Possible to listen to radio while talking on phone (through the phone) when CarPlay is enabled?

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tahoe81

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When CarPlay is enabled, I talk through the vehicle most times if I receive a call. However, there's times when I've got kids in the car or whatever and prefer to talk through the phone so I'll just change it from the phone to "iPhone" in stead of "CarPlay" and use it that way. Anytime I do this though, the phone call buttons and info stays up on the infotainment system and I cannot seem to change source to the radio while I'm in the middle of a call. The call just hijacks the entire infotainment system and you can't do anything else.
 
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When CarPlay is enabled, I talk through the vehicle most times if I receive a call. However, there's times when I've got kids in the car or whatever and prefer to talk through the phone so I'll just change it from CarPlay to iPhone and use it that way. Anytime I do this though, the phone call buttons and into stays up on the infotainment system and I cannot seem to change source to the radio while I'm in the middle of a call. The call just hijacks the entire infotainment system and you can't do anything else.
in that case just disable bluetooth temporarily (on the phone)
 
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tahoe81

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Thanks. Guess that's a workaround for sure.
 

BlaineBug

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Good question. I don't have the entertainment package but I wonder what happens to the rear displays. I figure if they're watching a DVD it wouldn't be affected by your phone conversation as the movies don't play on the front most screen anyway.
 

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on my 18 on the radio on the bluetooth screen I can select "phone" and it switches to my phone and no longer takes over the radio
 

BlaineBug

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on my 18 on the radio on the bluetooth screen I can select "phone" and it switches to my phone and no longer takes over the radio
Yes it can do that. It basically disconnects the bluetooth signal and sends it back to the handheld.
 
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tahoe81

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Tried this out today and it doesn't appear I've got any option on the infotainment system to switch to phone once in a call.

Weird thing today though when I tested this. I was actually able to hear the radio when actively in a call after selecting "iPhone" on the phone itself rather than "CarPlay" for where I wanted to talk. The only issue was that the radio was entirely too loud for me to successfully communicate over the phone so went to turn it down and couldn't. Adjusting the volume would only adjust the "phone volume" and not the "audio" which of course was doing absolutely nothing because I wasn't using the CarPlay system to communicate so while the slider was adjusting up and down it was not adjusting the radio volume because it saw the live call and kept trying to adjust the phone volume.

Ugh... this system is buggy as hell.

1671680987572.png
 

WalleyeMikeIII

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If not mistaken, and I would have to go out to the garage and test it...which I am NOT going to do right now, since the actual temp outside is -13F right now (and falling, should be a balmy -20 by 7pm)...you should still see the native infotainment icons on the left part of the screen (which are chopped off in this pic) as Car Play does not take over the whole screen. I would think you could hit Home or Music and get back to the radio controls...but, admittedly, I haven't checked. You could also consider switching the source using the steering wheel controls and the select list on the Instrument Panel.

Another option you could consider using is skip using Car Play, and take your phone calls as the phone connected as a Bluetooth phone vs a CarPlay device.

Here's the thing, the whole point of CarPlay is to have you keep your stinking hands off your phone and not use it like that while driving...so...all the CarPlay features attempt to do that.
You are doing a LOT if you are talking on the phone using the phone, driving, and trying to change the radio source/controls/etc at the same time...
 

BlaineBug

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Tried this out today and it doesn't appear I've got any option on the infotainment system to switch to phone once in a call.

Weird thing today though when I tested this. I was actually able to hear the radio when actively in a call after selecting "iPhone" on the phone itself rather than "CarPlay" for where I wanted to talk. The only issue was that the radio was entirely too loud for me to successfully communicate over the phone so went to turn it down and couldn't. Adjusting the volume would only adjust the "phone volume" and not the "audio" which of course was doing absolutely nothing because I wasn't using the CarPlay system to communicate so while the slider was adjusting up and down it was not adjusting the radio volume because it saw the live call and kept trying to adjust the phone volume.

Ugh... this system is buggy as hell.

View attachment 387889
That sounds buggy, doing a reverse bluetooth and sending the truck's radio signal to your cell phone. That's bass-ackwards.
 
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tahoe81

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If not mistaken, and I would have to go out to the garage and test it...which I am NOT going to do right now, since the actual temp outside is -13F right now (and falling, should be a balmy -20 by 7pm)...you should still see the native infotainment icons on the left part of the screen (which are chopped off in this pic) as Car Play does not take over the whole screen. I would think you could hit Home or Music and get back to the radio controls...but, admittedly, I haven't checked. You could also consider switching the source using the steering wheel controls and the select list on the Instrument Panel.

Another option you could consider using is skip using Car Play, and take your phone calls as the phone connected as a Bluetooth phone vs a CarPlay device.

Here's the thing, the whole point of CarPlay is to have you keep your stinking hands off your phone and not use it like that while driving...so...all the CarPlay features attempt to do that.
You are doing a LOT if you are talking on the phone using the phone, driving, and trying to change the radio source/controls/etc at the same time...

Appreciate the concern, but I'm normally doing this is when I'm sitting in the child pickup line for 25 minutes not moving and someone from work calls and needs something. I don't want to talk to them through the car speakers/mic because then my 4 year old will likely interrupt.
 

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