RX - 3rd Gen (2010-2015) Discussion topics related to the 2010 - 2015 RX350 and RX450H models

Bluetooth Question

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Old 02-20-13, 11:59 AM
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aparupal
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Thumbs down Bluetooth Question

I have a question on the Bluetooth system in the car. When I get a call while driving, the phone rings and the Hands free system also rings which is great. But the display is only showing the text "RINGING", neither the number or name of the person calling.
Is there a way to import my contacts to Hands-free or let Hands-free access my Phone address book to show the name on the Display console? This is 2012 RX 350 without Nav.

I recently had (Dodge GC) to rent a mini van when I visited my extended family and this Grand Caravan was able to display the caller name when I connected my phone to its Bluetooth. Doesn't Lexus tech is not even par with Dodge?
Old 02-20-13, 02:28 PM
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vlad_a
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Mine is with Nav. It imported everything as soon as the phone was connected to it, including contact's pictures.
Old 02-20-13, 03:11 PM
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shaolin
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you will need to save your number onto the phone memory and not on sim card in order for it to display. Mine do also transfer as soon it connects to my phone or my wife's phone.
Old 02-20-13, 09:12 PM
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UpodJohn
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Originally Posted by aparupal
I have a question on the Bluetooth system in the car. When I get a call while driving, the phone rings and the Hands free system also rings which is great. But the display is only showing the text "RINGING", neither the number or name of the person calling.
Is there a way to import my contacts to Hands-free or let Hands-free access my Phone address book to show the name on the Display console? This is 2012 RX 350 without Nav.

I recently had (Dodge GC) to rent a mini van when I visited my extended family and this Grand Caravan was able to display the caller name when I connected my phone to its Bluetooth. Doesn't Lexus tech is not even par with Dodge?
Sounds like you are not making full use of your BlueTooth system, yet.

2012 RX350 w/o NAV - that's a start. What is the make & model of your cell phone and your carrier?
Old 02-21-13, 09:58 AM
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aparupal
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Originally Posted by UpodJohn
Sounds like you are not making full use of your BlueTooth system, yet.

2012 RX350 w/o NAV - that's a start. What is the make & model of your cell phone and your carrier?
Mine is an Apple iPhone 5 and carrier is AT&T. I don't really think the contacts are saved on the SIM card in an iPhone, they are all on phone memory
Old 02-21-13, 10:15 AM
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shaolin
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you may want to double check as there is a sim card for iphone is you have atnt or tmobile.
Old 02-21-13, 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by aparupal
Mine is an Apple iPhone 5 and carrier is AT&T. I don't really think the contacts are saved on the SIM card in an iPhone, they are all on phone memory
With the vehicle off... On the iPhone - go to SETTINGS> BLUETOOTH> Car Mutimedia (?) click the lil blue triangle along right side to open next page. Ensure you have 'contacts' checked. Or 'favorites' if that's all you want.

If phone is paired correctly to car, next time you start vehicle the phone book should automatically transfer. Try voice command "call <name>".

Side note: Lexus has a limit of 1000 contacts (three numbers per contact name) for your vehicle phone book. Any contact with more than three numbers (home, work main, mobile, work direct) will be broken up and counted as two of the thousand possible.
Old 02-22-13, 06:49 AM
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Originally Posted by UpodJohn
With the vehicle off... On the iPhone - go to SETTINGS> BLUETOOTH> Car Mutimedia (?) click the lil blue triangle along right side to open next page. Ensure you have 'contacts' checked. Or 'favorites' if that's all you want.

If phone is paired correctly to car, next time you start vehicle the phone book should automatically transfer. Try voice command "call <name>".

Side note: Lexus has a limit of 1000 contacts (three numbers per contact name) for your vehicle phone book. Any contact with more than three numbers (home, work main, mobile, work direct) will be broken up and counted as two of the thousand possible.
I guess it's more complicated for iphone than my blackberry and window's phone, but definitely better than my 06 navi as auto transfering wasn't an option.
Old 02-23-13, 04:53 PM
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Gavinvr4
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I have the same issue here, I have a iPhone 4S
And my contact list doesn't showed up even though my
Phone is paired. And whenever I hit the triangle button my phone
It just give me option "forget this device".
Any advice????
Old 02-24-13, 05:17 AM
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Originally Posted by UpodJohn
With the vehicle off... On the iPhone - go to SETTINGS> BLUETOOTH> Car Mutimedia (?) click the lil blue triangle along right side to open next page. Ensure you have 'contacts' checked. Or 'favorites' if that's all you want.

If phone is paired correctly to car, next time you start vehicle the phone book should automatically transfer. Try voice command "call <name>".

Side note: Lexus has a limit of 1000 contacts (three numbers per contact name) for your vehicle phone book. Any contact with more than three numbers (home, work main, mobile, work direct) will be broken up and counted as two of the thousand possible.
If phone is paired correctly to car, next time you start vehicle the phone book should automatically transfer.
Once phonebook transferred to car, doesn't it stay in the car until you delete it? It doesn't transfer back and forth automatically, does it? I'm referring to model years '10-'12.
Old 02-24-13, 05:27 PM
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aparupal
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Originally Posted by UpodJohn
With the vehicle off... On the iPhone - go to SETTINGS> BLUETOOTH> Car Mutimedia (?) click the lil blue triangle along right side to open next page. Ensure you have 'contacts' checked. Or 'favorites' if that's all you want.

If phone is paired correctly to car, next time you start vehicle the phone book should automatically transfer. Try voice command "call <name>".

Side note: Lexus has a limit of 1000 contacts (three numbers per contact name) for your vehicle phone book. Any contact with more than three numbers (home, work main, mobile, work direct) will be broken up and counted as two of the thousand possible.
I have tried your suggestion this afternoon and when I do it all I could see was "Forget this Device: option and nowhere it was giving me an option to transfer phone book to the car.

I am pretty sure that the contacts on an iPhone stay on phone, not on SIM card as we "SYNC" the phone to iTunes or ICloud, not the SIM card. I also tried removing the SIM card and see if contacts still stay on phone and they are. May be I should call Lexus Customer Service and find out what they have to offer for this. Remember, my phone worked fine in a Dodge Grand Caravan...
Old 02-24-13, 05:38 PM
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aparupal
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Originally Posted by aparupal
I have tried your suggestion this afternoon and when I do it all I could see was "Forget this Device: option and nowhere it was giving me an option to transfer phone book to the car.

I am pretty sure that the contacts on an iPhone stay on phone, not on SIM card as we "SYNC" the phone to iTunes or ICloud, not the SIM card. I also tried removing the SIM card and see if contacts still stay on phone and they are. May be I should call Lexus Customer Service and find out what they have to offer for this. Remember, my phone worked fine in a Dodge Grand Caravan...
Well, this sucks. I just went to Lexus website and did a search on word "bluetooth" and it gave me a link to see available options on this vehicle

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lex...s/bluetooth.do

According to this, you cannot transfer phone book entries to the car's MM system.
Old 02-24-13, 05:56 PM
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I've got a 2010 450h with NAV and mine transferred to the car itself. The phone is an EVO 4G LTE.
Originally Posted by aparupal
Well, this sucks. I just went to Lexus website and did a search on word "bluetooth" and it gave me a link to see available options on this vehicle

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lex...s/bluetooth.do

According to this, you cannot transfer phone book entries to the car's MM system.
Old 02-24-13, 07:27 PM
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As the OP unfortunately found, it all depends upon the capability that your phone has, combined with that of the Lexus head unit for the MY Lexus you have -- with or without Nav. There is a lot of complexity in Bluetooth implementations from release to release and what disparet phone manufacturers do with their devices that is well beyond any car manufacturers control as time and technology progresses.

While the OP is miffed -- and I appreciate the disappointment -- I'm sorry, but don't consider it necessarially a defect by Lexus if a particular phone does not perhaps provide the Bluetooth functionality expected at any point in time. E.g. I don't know from the OP post what the phone is, if it's really old or a challenge because of say with some even more recent iPhones where Apple does not seem to have enabled more complete functionality in iOS as other manufacturerers have. It's a constantly moving target. This site http://lexus.com/lexus/mobilelink/#selectVehicle/ is where to check on what functionality is available or not with a particular phone and Lexus MY, with and without Nav.

FWIW, perhaps because I have 35+ years in hardware and software programming/support, and while I hate the complexity, I acknowlege the moving technology challenges that are beyond any single manufacturer. I also validated with that Lexus site that my iPhone 4 at the time had acceptable functionality with the 2012/13 RX which I ordered almost 8 months in advance of it's delivery, as well as checking on a similar MBZ site that my newer iPhone 5 would work as I expected before I ordered my 2013 MBZ SLK last month. Everything works as I expected it should in my 2013 RX 450h with an iPhone 5, and I'm confident that same iPhone will function as I expect in my new MBZ when I take delivery next month.

Last edited by BertL; 02-24-13 at 08:47 PM. Reason: spelling and punctuation! Geeesssssss!
Old 02-24-13, 08:50 PM
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Please keep in mind that a great number of these types of questions can be routed through the dealership's Technology Specialist. They are there to handle questions about these types of interactions between third-party products and your Lexus. FWIW.


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