Can not call out using bluetooth in car

[ksanger35]

I have a Samsung S7, Verizon, Android V7.0. Sometime this summer it stopped letting me make phone calls from the Van. The Van is a 2016 Chevy Express with Bluetooth. Worked fine last year. I would hit the call button on the steering wheel, say "Voice", wait for car to phone to say "Ready" through the car, then say "Call So-And-So on Mobile". The call would go through great.

This week I got a message from the phone saying I must tap Google Now first. Did that but it still will not connect. Note Google Now is turned off as I don't want my phone listening all the time. Only when I ask it too. Disabling it was a pain as I had a widget on one screen which I used only when I wanted too. But with the widget installed even disabling Google Now did not work. But the Van wouldn't call out even when I had the widget and Google Now enabled and it listened all the time either.

I just want to be able to call out through the car and let the phone call my contacts like it used too. Worked great for about one year. Stopped working sometime this Summer.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Have you checked with your car dealership to see if there is any new firmware for your car's head unit?

 

[ksanger]

No I have not gone back to the dealership. Last time I tried to schedule maintenance no one at the Chevy dealer answered the phone. I really do not want to reprogram the Van. It worked before. Not well, really a kluge. But I was able to call out using voice hands free up until Nougat 7.0.

Why should I have to pay Chevrolet to fix an Android phone issue? Millions of people are going to need to do this? Most aren't going too.

A google search of 2016 Chevy Express Bluetooth update does not show any results over the past year. I did find a list of things to try on Chevy's website. https://my.chevrolet.com/learnAbout/bluetooth/2016/Express Passenger

I'll try deleting and repairing my phone from the Van next.

 

[Rukbat]

It's not an Android phone issue, it's incompatibility between a profile in the phone and a profile in the radio. Android updated to something newer, so the radio has to be updated to something newer. (They usually don't charge for software updates.)

As far as their not answering their phone, walk into the service department - then they can't avoid you. (And think about getting your next car from someone else. Service is part of what you pay for when you buy a car.)

(Deleting and repairing may work, but if it doesn't, the radio may still need an update. And if your phone gets Oreo, the radio may need another update. Bluetooth depends on the profiles, and if a new one comes out, voth devices need the new one.)

 

[ksanger]

I'm not going to pay to have my $40,000 Van updated every time my phone updates. To me this is an Android issue. My two year old phone used to work with my one year old Van. The Van is still the same. Next time I won't pay extra for Bluetooth in any car. I'll figure out what to do about OK Google. Its not OK.

My Wifes IPhone works in her two year old Ford without any issues.

After repairing the phone to the van, and hitting the talk button on the van. The phone wakes up and tells me I have to do something with OK Google. The phone is no longer doing this through the Van speakers and microphone. Its no longer hands free.

So I hit the Google app button to enable OK Google. Then it tells me I need to grant OK Google permission for something. Haven't had time to go further than this. As stated above the phone used to work hands free until it was downgraded.

I've disable OK Google from starting on its own as I don't want my phone listening to me all the time. One year ago when OK Google was first pushed onto my phone without my given any choice there was a widget with a setting to let OK Google listen all the time or only from one screen when the phone was on. I used the one screen setting so I knew when OK Google would work. After these last round of updates I found OK Google was changed to work from any screen and even when the phone screen was turned off. Not what I wanted. Tried to disable OK Google but it still was turned on until I deleted the Widget. Now OK Google is off unless I specifically hit the Google App button. Doesn't mean my phone isn't listening. Just means OK Google isn't responding. Google needs to include a test market that includes responsible adults. That market doesn't want the OS to be updated, nor advanced features, nor assistants that are always on. Then maybe they will make a phone OS I want again.

I don't want Google Home, or Alexa, or Siri. I''ve disconnected my smart TV from the web as I don't want it sending data out. I don't use an On-Star data plan though they keep sending me information telling me my Van needs service. And when I can't make an appointment at the dealer they don't know the service has been done. There is not much I can do about tracking my activities, but I don't have to make it easier for them.

 

[ksanger]

I'm not going to pay to have my $40,000 Van updated every time my phone updates. To me this is an Android issue. My two year old phone used to work with my one year old Van. The Van is still the same. Next time I won't pay extra for Bluetooth in any car. I'll figure out what to do about OK Google. Its not OK.

My Wifes IPhone works in her two year old Ford without any issues.

After repairing the phone to the van, and hitting the talk button on the van. The phone wakes up and tells me I have to do something with OK Google. The phone is no longer doing this through the Van speakers and microphone. Its no longer hands free.

So I hit the Google app button to enable OK Google. Then it tells me I need to grant OK Google permission for something. Haven't had time to go further than this. As stated above the phone used to work hands free until it was downgraded.

I've disable OK Google from starting on its own as I don't want my phone listening to me all the time. One year ago when OK Google was first pushed onto my phone without my given any choice there was a widget with a setting to let OK Google listen all the time or only from one screen when the phone was on. I used the one screen setting so I knew when OK Google would work. After these last round of updates I found OK Google was changed to work from any screen and even when the phone screen was turned off. Not what I wanted. Tried to disable OK Google but it still was turned on until I deleted the Widget. Now OK Google is off unless I specifically hit the Google App button. Doesn't mean my phone isn't listening. Just means OK Google isn't responding. Google needs to include a test market that includes responsible adults. That market doesn't want the OS to be updated, nor advanced features, nor assistants that are always on. Then maybe they will make a phone OS I want again.

I don't want Google Home, or Alexa, or Siri. I''ve disconnected my smart TV from the web as I don't want it sending data out. I don't use an On-Star data plan though they keep sending me information telling me my Van needs service. And when I can't make an appointment at the dealer they don't know the service has been done. There is not much I can do about tracking my activities, but I don't have to make it easier for them.

 

[ksanger35]

So I figured out how to enable OK Google after hitting the Google App Icon. Kind of.

First a recap; I had turned off all Google App Permissions and disabled it. To completely disable OK Google I had to remove the OK Google Widget that was installed one year ago. I had been using the widget and enabled it only on one screen. Sometime this Summer an update enabled OK Google from every home screen, and even enabled it with the screen off. Disabling OK Google using Google, Settings, Voice, "Say OK Google any time" OFF, did not disable it until I deleted the widget from my home screen. Apparently the widget over-rode the settings. In addition sometime this Summer my vehicle, (a 2016 Chevy Express Passenger Van), no longer called out through my phone. Hence this thread.

Now once turning off all Google permissions and turning off voice, Only enabling Google, Voice, OK Google Detection, While Driving ON. My vehicle would not use voice dialing to call out using my phone. When I hit the call button, the say "Voice" to the GM Vehicle, the phone would light up and tell me I needed to enable OK Google, or OK Google did not have the needed permissions.

I also found that hitting the Google app button, came back with I must enable OK Google permisions. Specifically open Google, Settings, Accounts and Privacy, Google Activity Controls, then enable Web & App Activity, Device Information, Voice and Audio Activity, and Google Location History. Why I need all these enabled for OK Google to work at all is beyond me. Why they might be needed to call out from the car is also a mystery. Controls are only useful if you really have a choice.

Now hitting Google, allows OK Google to work on the phone. But from the car, when I hit the call button, the car comes back with Ready, I say "Voice", and the car connects to the phone. The phone lights up. I hear the prompt through the car, Then I say "Call Laurel on Mobile", and the phone says "Calling Laurel on Mobile using Speaker" through the car. Then the car connection is closed and the phone call continues using the Phone speaker and microphone. I'm getting closer, but I want the phone to stay on the bluetooth connection and not switch over to the speaker when I initiate the phone call through the bluetooth connection. I can hit the bluetooth button on the phone app call screen and reconnect to the car. But again, that is no longer "Hands Free" plus it requires that I take the phone out of my pocket before I get into the vehicle.

Hopefully someone might be able to tell me the hidden secret new command to tell OK Google to "Call Laurel on Mobile", maybe "Using Bluetooth?" Software updates the change the way the phone works by adding new features that no one knows about are not useful. Just frustrating. Like the first time I encountered a tiny tiny carrot that looked like a funny period at the end of the page and could not follow instructions online as the screen I was looking at did not look like the one on the web. Not to mention that someday we won't be able to see anything that small.

Once again I wish Google tried their stuff on us old folks. The joke will be on them when they grow up. Then maybe they'll get it. Imagine if they used their great search engine to figure out that old people do not spend their money because they are not making anything that old people can actually figure out how to use. (I am a retired Kodak Research Scientist who has built numerous machines that were too complicated for anyone to use. Even the people who hired me to build said complicated equipment.)

 

[ksanger35]

Well I can call out, but then the dumb phone says "Calling soAndSo on mobile using Speaker". So I figured out the settings to enable OK Google through the bluetooth in the Van. Hitting the call button on the van and saying "Voice" wakes up the phone, then I get a beep through the van from the phone. Then I say call SoAndSo using Mobile, and the phone tells me calling SoAndSo on Mobile using SPEAKER. Note the phone then disconnects from the Van and uses its speaker. Its pretty dumb when the phone breaks working with the van after less than a year. Better yet if you have the phone up while its calling you can See the Bluetooth icon and select it and the phone then does use the van. So close. But what a crappy Android OS Galaxy S7 Phone. I've looked for all the setting under Google, and Phone. I've enabled Google to use bluetooth headset but that's the only option I have and it does not work.

I just wish Google and Android would leave my phone alone and not "UPDATE" it and BREAK it. Nothing but a waste of time.

 

[ksanger35]

I might have found a fix. It has worked one time. Found an article stating to check the bluetooth settings and enable Call Audio. Can no longer find that article. When I selected Settings, Bluetooth, My Vehicle, Call Audio was off. I set it to on. Returning to Settings, Bluetooth, My Vehicle, Call Audio it was again off. Could not change it without being in the vehicle.

So next trip, Settings, Bluetooth, My Vehicle, Call Audio was on. It must have remembered me turning it on even though I wasn't connected at the time. Hitting the vehicles call button, waiting for "Ready". Then saying "Voice" the car started up the phone and eventually I heard a beep from the vehicle speakers. Then I said Call SoAndSo On Mobile, and the phone through the vehicle said Calling SoAndSo on Mobile. The phone continued to hold the connection through the vehicles speakers and microphone. I figure I only spent 36 hours searching online and another 2 hours trying things in the Van to get this update to work. Why anyone would have a setting under bluetooth to disable bluetooth after the customer has obviously paired the phone to the vehicle to use Call Audio is beyond me. Typical update issues for me. Settings are added or changed with no notification nor rational reason. All Verizon ever tells me is that they are good for me and have great new features. NOT.

For reference, I have Google set to not listen for OK Google unless I select the Google App. Under Google App, Settings Voice, Say OK Google any time is off, While driving is on. Hands free Allow requests with device locked For Bluetooth Devices and For wired headsets are both on. Under Voice, Bluetooth headset Records audio through Bluetooth headset if available is on. Under Accounts & Privacy, Google activity controls, I had to turn on Web & App activity, Device Information, Voice & Audio Activity, and Google Location History. YouTube Search History and YouTube Watch History are paused.

I realize that this post is many months past the update. So most of us have just given up. But maybe this helps someone else and they read all of this and save a bill or too by not going to their dealer to have their vehicle software updated too.

 

[J Dubbs]

They updated ok Google to the new "super special" Google Assistant. You have to set it up again like you originally did with ok Google. I had similar problems to yours until I gave in and went through the setup process. Honestly I haven't seen any difference with the new Google Assistant except it made things harder to do lol.

It's the same Assistant that Google home uses.

 

[ksanger35]

They updated ok Google to the new "super special" Google Assistant. You have to set it up again like you originally did with ok Google. I had similar problems to yours until I gave in and went through the setup process. Honestly I haven't seen any difference with the new Google Assistant except it made things harder to do lol.

It's the same Assistant that Google home uses.

Hmmmm I do not recall setting up "OK Google" either the first time nor this latest round. It was just foisted upon me through an "Update". The first time I controlled it by settings on a Widget. However the second time when I tried to disable it the Widget kept reenabling it so the Widget is gone and now I'm slowly working my way through OK Google settings, Bluetooth Settings, Messages Settings, and now Phone Settings to stop the phone from answering while its in my pocket.

How might one get the "OK Google Setup" to run to fix all these issues?