Google Maps on Android

[Lee DeRaud]

GF has a mid-range Samsung Android phone, her car has Bluetooth but not Android Auto. All the hans-free phone stuff works fine. Google Maps on the phone will give her audible directions over the phone speaker, but only while she's walking. If she's in the car, the phone quits talking to her, even though (or maybe because) the Bluetooth is paired and connected. Any clue what's going on and how to fix it?

Ideally, the turn-by-turn cues would come out over the car speakers, but at this point we'd settle for the phone itself talking to her.

[Lee Schierer]

Some cars have electronic lockouts that prevent cell phones, text message, etc. from working while the vehicle is in motion. Since the map app works while walking, I suspect the setting in the car is preventing it's use in the vehicle. However, my Samsung Galaxy J3 phone connects with my vehicles each time I am in the vehicle using blue tooth, but the phone speaker gives Google Maps directions, not through the car. Phone calls work through the car speakers. I don't see any settings in google maps to send route directions via bluetooth, though you could use a double ended stereo audio cord to bypass the phone speakers to play through the car radio audio input. Most likely using the audio input would disable any other audio source for the car speakers.

Both vehicles that connect to my phone are Hondas, one is a 2012 Pilot and the other is a 2014 Accord.

Upon further checking of settings in my phone I found some bluetooth settings to check. In her phone look at settings and connections and tap on bluetooth. Under bluetoth find paired devices Select the Handsfree pairing for the car and while in the car turn on Call audio and Media audio. The speakers should now work for google maps.

[Frank Pratt]

My Honda has such crappy GPS that I never use it. The voice directions come through on the car sound system fine when using the phone GPS though.

[Jim Becker]

There may be a separate volume control in the vehicle head unit for audio media that comes from apps like Google Maps. There are also audio settings within Google Maps on mobile devices.

[Jerome Stanek]

I use Waze instead of google maps.

[Doug Garson]

Try turning off Bluetooth on the phone, I've had the same problem and as soon as I turn off Bluetooth I get the turn by turn instructions over the phone's speaker. "hey Google turn off Bluetooth" works for me.

[Lee DeRaud]

Try turning off Bluetooth on the phone, I've had the same problem and as soon as I turn off Bluetooth I get the turn by turn instructions over the phone's speaker. "hey Google turn off Bluetooth" works for me.
We'll try that, but it's kind of a last-resort option: Murphy's Law says that the situations where she's going somewhere she needs directions, she'll want to have the hands-free phone option available too.

[Lee DeRaud]

Some cars have electronic lockouts that prevent cell phones, text message, etc. from working while the vehicle is in motion. Since the map app works while walking, I suspect the setting in the car is preventing it's use in the vehicle. However, my Samsung Galaxy J3 phone connects with my vehicles each time I am in the vehicle using blue tooth, but the phone speaker gives Google Maps directions, not through the car. Phone calls work through the car speakers.
Not sure how the car can lock out the phone, short of jamming the signal. I always assumed the phone detected motion above a certain speed and/or the BT connection status to change modes...sounds like yours is working the way I'd expect it to work.


Both vehicles that connect to my phone are Hondas, one is a 2012 Pilot and the other is a 2014 Accord.

Upon further checking of settings in my phone I found some bluetooth settings to check. In her phone look at settings and connections and tap on bluetooth. Under bluetoth find paired devices Select the Handsfree pairing for the car and while in the car turn on Call audio and Media audio. The speakers should now work for google maps.
I'll look at that, but the hands-free is apparently on and working now, just not the map instructions. Upon further review, she mostly does SiriusXM, not sure she's ever tried music from her phone.

[Ronald Blue]

Some vehicles work well with the blue tooth audio and some don't. Can you play music from the phone on the car speakers? My Silverado has a media button and when I select it the directions come over the vehicle speakers even if I am also playing music. I find Google maps to work well. Waze is basically dedicated to vehicle directions but Google maps works for walking, biking, or whatever and also gives you a lot of other features. Strange they are so different since Waze is owned by Google.

[Doug Garson]

We'll try that, but it's kind of a last-resort option: Murphy's Law says that the situations where she's going somewhere she needs directions, she'll want to have the hands-free phone option available too.
Might not be a final solution but eliminates several other things as the problem.

[Lee Schierer]

I'll look at that, but the hands-free is apparently on and working now, just not the map instructions. Upon further review, she mostly does SiriusXM, not sure she's ever tried music from her phone.

Get in the vehicle and turn it on. In settings tap on connections, then tap on bluetooth to find this screen:
478730

Tap the settings gear for the HandsFreeLink that shows the pairing with the vehicle and you will see this screen:
478731
Make sure the media audio is turned on.

[Lee DeRaud]

Tap the settings gear for the HandsFreeLink that shows the pairing with the vehicle and you will see this screen:
478731
Make sure the media audio is turned on.Well, that worked last night. Thanks. :)

You'd think, looking at that setting, that the map cues would come over the car stereo just as calls do, but it was the phone talking. Still, I'll take the win...we'll see if it sticks, since settings on this particular phone seem to come and go like phases of the moon. (My much cheaper phone is also much more stable about such things, go figure.)