Bluetooth technology is a wireless technology that allows the user to create secure local networks. If you want to establish a short-range connection between a couple of devices, you can connect it via Bluetooth technology without hassle. By using Bluetooth technology, you can establish a connection between your phone and your car head unit, connect your phone with a hands-free Bluetooth car kit, or be any headset.
What is Bluetooth connectivity? The process through which you can connect two Bluetooth-enabled devices is known as “Pairing” because the network has only one pair of different devices. In addition, you can also pair up one device with multiple Bluetooth-enabled devices; even in this scenario, the connection will be unique and, at the same time, secure too. If you want to pair up your phone with the head unit of your car, then one thing you have to look for is to check whether both of the devices are Bluetooth compatible or not.
Most car head units offer Bluetooth connectivity, so you can enjoy hands-free calling without taking your attention off the road. If we talk about the OEM Bluetooth car stereos, they also have the same functionality.
What are the requirements for hands-free cell phone calling?
You will need a pin to pair up the devices.
- · A Bluetooth-compatible phone.
- · A Bluetooth-enabled car audio system or infotainment in your vehicle.
- · A phone mount is also good.
10 Important Reasons Why a Car Should have a Bluetooth Connectivity
Nowadays, the advancement of technology says that you should always stay connected with the competitive world, even if you are traveling or driving a car. You might be wrong if you think blue tooth technology can only be helpful while driving by keeping your hands free.
So having a blue tooth in your vehicle can enable many additional features and reasons like:
- Hands-free phone calls.
- Risk-free driving.
- Text messaging systems.
- Streaming music.
- Using a smartphone voice assistant in the car.
- Sync your phone’s GPS navigation with your car.
- Get removal of cable clutter.
- Data tethering.
- Easy to use and inexpensive.
- Decrease power consumption of gadgets.
How to Connect Your Phone to Your Car Via Bluetooth
Well, pairing a phone with the head unit of your vehicle completely depends upon the audio system setup and the phone itself.
Many people have different types of cell phones, and different people drive different types of cars. So, it all depends upon your phone type and car. Well, what will be the first step? Of course, it will be to have the right pair of tools, which are Bluetooth-compatible devices on both ends.
What you have to do is turn on your cell phone; if your phone is powered off and after turning it on, you have to verify whether it has Bluetooth connectivity or not. If you find it difficult to find the Bluetooth symbol, then it looks like a B with an X over it. So if you find any similar symbol in the status bar of your phone or it can be in the menu, it means your phone is Bluetooth compatible, and it can be paired with any other Bluetooth compatible device.
Go to the menu, and search for the options like “make phone discoverable” and “search for other devices”. I hope you are doing this while reading this article; this will help you later on, so don’t get bored, as we will connect your phone to your vehicle’s head unit. In many phones, a function remains visible for a while after turning on Bluetooth. In that case, you don’t need to go for the “make phone discoverable option”.
Find and Set Your Phone
This is the step where you must know where the “set to discoverable” and “search for devices” is; that’s why we told you earlier about these options; well, that’s why we are here to solve your problems. The connectivity depends upon your car’s or phone’s head unit; either the phone will look for the head unit, or the infotainment will look for your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone device. In both scenarios, both devices must be visible in the same frame of the window in a couple of minutes.
Go to phone settings in your vehicle’s infotainment system; if you are finding it difficult to connect, look for the “BLUETOOTH” option in the phone menu settings. You might have a different infotainment system installed in your vehicle, but the connectivity process is the same, which is very easy and can be connected without any hassle.
Yes, how the connectivity lasts is another challenge; it also depends upon your car type and phone.
Scan for Devices After Making the Phone Visible
Well, after you set your phone to visible, then the head unit of your vehicle will start looking for the phone to pair with. You have a limited amount for this step, so make sure your phone is in the right menu. The accuracy of the steps depends upon the functionalities of your head unit.
If the vehicle can’t locate your phone, set your phone to discoverable, so the infotainment of the system can pair up with your Bluetooth-enabled phone.
Contrary to this, if the head unit of your vehicle is set to discoverable by default, then let your phone scan for the devices; this option will allow your phone to locate Bluetooth-enabled devices in a specific range, which also includes the head unit of your vehicle and other nearby Bluetooth enabled devices. Locate your head unit in the list to pair up with.
If you face problems in pairing, then no need to worry about it; it might happen because of time constraints; sometimes, the discoverable time of the device runs out, so the other device won’t be able to connect with it. In this case, no need to lose hope, and you will find that the connection will be established after trying it a couple of times.
There might be other concerns regarding why Bluetooth won’t pair with one device to another. But don’t lose hope if the connection is not established in the first go.
Set for Pairing your Phone
Now you are very close to establishing a secure phone connection with your vehicle’s head unit. When your phone successfully locates the hands-free calling system, which will appear in the list of Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Pick up the device from the list of available devices you want to connect with and enter a password or passkey to pair up both devices. If you find it difficult to locate the passkey, you find it in the user manual, as each vehicle comes with a preset passkey. Well, if you don’t have the user manual, then you can easily set up the passkey from the phone settings menu located in the infotainment system of your vehicle.
If nothing works, contact your local dealer; he will provide you with the right passkey to pair with the Bluetooth-enabled devices. Usually, the Bluetooth keys are simple and the same in many devices; most pass keys are like 1111 or 1234.
Successful Pairing of a Devices
If you have inserted the right passkey, your phone is successfully paired with the hands-free calling system installed in your vehicle. If you are still facing some issues, repeat the abovementioned steps, and it will be connected in no time.
If you purchased a secondhand vehicle, the pass key might be changed by the ex-owner of the car, so either you can ask him/her, or you can change the passkey by entering the settings of the head unit of the car. After you have changed the passkey, all you have to do is to pair your phone, your connection is successfully established, and you are all set to listen to your favorite tunes.
What are the Infotainment or Audio System Phone Settings?
Some vehicles have a voice recognition system in their head units, so you can pair up the Bluetooth just by saying “pair Bluetooth” some vehicles have Bluetooth, which can be easily paired by pressing a button; after you press that button, the pairing process will be initiated.
If you have a different head unit in your system, then you have to study that head unit; well, in most cases, it’s not much complicated, and you can easily pair up with the Bluetooth of the head unit of the car. Yes, sometimes it gives connectivity problems, which many users have reported earlier. You can also look at the telephone settings in the infotainment system’s menu.
Sometimes you won’t be able to find a pair of Bluetooth buttons; what’s next, then? Well, very simply, just read out the manual or guide provided to you by the manufacturers of the head units, and find the related details about how to get your head unit paired with the cell phone.
How to Send and Receive Calls After Pairing the Cell Phone with the Head unit of the Car?
After pairing the cell phone successfully with your vehicle’s head unit, ensure everything is running properly. You must be familiar with your vehicle’s systems, and if you are new, you will be in a couple of days.
Most cars have steering controls; if you have such a car, locate the call button placed on the steering wheel, along with the volume button, to raise and lower the sound of the tunes you are listening to. And, if you want to place a phone call, then all you have to do is to dial a number on the infotainment system of your vehicle and eventually, your call will be connected in a while, now this depends upon the person you are calling if he/she didn’t pick up your call. We can’t do anything for sure.
In some vehicles, there is a single button to activate the voice control functionality of your car’s infotainment system. If you have such a vehicle, all you have to do is to use this button to place phone calls and set navigation, and you can also control the radio through this button.
If we talk about other vehicles, some vehicles have always-on voice controls, which directly activate, whenever you say any command. Some vehicles have different types of buttons to activate the voice commands on different external devices.
Conclusion
So that was all about Bluetooth connectivity in the car; there is no denying that the smart feature of the blue tooth is important in all types of vehicles, whether heavy or light. Though all car brands are featured with blue tooth connectivity options, you should make sure a car is equipped with it before buying it.
Therefore to put a long story short, I hope the above discussion will be very helpful in describing the importance and usage of Bluetooth connectivity in your car.
So don’t forget to share the practical reason for having Bluetooth in your car.
FAQs
Follow the given steps to connect the Bluetooth phone to the infotainment system of your car:
1) Go to the menu of your phone and select Bluetooth, or try finding a Bluetooth sign on the drop-down menu of your phone.
2) Start the Bluetooth pairing process by turning on the Bluetooth and setting your device to discoverable.
3) Select the stereo from the menu you want to pair up with.
4) Enter the passkey or PIN.
5) Wait for the connection to establish; the devices will pair in a few seconds.
6) Enjoy your favorite tunes.
If you are facing problems in pairing, then no need to worry about it. It might happen because of time constraints; sometimes, the discoverable time of the device runs out, so the other device won’t be able to connect with it. In this case, no need to lose hope, and you will find that the connection will be established after trying it a couple of times.
There might be other concerns regarding why Bluetooth won’t pair with one device to another. But don’t lose hope if the connection is not established in the first go. Sometimes you enter the wrong pass key, or we have seen in many cases it won’t pair because there is a problem in your vehicle’s infotainment system, which many users have reported earlier.
To connect the IPhone to the infotainment of your vehicle, you have to go to your phone’s settings and turn off the Bluetooth, then wait for approximately 5 seconds and turn it on again; if it’s turned off by default, turn it on then. Then check the manual that comes along with your car and follow the instructions to connect your IPhone with the Bluetooth of the infotainment of your car.
Follow the given steps to connect your Android phone to the Bluetooth of the infotainment system of your car:
1) Go to the menu of your phone and select Bluetooth, or try finding a Bluetooth sign on the drop-down menu of your phone.
2) Start the Bluetooth pairing process by turning on the Bluetooth and setting your device to discoverable.
3) Select the stereo from the menu you want to pair up with.
4) Enter the passkey or PIN.
5) Wait for the connection to establish; the devices will pair in a few seconds.
6) Enjoy your favorite tunes.