My Pixel stopped making sounds when in the car

[Android Central Question]

Before updating to 9, my Pixel 2 would connect to my car and I'd get a notification when I received a message. "You have a new text message from ____. Would you like to read the message?" I'd say "Yes" and the car would read it to me.

Now, I get nothing. It's as if if thinks the car is a bluetooth speaker. Even the keyboard clicks are muted.

Short of rolling back (ugh), is there a setting I'm missing?

 

[aroooz]

I came here to ask this exact thing. Now, all my phone does is vibrate when connected to my car bluetooth. I have different notifications for what has been delivered, so I used to be able to tell without looking at the device. Now, nothing!

Would also like to know if there is anyway to disable notification and other system sounds going through bluetooth, and keep it to just media only?

 

[Rukbat]

Make sure you have the notifications and media volumes both turned up. (Hit a volume key, then the gear at the bottom of the bar that comes up, and turn them all up.)

 

[aroooz]

The volumes are all fine. Since the update to Pie, all notification sounds are being sent through the bluetooth link, and I don't have that as my active audio source most of the time, and only use it for calls. Before they used to sound both on the phone and via bluetooth, which worked, as I could still hear the phone notification even if listening to something else in the car!

 

[Finn Co]

Same thing. 2018 Jeep Wrangler and Google Pixel 2. I made the switch to Android in February because my iPhone wouldn't send my notifications to the car correctly. Android 8 fixed that. Android 9, Pie, broke it. It's like I'm connected to a bluetooth speaker: no functionality if I'm on FM, XM, or "stereo off". With Android 8 I received all of my notifications despite what I was listening to.

For those who say "it's distracted driving", it is far from that. Keeping focused on the road while the car reads a text is a minor part of it. Most of those can wait. What I cannot allow is missing calls from work because they are routed to my RingCentral app, which is muted beginning with Pie.

 

[Finn Co]

PS - and changing the volume has no effect, as suggested by Rukbat (thank you!). As the OP said, the car connection seems to have been downgraded in functionality to a bluetooth speaker.

 

[Will_T]

Not sure if it is related as I have not used it in the car yet, but I am having the exact same issue with Pie and my Pixel 2XL when the screen goes to sleep. No audible notifications at all. As soon as I take the phone out of my pocket and wake it up, unlock with fingerprint, all notifications sound. For those of you with this issue in the car, are any of you having no notifications when screen goes off like I am?

 

[aroooz]

Will_T, I can't say I have that issue i'm afraid. What sometimes happens to me, is that in the morning when my DND mode turns itself off, I get a bunch of notifications that have come through overnight, however no issues with notifications throughout the day and the phone being locked (unless of course I am in the car as stated previously)

 

[Finn Co]

Well, I can say the Google's Project Fi won't be a bit of help. I submitted a help request 5 days ago. They said they respond within 24 hours. I've bugged them every day since then. I finally got this reply:

"As the issue has arrived after an update, till then, the only way to get this working is using Android 8.1 on your device. However, we do not have an option to rollback from Android 9 pie to Oreo 8.1.0.

In order to use Android Oreo 8.1.0, you'd have to side load / flash the android version on your device. You will find the detailed instructions from this link https://developers.google.com/android/images. This link will also consist of the factory image that you'd have to install on your device.

Note: We do not recommend flashing your device and would not be able to help you with any instructions on this.

Your patience is really appreciated and apologies for all the inconvenience caused.

Thanks!
Tony
The Google Support Team"
"