Why won't the Moto Z Play Droid switch car audio to bluetooth for media?
xiangrui
Newbie

The problem: The media audio signal from my Moto Z Play Droid phone won’t switch the source on my 2016 Honda Odyssey van to Bluetooth, so I won’t hear anything from App like Google Map.

The following information and test may be useful for the diagnosis. Please bear with me for the long post, but I want to give more information so the experts can help me figure out the issue.

My old Lumina 640 Windows Phone (ATT if it matters) worked perfectly on the same car. While I was on the radio, if there was incoming phone call or voice command from GPS (Here Drive), the car audio would switch to Bluetooth automatically. I suppose it works in this nice way because the audio source “Priority” in the car is set to “Bluetooth” all the time.

With my new Moto phone (Verizon, Andoid version 6.0.1) the phone call works well: The radio stops if there is incoming call, and I can answer without any issue. But the voice from Google Map won’t broadcast to the car audio system, so I won’t hear anything from it. If I turn off Bluetooth connection, the voice will come from the phone speaker as expected. I also tried another GPS app, Here WeGo, and it gives the same problem as Google Map.

If I switch the car audio system to “Bluetooth”, Google Map and Here WeGo work fine, but I won’t be able to listen to the radio or CD.

The same problem is for the audio from phone movie: it works only when car audio is switched to Bluetooth.

I tried to turn on/off HD voice in the phone setting, but it did not make any difference. I also tried once to re-pair the Bluetooth connection, but it did not help.

By the way, the phone book and history can load into the car without any problem.

Another minor issue may or may not be related to this. The car screen would show an icon if there was a new text message on my Windows phone. With the new Andoid phone, that icon is there once Bluetooth is connected even if there is no new text message.

I appreciate any suggestion to work around with the issue. Thanks and Happy New Year!

-Xiangrui

Labels (1)
Tags (1)
0 Likes
1 Solution

Correct answers
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Except that is the point. The Bluetooth connection doesn't have the media access that the Windows phone had. If you still have the Windows phone and look at the Bluetooth configuration for your vehicle you will see it has three protocols, Contact Sharing, Message Access and Media.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

View solution in original post

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

It’s is an inconvenience when your trying to have the Bluetooth functions working properly inside your vehicle, Xiangrui. Let me assist you with getting these issues resolved. If you have other Bluetooth devices, does your device have these similar issues when connected? Have you checked with your auto dealer to confirm if their a software update needed for your vehicle? Please use this link to inquire further http://bit.ly/1pX6ybQ and let us know if you need more assistance. 


EdwinW_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
xiangrui
Newbie

Thank you for the reply.

Based on my test, I suspect the issue is with the Moto phone or Andoid, since the Windows phone works well with the same vehicle audio system. However it is possible that the Windows phone uses "phone" channel to broadcast Here Drive voice. I noticed "Cortana" with a fake phone number on the car display when Here Drive sends a voice. If this is true, is there a setting in the Moto phone to force Google Map to use phone channel for its voice? The phone voice can automatically switch the car audio to Bluetooth for both Windows and Android phones.

-Xiangrui

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Have you checked the Bluetooth configuration for the pairing to your vehicle in the Moto Z Bluetooth setting? I know for my vehicle on a Moto X 2014 it would only be used for Calls and Messages. But when I was testing a Windows phone, I could get my navigation prompts to play through the vehicle speakers instead of on the device. I know the navigation or music could work through the Bluetooth system, but it would only work on other vehicles when I rented them.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
xiangrui
Newbie

Thank you Ann154.

The Bluetooth setting at Moto phone for the vehicle connection seems very simple. Besides the name of the connection, there are only following two options:

Contact sharing

Message Access

None of these seems related to the issue here.

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Except that is the point. The Bluetooth connection doesn't have the media access that the Windows phone had. If you still have the Windows phone and look at the Bluetooth configuration for your vehicle you will see it has three protocols, Contact Sharing, Message Access and Media.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
xiangrui
Newbie

I just tried to re-connect the retired Windows phone, and you are exactly right. Does this mean it is a minor blame of Android phone? I have found so many nice features of the new Android phone over the Windows phone. If this is true, it will be the first feature I realize missing in Android.

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

It is a failure of the Bluetooth configuration on either the phone or the vehicle radio. I'm leaning more towards the radio as I know for a fact that I can use the same phone with other vehicles' radio Bluetooth and get navigation and music through the Bluetooth connection.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
xiangrui
Newbie

Just to clarify, the Moto phone media (GPS and movie) work with my vehicle if I set the car audio input to bluetooth. The only problem is it won't switch to bluetooth source if I am on car radio. Maybe I am too picky for this? But the retired Windows phone does this perfectly: if there is GPS voice, it switches the car audio to bluetooth, and switches back automatically to radio afterwards.

0 Likes
Re: Moto Z Play Droid won't switch car audio to bluetooth for media
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

That would have been important information to include early in the thread. I too have experienced that Bluetooth weirdness on rental vehicles. I prefer to listen to the local radio in locations I'm traveling through with the rental vehicle and not stream music from the cloud, but at same time I want the navigation directions for the unfamiliar roads. I haven't been able to research this with a visit to car dealership to test on a vehicle there. I still think it is programming issue on the vehicle radio and how it interacts with the phone Bluetooth protocols.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

0 Likes