Hands-free phone - doesn't automatically connect

[forester2002s]

Vehicle: 2017 Subaru Forester - with 7" Subaru Multimedia Plus system

I've had this car since new, and it has a nuisance problem: the system won't automatically connect with whichever cell-phone is in the car.

I have two phones paired using Bluetooth: my phone and my wife's phone. So no problem there, both phones show as being paired on the screen.

If I drive the car (on my own) the Bluetooth system will connect to my phone, and the hands-free features works fine.

The next day my wife drives the car (on her own), and the Bluetooth system won't automatically connect to her phone, even though it is correctly paired.

But if I get in the car, with or without my wife, the system automatically connects again to my phone.

There seems to be no way to get the system to automatically connect to another (already paired) phone.  The only way I can make this happen is to manually change to the second paired phone.  This is a real nuisance, as it means that every time one of us gets in the car to drive on our own, we have to go into the phone system to force a change to the 'other phone'.  The problem is not with the 'pairing' which works fine; the two phones stay paired, but the system only tries to connect to the last-seen phone.

I can't find anything about this in the Owner's Manual, nor on the on-screen prompts.

Has anyone else seen this problem?  And is it fixable?

[Numbchux]

By far the #1 problem for radio replacements when I worked at the dealer was bluetooth pairing issues. If it's under warranty, bring it to the dealer.

 

My mom's 2012 Impreza radio stopped connecting. We bought a used one (don't remember if we found a local yard, or bought on ebay) and swapped it in. Or get as much information off the radio as you can (faceplate ID, brand, etc.) and call the dealership parts deptartment. There are some factory remanufactured options that aren't terribly costly.