Bluetooth is one of if not the most acceptable technology for close-range communication between two devices. As a result, Bluetooth is available on many devices like laptops, smartphones, tablets, and even vehicle infotainment systems.
You can connect your Bluetooth-ready smartphone to your vehicle’s infotainment system to help you wirelessly play music and podcasts, connect your vehicle’s infotainment system to the web, and make or receive phone calls.
Note that when you connect your phone to your vehicle, only one device can be used for playback, and by default, that’s your vehicle.
There are two main ways to connect a phone to a car Bluetooth including; searching for your phone to the car’s infotainment system and searching for the car on your smartphone.
In this review, we’ll look at both these methods; we will also look at what you should do to connect your Bluetooth-ready smartphone to your car if it doesn’t have Bluetooth.
Search for Your Phone On the Vehicle
1. While the vehicle is in ‘Park‘ mode, switch on Bluetooth on your smartphone and make the phone discoverable.
How to Connect Phone to Car Bluetooth
2. On the infotainment system, click on the phone icon on the home screen.
3. Next, click on ‘Add Phone.’
4. Go back to Bluetooth settings on your smartphone and tap on the car’s name.
How to Connect Phone to Car Bluetooth
5. A code should appear on both the vehicle’s infotainment system and your smartphone; tap on ‘Pair‘ to complete the connection.
6. When pairing is complete, your phone’s name will appear on the vehicle’s infotainment system as available for making and receiving calls.
In addition, you can now make wireless projections from your smartphone if your vehicle’s infotainment system supports wireless Apple Car Play and/or Android Auto.
Search for The Vehicle on Your Phone
- To search for your vehicle on your phone, start by switching on Bluetooth on your car. Go into the settings menu and look for ‘Bluetooth Connection.’
- Next, click on ‘Pairing.’ This will make your vehicle’s infotainment system discoverable, so you should find it on your phone when you search for it.
- Then switch on Bluetooth in your smartphone’s settings. Most smartphones are automatically in pairing mode when you switch on Bluetooth. This isn’t the case for vehicle infotainment systems, so you should make Bluetooth discoverable.
- Now the vehicle’s infotainment system should appear in the section titled ‘Available Devices‘ in your phone’s Bluetooth menu. Look for its name and click on it to pair.
- Depending on the model of your vehicle’s infotainment system, you might be asked to enter a password which typically is ‘0000.’ In addition, you might find that a password appears on both your smartphone and vehicle; if the password is a match, click on ‘Pair.’ This is a security measure to ensure that only the right device is connected.
- Once pairing is done, your vehicle’s infotainment system and the smartphone will keep a record of each other’s Bluetooth info to allow for easier future connections.
- Finally, you should see a verification message indicating ‘connected‘ on both your smartphone and vehicle. In addition, the Bluetooth symbol on your vehicle should change once it’s connected to another Bluetooth device.
After you’ve connected your phone to your car for the first time, the phone doesn’t have to be visible; you only need to switch on Bluetooth. In addition, the device that was last connected to the vehicle will be automatically connected when the car is turned on.
How to Connect a Bluetooth-Ready Smartphone to a Vehicle Without Bluetooth
If you have an old vehicle with a stereo that isn’t Bluetooth-ready, you can still connect to Bluetooth using a Bluetooth and FM transmitter like the one below.
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1. Connect the Bluetooth and FM transmitter to your car’s 12V socket.
3. Some transmitters have a Bluetooth pairing button; if yours has one, click on it. If it doesn’t have one, then Bluetooth pairing is automatic.
4. Next, search for the Bluetooth and FM transmitter’s name under ‘Available Devices‘ in your smartphone’s Bluetooth settings.
5. Click on ‘pair.’
6. Once connected, you should be able to play music on the car’s stereo. Note that the sound might not be very good since transmitters don’t have in-built amplifiers.
How to Connect Phone to Car Bluetooth
In conclusion, that’s how you connect your smartphone to a car’s infotainment system and vice versa. Connecting your phone to a car gives you a lot of features you need as you drive, such as hands-free calling, music playback from the steering wheel, and even checking for directions on Google Maps if the infotainment system supports Apple Car Play and/or Android Auto.
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