jquinn14

Hi - just received my new 2016 RX 350 with luxury/premium package(s) (not sure if they are two separate packages, but i have all of the upgrades). I read through the various sticky posts here and scrolled through the individual threads and didn't find definitive feedback/solutions for the following:

1. I cannot figure out how to set the radio/media so that it resumes playing when i turn the car on. Every now and then it will resume playing right where I left off, but the vast majority of the time the radio/media is somehow "off" when i turn the car back on (even though it was on and blasting a tune when i turned the car off). I've tried "testing" several configurations but can't figure out what the magic is.

A further confounding "challenge" with the audio system is that when it is off it defaults to turning FM radio on when i press the audio power button (vs. playing whatever mode I was in previously)

This is definitely not how my previous three RX 350s worked. I searched and searched the various customization settings, read the manual (which is quite light in the audio section!) and I'm at a loss. Anyone else experience this and figure out the magic trick?

2. I have a crappy old Windows phone that works like a charm for work and for reading me text messages. However, it looks like I'll have to make the Iphone/Android switch soon for work puposes. Any perspectives on which of the operating systems work best? I had hoped that there would be some sort of co-branding with Lexus for one of the platforms on the 2016 model, but in reading through the forums it seems like there continue to be learning curves and some idiosyncrasies. Preferences? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your help. I have long enjoyed this forum and am excited to continue to learn more of the "features" and "functions" of the 4th generation - it's a cool vehicle for sure!

sandy14

Mine resume whatever I was listening to. I just leave the music on and turn the car off. When you start it back up the music starts. Works that way with either Bluetooth or the radio. If I want to turn the music off, I hit the volume/ on/off button. It will resume playing whatever I was listening to when I hit the button again. That's the way every RX I've had worked.
As for the phone, they both have their advantages. The iPhone has "Siri eyes free" by pushing and holding the phone switch, you can give Siri a command through the car. You can make a call, send a text, play a song or playlist, and so on. Big improvement over the car's voice system. I have the iPhone so I'm not really up on what Android does but I believe it will receive emails. The iPhone doesn't.

toyotaman7

Android receives Text Messages and email and the car reads them out, if you like and you can reply to Text with default messages.
As for music, Mine resumes playing what ever it played before turning off. There is a few second delay though. This might be due to the system loading all settings and connecting all devices.

frubalup

Mine also resumes playing what I was listening to prior to shutting off the vehicle. A few things to note from my own experiences,

If it is defaulting to "FM" radio when you push the "Radio" button, it is because you were not previously listening to satellite radio (i.e. you were either listening to USB, bluetooth, iPod etc.). So if you were listening to satellite radio prior to turning off the vehicle, it should default back to it once the vehicle is turned back on.

If your music is not resuming play after you were previously listening to your bluetooth audio it could be because after shutting off your vehicle you have since then played a youtube video or some other video that is no longer "resume-able". Another reason could be that you plugged your phone in through USB AFTER it had already connected to the bluetooth (the USB will take precedence over the bluetooth). You can solve this by just powering off the audio system and then powering it back on (note that if nothing was playing prior to you plugging it in, it will continue to play nothing and you will still have to manually play your music from your phone).

I have found that when I turn my audio system back on it will always go back to whatever it was when it was turned off so I'm not too sure what that could be.

frubalup

Another thing, I know you didn't mention this but just another potential issue that could come up. I saw another person mention (somewhere else in the forum) that the volume for his music was either too low or nothing was playing through bluetooth and/or iPod and it was due to his phone's independent media volume being low or muted. It was mentioned that this never happened in his BMW vehicle and that the vehicle's audio system would always override the phone's volume. However, I think that the reason it never happened was because once your volume is set to be max after being connected to your vehicle's bluetooth, it will always default to max afterwards (it remembers what the volume was last on the vehicle's bluetooth regardless of any changes outside of the vehicle afterwards).

I guess I should also note that all my experiences are with an iPhone

tyler561

Are you always using the same key fob? I believe the radio's 'last playing' status as well as the last climate control settings are tied to the key fob that was in use.

jquinn14

Agreed. That's how my previous RX's worked but not this one. The vast majority of the dTime when I turn the car on the radio is off (even though it was on when shut off). Then, when I hit "on" it defaults to the FM radio and not the iPod (permanently plugged into the USB port) I was listening to. I'll have to keep testing what's going on I guess.

jquinn14

Thx. Totally get what you're saying but it is a standalone iPod that is permanently connected via usb. No Bluetooth syncing. No issues with texts or calls coming in if was a phone. So strange.

jquinn14

Yes - always using the same key fob and only one driver.

SirKong

I have noticed the same thing when using an iPod through the USB. When I turn on the car it does not resume playing the iPod and when I push on the volume **** to turn it on it goes directly to FM radio. However if I'm listening to music through Bluetooth it resumes fine.

jquinn14

Ah ha - that must be it. Using the USB port creates the issue. Glad I'm not the only one out there experiencing it. ;-) Now, why is this happening? It didn't happen on my previous RX. I had the exact same ipod with the exact same USB cable plugged into the USB port. I could turn the car on and off with no missing of music....I wonder what changed?