Android 15 has introduced significant Bluetooth connectivity issues affecting various devices, with problems extending beyond basic connection failures to include priority management flaws where paired devices randomly disconnect and reconnect to other available Bluetooth devices, and a frustrating organizational issue in how Bluetooth devices are displayed and sorted in system settings, making it difficult for users to locate and connect to their preferred audio devices.
Android 15's issues extend beyond the Notification Void and Bluetooth Toggle Regression creating a frustrating user experience.
Unlike previous Android versions, the OS lacks reliable mechanisms to maintain "sticky" connections or establish device hierarchies, causing paired devices to randomly disconnect and reconnect to other available Bluetooth devices1. This particularly affects Android Auto users, where established car connections spontaneously switch to other paired devices like hearing aids or watches, disrupting navigation and media playback1.
The standard Bluetooth protocol doesn't natively support priority settings, leaving this functionality to the operating system's implementation2. Even more concerning is Android 15's new "Bluetooth Auto-On" feature, which automatically reactivates Bluetooth shortly after users disable it to support Find My Device functionality3, potentially exacerbating connection priority issues by increasing the number of competing Bluetooth connections.
The Android 15 update has introduced a frustrating organizational flaw in how Bluetooth devices are displayed and prioritized in the system settings. Users report that the "Previously Connected Devices" list now follows an apparently random sorting order rather than any logical arrangement based on connection frequency or device name12. This creates a particularly problematic situation for wireless earbud users, as these essential devices often get buried at the bottom of lengthy device lists.
When attempting to manually connect to specific earbuds, users must tap "See all" and then scroll through what can be dozens of entries to locate their desired device2. One user with approximately 25 paired devices described this process as "tedious," noting that the list doesn't even prioritize recently connected devices at the top2. The problem becomes more acute for users who regularly switch between multiple audio devices such as car systems, headphones, and earbuds.
The technical root of this issue appears to be a change in how Android 15 manages its Bluetooth device cache and priority assignments. In previous Android versions, the OS would at minimum display currently connected devices at the top of quick settings panels for easier management2. The current implementation ignores both alphabetical sorting and recency of connection, creating what one Fairphone Community Forum user described as a "completely random" arrangement that changes daily1.
For power users with root access, one technical workaround involves manually editing the /data/misc/bluedroid/bt_config.conf file via ADB shell to change device order3. However, this solution is unavailable to most standard users. Some have resorted to renaming their devices with special characters or prefixes to make them more visible in the cluttered list2.
This organizational flaw compounds the other Bluetooth issues in Android 15, as users struggling with connection problems must now also contend with an inefficient interface when attempting to troubleshoot or manually manage their devices45. Google has yet to acknowledge this specific UI problem in their official communications about Android 15's Bluetooth functionality.
