How to use bluetooth for audio out, and the phone's mic for calls.

[Android Central Question]

I have enjoyed hands free in my car by plugging my phone into the audio jack of my Note 5 for years. Now I have a Pixel 3 and no audio jack. I can use the provided audio dongle but then I cannot charge at the same time. Because of this I am in search of a solution for audio and charging at the same time.

I tried multiple dongles with the audio 3.5 + USBc. Each one has its own issue, but most common is that while plugged into audio and charging the phone will not allow for me to use the phone's mic to talk during calls.

I also have a bluetooth receiver that is "audio/music" only. I successfully used this for about 4 days in my car exactly as I wanted it, but eventually my Pixel stopped allowing me to make calls and use the bluetooth for audio out. I am now forced to use my phone's speakers while making a call. This is just SILLY.

I have found that there are some bluetooth phone / mic / audio devices but this is NOT what I want. I want to be able to put the bluetooth receiver in my car's compartment out of sight and mind, but this of course doesn't work for devices that have a mic because the mic would be closed in the car compartment.

I want to use my phone's mic, and bluetooth for audio out. Suggestions?

 

[SpookDroid]

Not sure what to recommend other than a proper BT receiver that supports media and calls, BUT you cannot use the phone's microphone and BT/Audio Out at the same time. Once a BT connection is made or a headset is plugged in, the phone will default to those microphones for calls.

You might be able to route audio with 3rd party apps (search for re-route audio or audio selector), but it probably needs root for the microphone, not sure.

 

[Rukbat]

BTmono might work. I've used it to route apps that don't send audio to Bluetooth (to send it to Bluetooth anyway), and I don't think it does anything to the mic, but no guarantees. (It's free, so try it.)

 

[hondaman900]

I have the same issue - did you find a resolution?

I ordered a BT adapter for my car stock stereo (BT received plugs into the stereo's CD changer interface - '06 Audi) so I can play audio (music and phone calls) over the audio system, but the phone is mounted too near the vents for the microphone to work well, so hands-free calls and commands for Android Auto don't work (relocating the phone is very difficult with this car). I was hoping I could use the audio jack to connect a splitter and to it an external microphone into the mic channel.

BTW, I've tried several aftermarket replacement head units in this car and the radio sound reception and quality are terrible and no-where good as stock, so I'm trying this route to add BT hands-free with my phone.

I'm hoping that a) for phone calls the mic can be connected with the audio socket while sounds is played back via BT, and b) that plugging in an audio jack doesn't disconnect all other audio input/output.

Any thoughts?

I have a LG G8 ThinQ

 

[belodion]

I have the same issue - did you find a resolution?

Welcome.

You are alas addressing thin air, since the questioner did not respond to the help offered.

 

[ike ahloe]

This is also annoying to me. I like to use google assistant in the car, but the car's mic over bluetooth always hears things wrong so i have to disconnect form bluetooth to use assistant which takes away the whole benefits on not having to look at my phone, and instead i'll be fiddling with the phone and crash into a daycare.. They really need to just allow different selections in the audio settings for input and output. I do that on my linux computer and on chrome os, so android shouldn't have any technical issues with them implementing either.