues appear when you connect it to multiple third-party accessories, which is terrible news for me. I spend enough time switching between Android and iOS that I’ve never really invested in first-party peripherals like an Apple Watch or AirPods, simply because I wouldn’t be able to use them very effectively when my SIM is on another device. And, at this point, I’m so reliant on my Garmin watch for its battery life and sleep tracking that I don’t think I’d be willing to switch anyway.

After more experimentation with various Bluetooth accessories, I think I’m just about as disappointed and confused as I was at the start. Nothing seems to help the iPhone 16e shake its stutter, whether I’m pairing accessories from different companies, like the CMF Buds Pro 2 and a Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED, or accessories from the same company, like the Suunto Sonic and Race S Titanium watch.

While looking where to point the finger, my colleague Robert Triggs pointed out that Apple’s new C1 modem was unlikely to be the cause. It’s responsible for cellular connectivity rather than Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Having tried various accessories, our best guess is this might be a software issue, but it’s not entirely clear. I just want to listen to my music.

There’s good news on the horizon

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

Although I’m pretty disappointed by Apple’s latest iPhone suffering from a Bluetooth issue I’ve never experienced before, it’s not all bad news. I decided to swap from music to podcasts through my OpenRun Pro headphones and found that the stuttering wasn’t nearly as bad — maybe once or twice per minute rather than every couple of seconds. I’d call this the lesser of two evils, if nothing else, but only because it’s easier to ignore the hiccups when listening to true crime than it is when you’re counting on a consistent beat of a song. So, if you’re just after a quick fix for your iPhone 16e, podcasts might be the way to go.

Updating to the iOS 18.4 beta seems to fix the problem.

If you’re willing to be a little more adventurous, though, there’s at least a little hope that the issues stem from a bad update of iOS 18 and nothing more. Some users who initially reported the stuttering issue have since loaded up the public beta of iOS 18.4 and found that it fixed the Bluetooth issues. I’ve done the same and can confirm that my iPhone 16e has made it through several songs in a row without a hiccup or a stumble. Of course, there are always challenges in relying on beta software — it can cause as many issues as it fixes — but so far, I’m seeing more benefits than drawbacks.

If you’re not ready to trust a beta update, I completely understand. The good news is that the full iOS 18.4 rollout should begin sometime in early April, so you shouldn’t have to wait all that long before you can stream your tunes without issue. And hey, a little bit of patience beats investing in all new accessories in the meantime, doesn’t it?