I'm looking for a smartphone that works with the Lexus navigation system and supports all of the following:

1. Make/receive phone calls
2. Reply to text messages
3. Show contact photos on the navigation screen
4. Stream music via Bluetooth and display album art etc.
5. Notifications for email.

I currently have an iPhone 4S with iOS 7 and cannot complete items 2, 3, or 5.

 

+1 I have the Samsung S3

 

I have an iPhone5 with iOS7. I get the emails, and I can see the subject. However, the body of the email is not showing. When I press the "read" button it gets stuck on loading.

 

Samsung S4 hands down works with everything better then the new iPhone.

 

The galaxy S4 is probably your best bet. Just make sure you are ok living with android. I have an iPhone 5S and I would rather forgo those options since I'd rather use iOS daily than android.

 

With the Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, and the Nexus 5, I can't see contact photos, or album art. Emails don't work reliably either (they don't work on S4 or the Nexus 5. On iPhone, they occasionally show receipt of Email, but can't do anything with it most of the time)

I can make/receive phone calls, and can receive/reply-to text messages. Music can be streamed over BT too.

@yardie876 - your post made me smile because I was about to say something similar, just reversed (make sure you are ok living with iOS)

Edit: Fixed contact photo issue

 

I have the S4 and it does all that, except for the album cover over Bluetooth. It displays the names, but not the album cover. You can reply to text, notifications of text, contact picture for incoming calls, etc.

 

I have the Samsung S4, and it does what OBADEA says, including pictures for your contacts.

What I'm only frustrated with is with how Bluetooth music through my S4 is managed compared to my 1st gen iPod (via USB).

That said, I've not spent a lot of time trying to figure out to see if I have something set up wrong, or what our user manual says how it should work. I may just play around tonight and see what's up.

**UPDATE: Figured it out. Google Play Music streaming via BT works, but you loose a lot of functionality in being able to switch artists/folders/etc unless you do it via your phone.

 

Interesting - my S4 has never shown picture contacts (on the previous OS 4.2 or on 4.3). Does it show Emails too? (mine doesn't).

 

Yes, I get pictures. I really never noticed until my wife pointed it out one day when my daughter's picture showed up and she complained that it wasn't "her favorite"...

As for email, Gmail doesn't work, or my corporate email (we use IBM's Traveler P.O.S. app). The email that will work are the accounts (Yahoo, AOL) I've set up for the native email client. You'd think Google'sown Gmail service would work, but no...

 

Mine does not show contact's picture either.

 

Attachment 309878Ok guys,

Here's what mine looks like. Note that the pictures display for incoming calls. Still trying to take pics of the incoming email notifications.

 

jscgs350 - thanks. I think I had set that up, but I'll recheck (just in case the setting was reset during the car servicing at the dealership)

 

No worries. Let me know if you'd like me to track down any more settings on my end.

 

HTC One here, it does everything, like the Galaxy S4 does.

You can check Lexus' (outdated) compatibility grid. When you first sync your phone via bluetooth, you can go look at another info screen that shows what the phone is advertising via Bluetooth. I imagine the iPhone has a very short list, and Lexus isn't alone with this poor support. Apple just makes it extremely hard to do anything besides listen to music and make phone calls via BT.

+1 on the music management headache. I've had my car start playing songs in alphabetical order, stick to a single artist folder, or any number of things. I don't understand it but it has to do with what you're doing with the music app on the phone prior to connecting to the car.