Bluetooth Options - Increase in penalities

[Kojac]

There has been a lot recently in the news - regarding the changes in penalties for being caught, talking on or using your phone, whilst driving.

This is my old lady's car - shes 60.

I'm asking for help in finding a bluetooth solution for this car. It has to be easy & simple. It needs to be 'oap proof' (once set up).

I'm exploring all the options: 

- retrofit the bluetooth module to the stereo (is this even possible, even if expensive?).

- A third party solution - suggestions welcome.

- something I may not have thought of - but offers a practical solution.

I'm looking for as many opinions as possible, and looking to foster exploration of the topic - to flesh it out. 

My sincere thanks to all those that contribute ideas, thoughts and opinions.

 

Kojac.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Could consider something like an xcarlink - http://www.xcarlink.co.uk/home.php?cat=11 - which provides bluetooth as one of the options , or a sun visor fitting such as - https://www.amazon.co.uk/MULTIPOINT-Bluetooth-Handsfree-Speakerphone-Smartphones/dp/B01HCG2174/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474108673&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=bluetooth%2Bfor%2Bcar&th=1  or

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MULTIPOINT-Bluetooth-Handsfree-Speakerphone-Smartphones/dp/B00SSM6L4Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474108673&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=bluetooth+for+car&psc=1

 

[Beekeeper D]

2 hours ago, Kojac said:

... a lot recently in the news - regarding the changes in penalties for being caught, talking on or using your phone, whilst driving.

This is my old lady's car - shes 60.

I'm asking for help in finding a bluetooth solution for this car. It has to be easy & simple. It needs to be 'oap proof' (once set up).

... 

The big unknown is what she wants to "use" her phone for. (And to some extent what the phone itself may be capable of.) 

 

If the requirement is simply to answer a call while driving, then things can be pretty simple, cheap and independent of the car. Start either with a bluetooth headset, or the type of thing that Frostyballs has linked.  

Getting voice-activation of smartphone features (like Siri or Google Now) with auto-muting of the radio, music streaming, dictation and reading of text messages, etc would be much more expensive and difficult to integrate with the built-in systems. 

Time to research the requirements (and budget) before seeking out solutions! 

 

And, ahem, its not as though being 60 (by itself), or even female and 60, meant auto-disqualification from being able to press buttons or think. "OAP-proof" indeed ... 

[Konrad C]

There are lots of options, but I thought this car has bluetooth built in! Does the steering wheel have phone call buttons? The other clue is the small microphone grill in the light front interior light fittings of the headlining. Do you have the handbooks that came with the car? That will confirm and instruct owners if bluetooth is part of the car and how to use it. My current '09 Avensis TR has bluetooth built in, even though I added another Bluetooth via a USB/microSD/Aux adapter I installed.  

Here is an earlier post -  

The Parrot range is good. With my old Mk1 Avensis, I had a Novero (similar to Parrot) and all you needs is SOT-062 Toyota to ISO lead. The system was straight forward (for me) to install. I retained my Novero kit since it works with any car, as will the Parrot. 

Once setup, Bluetooth normal is very simple and foolproof. Auto connects and if the phone supports auto answer - Windows phones don't auto answer, but Android and iPhone does.

 

[eygo]

change the head unit to one that has bluetooth ,head units aren't expensive these days.

our aygo had the bluetooth through the tomtom sat nav.

[Kojac]

On 17/09/2016 at 11:35 PM, eygo said:

change the head unit to one that has bluetooth ,head units aren't expensive these days.

our aygo had the bluetooth through the tomtom sat nav.

 

The steering wheel clearly does have the buttons for phone + the head unit does too - but it seems the bluetooth module wasn't included in this model.

I need a solution that is highly automated - something which requires as little interaction as possible - and automates most processes - just like a factory fitted one would (interrupt radio or music - auto resume - etc).

Is the option of replacing the head unit it arrived with, with a Toyota model that had bluetooth built in available to me?

What department or contact number should I call - to see if this can be done?

Kojac

[alan333]

We had the factory bluetooth in our 2011 Auris TR, are you sure your higher spec but slightly older car doesn't have it?  The factory one works great but is a bit of a pain to add contacts to etc.  Another option is to fit a Parrot kit and have a small screen stuck on the dash somewhere.  They're easy to operate, mute/resume the stereo with calls, and most have 'one touch voice dial'.

[Devon Aygo]

If the car has the phone buttons on the steering wheel it has bluetooth, what appears on the radio display when you press the "lift receiver" on the steering wheel?

[Konrad C]

12 hours ago, Kojac said:

 

The steering wheel clearly does have the buttons for phone + the head unit does too - but it seems the bluetooth module wasn't included in this model.

I need a solution that is highly automated - something which requires as little interaction as possible - and automates most processes - just like a factory fitted one would (interrupt radio or music - auto resume - etc).

Is the option of replacing the head unit it arrived with, with a Toyota model that had bluetooth built in available to me?

What department or contact number should I call - to see if this can be done?

Kojac

There is a good chance the car has bluetooth since the buttons are present on the steering wheel. Press the phone answer button on the steering wheel. There will be a bleep and the CD/radio will mute. It may say "no phone connected". This confirms the audio system has bluetooth. I too thought my '09 Avensis did not have the bluetooth module, until I read the manual and followed the convoluted pairing process. This process involves saying the Bluetooth name of the phone being paired. Every other Bluetooth system I have installed/used, paired by just entering 0000 and confirming! 

I also discovered previous phones and contacts stored in the memory, so went through the process of erasing them. I think there is a total reset, but this may also clear the radio station memory. Adding contacts (which I didn't bother), involves either transferring the phones contacts - which takes too long, or individual contacts which you input the numbers then say the name of the person. Then you press the phone button and say the person of the person you want to call.

When a phone has been paired, a symbol confirming Bluetooth is active, so long the phone is close by, when you use the car. If the phone is not present or on, then the Bluetooth symbol will not appear. Very simple once setup. 

More than one phone can be paired, but only one can be connected on the earlier Bluetooth systems. Later systems allowed two phones to be connected at the same time, so if either rang they could be answered - think business and personal phones. Another limitation of the earlier Bluetooth, was no music streaming support. Again this was available on later Bluetooth versions. This why I installed a Bluetooth/microSD/USB adapter for my second phone. Again fully integrated with the car.

What you need is somebody who is experienced with Toyotas awkward pairing setup. Check with a Toyota dealer.

[Kojac]

I will go through the manual again - and test the procedure you've mentioned.

It does seem odd to me that the buttons are definitely there - but only act as a mute button for the radio. I'll post back in a few hours.

[Anthony Poli]

I have the same car and year, it should have the bluetooth.

It is terrible to setup for non technical people, you can speak the name of the person you want to call. I had to program the numbers in on the stereo.

 

[alan333]

We sold our Auris about a year ago but I'm pretty sure pressing the right hand radio knob entered a menu where you had all the bluetooth options.  IIRC you press the knob, then turning the same knob scrolls through the options like add phone, rename phone, add contacts etc.

[Konrad C]

This is my post from a year ago :- 

Anthony has said it above. Instead of the simple pairing technique used by practically everyone else, Toyota used this complicated voice pairing!

I just tried my car bluetooth without the phones near. I pressed the phone answer button and the stereo switched from the music, and the displays 'Not Linked'. This means the bluetooth system could not connect to a paired phone. Then as Alan mentions, pressing and rotating the right hand knob on the stereo, which goes through the menu system. This confirms that there is bluetooth in the car, but accessing it is not straight forward without the manual. 

Ko, the Bluetooth module is built in to the stereo, so unless that has been swapped, it is there but need pairing. 

I have to admit that at first I too thought there was no Bluetooth and was going to swap my Novero Trusty One system from my old Mk1 Avensis to the Mk3. 

From my Avensis Mk3 manual, go to 'Using the hands-free system for the first time'.

Step 1. Press the answer phone button on the steering wheel, then select "Pair Phone" by rotating the right knob on the stereo.

Step 2. Register a phone name by either of the following methods.

a. Select "Record name" by using right knob, and say a name to be registered.

or

b. press the voice command button on the steering wheel and say a name to be registered.

Step 3. Select "Confirm" by using the right knob.

Step 4. A passkey is displayed, and input the passkey into the phone. ( the phone should be in pairing mode).  

This is the instructions from the manual with a few alterations to name the controls. Not any easy procedure. 

Once pass the pairing stage. Next is adding contacts to make voice command calls. I will not go through that!

    

[Anthony Poli]

25 minutes ago, Konrad C said:

This is my post from a year ago :- 

Anthony has said it above. Instead of the simple pairing technique used by practically everyone else, Toyota used this complicated voice pairing!

I just tried my car Bluetooth without the phones near. I pressed the phone answer button and the stereo switched from the music, and the displays 'Not Linked'. This means the Bluetooth system could not connect to a paired phone. Then as Alan mentions, pressing and rotating the right hand knob on the stereo, which goes through the menu system. This confirms that there is Bluetooth in the car, but accessing it is not straight forward without the manual. 

Ko, the Bluetooth module is built in to the stereo, so unless that has been swapped, it is there but need pairing. 

I have to admit that at first I too thought there was no Bluetooth and was going to swap my Novero Trusty One system from my old Mk1 Avensis to the Mk3. 

From my Avensis Mk3 manual, go to 'Using the hands-free system for the first time'.

Step 1. Press the answer phone button on the steering wheel, then select "Pair Phone" by rotating the right knob on the stereo.

Step 2. Register a phone name by either of the following methods.

a. Select "Record name" by using right knob, and say a name to be registered.

or

b. press the voice command button on the steering wheel and say a name to be registered.

Step 3. Select "Confirm" by using the right knob.

Step 4. A passkey is displayed, and input the passkey into the phone. ( the phone should be in pairing mode).  

This is the instructions from the manual with a few alterations to name the controls. Not any easy procedure. 

Once pass the pairing stage. Next is adding contacts to make voice command calls. I will not go through that!

    

At least in the Yaris with the touch system, it is improved, just so slow.

[Kojac]

I want to thank you all for your input - the car does indeed have bluetooth already..

You won't believe the fact that I had registered the car on the official 'My Toyota' website, added the vin info etc. so that the cars i.d profile was fully up to date.

I'd then called toyota support. who explicitly told me the car doesn't have bluetooth. This is the official helpline.

Two days ago - I called toyota using a broader question insisting that I get help from technical - 'What bluetooth solutions are available/recommended for this car'? They called back this morning telling me that an upgraded toyota sat nav head unit could be fitted - but it was old - and unlikely to be stocked anywhere. She didn't even have the part number to hand.

I asked her to confirm if technical were sure, that there is no bluetooth capability on this car - yet again - 'no it doesn't'.

There really is an increasing level of incompetence from any support services I tend to use nowadays - whether it be a utility company, car company or gvenrment service. Is it just me - or does it seem like it's getting harder and harder to get accurate and precise info from companies that are competing for our money? I'm ranting - because with the parrot solution - the waste of time/effort and money would be no small thing - for something we already have.

Again - my thanks to all that posted and have contribute to improving my situation on this matter - you've saved me considerable time/effort and funds.

Kojac.

 

 

  

[Kojac]

Guys - just a request - can anybody share with me any tips/shortcuts/insights regarding using the inbuilt BT with this car.

Don't want to spend ages struggling with it or having to go through a two hour trial and error exploration session. naturally I'll read through the manual - but peoples experiences often yield insights.

Any shortcuts or tips would be most appreciated.

Also, can I stream music from my phone to the radio - or its it phone calls only.

 

Thanks to any that contibute,

 

Kojac

 

[alan333]

22 hours ago, Kojac said:

Guys - just a request - can anybody share with me any tips/shortcuts/insights regarding using the inbuilt BT with this car.

Don't want to spend ages struggling with it or having to go through a two hour trial and error exploration session. naturally I'll read through the manual - but peoples experiences often yield insights.

Any shortcuts or tips would be most appreciated.

Also, can I stream music from my phone to the radio - or its it phone calls only.

Bear in mind it's been a while since we had our Auris, but FWIW...

Most of the process of pairing and adding contacts etc is done by speaking.  You add numbers by saying them, and it's a pain.  Caller ID also only shows the number, not the name, unless you "push" contacts to the car's memory.  We had iphones and they can't push contacts to the car, but there's a work-around.  Connect an old Nokia or something, push the contacts to the car (IIRC there's a maximum of 20 or something), then delete the Nokia pairing, and pair your 'proper' phone.  I wrote a how-to about it a while ago but I can't find it.  It could be in the Avensis or the Auris sections since both use the similarly awkward process.

I'm fairly certain you can, in theory, stream music. When you pair the phone it asks if it's for calls only, or music and calls.  We found that you could only have one or the other, which defeats the whole purpose, and didn't bother streaming.  Connect an ipod to the USB in the top glovebox and use that instead. 

Once you get it up and running it works great - you press the steering wheel button, say "Arthur", then it says "calling Arthur", and it calls Arthur.  A bit more tricky if Arthur isn't stored in the car's memory tho, you need to use your phone handset to select and call Arthur, then it connects to the car system.

[Anthony Poli]

Guys - just a request - can anybody share with me any tips/shortcuts/insights regarding using the inbuilt BT with this car.

Don't want to spend ages struggling with it or having to go through a two hour trial and error exploration session. naturally I'll read through the manual - but peoples experiences often yield insights.

Any shortcuts or tips would be most appreciated.

Also, can I stream music from my phone to the radio - or its it phone calls only.

Bear in mind it's been a while since we had our Auris, but FWIW...

Most of the process of pairing and adding contacts etc is done by speaking.  You add numbers by saying them, and it's a pain.  Caller ID also only shows the number, not the name, unless you "push" contacts to the car's memory.  We had iphones and they can't push contacts to the car, but there's a work-around.  Connect an old Nokia or something, push the contacts to the car (IIRC there's a maximum of 20 or something), then delete the Nokia pairing, and pair your 'proper' phone.  I wrote a how-to about it a while ago but I can't find it.  It could be in the Avensis or the Auris sections since both use the similarly awkward process.

I'm fairly certain you can, in theory, stream music. When you pair the phone it asks if it's for calls only, or music and calls.  We found that you could only have one or the other, which defeats the whole purpose, and didn't bother streaming.  Connect an ipod to the USB in the top glovebox and use that instead. 

Once you get it up and running it works great - you press the steering wheel button, say "Arthur", then it says "calling Arthur", and it calls Arthur.  A bit more tricky if Arthur isn't stored in the car's memory tho, you need to use your phone handset to select and call Arthur, then it connects to the car system.

It will allow calls and streaming, it took me 2 goes to get it to work.

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