Well, that surprised me...

[Rolfe]

I got to my car after an appointment in Biggar and decided I'd like a takeaway meal from the restaurant in West Linton, 11 miles away. So I googled the number and dialled it. Much to my total astonishment the infotainment screen changed to show the phone, and the voice on reply came out of the car speakers!

Why was I surprised? Well, my phone doesn't support Android Auto, so I assumed that the iSMART app was about the extent of what I could do with the phone given that limitation. It didn't occur to me that it would function as a carphone without it. To make it even more unexpected, the phone wasn't even plugged in to the USB port - that was being used by my iPod at the time. I was expecting to make a normal mobile phone call with the phone to my ear, seated in the parked car. But the entire thing woke up and happened on its own.

Unfortunately I only got a recorded message so I didn't get the chance to see whether I could just talk at the steering wheel and the person on the other end of the call could hear me. But this has amazed me. I have a carphone I didn't know about? Tell me more!

 

[siteguru]

Bluetooth. Your phone was connected to the car via Bluetooth so "handsfree" functionality was enabled.

 

[Rolfe]

I had no idea. I need to investigate further.

 

[JDMB]

I had no idea. I need to investigate further.

@Rolfe Bluetooth uses what’s called profiles to provide a whole bunch of wireless services. Look at HFP on this Wiki link. The Infotainment system in the car’ll likely be using this for the hands free calling.

List of Bluetooth profiles - Wikipedia

 

[Rolfe]

I totally missed that this was possible. I genuinely thought that Android Auto had to be functioning for it to work. I need to figure out what it will do now. (I think it was when the car kept saying that it couldn't import my contacts and stuff like that, that I thought it wasn't going to play at all.)

 

[AdyC]

Give it time someone will invent fire .

 

[Rolfe]

Ha ha. I'm not sure there's any instructions for what the car will do with the phone without Android Auto, but it's something I didn't realise was possible at all.

 

[siteguru]

Page 99+ of the Owner manual.

 

[Rolfe]

Thank you, as always you are a mine of information. I did read the manual, Sloucher's print copies are tremendous value, but I maybe skipped that bit, believing that all things phone-related were denied to me until I get a phone that has AA on it.