I can get to my iPhone music with the voice command "Bluetooth Audio" but after that I can't find a voice command to display and select a playlist. Is there such a command? Ideally, I would like to be able to say "Playlist Bruce Springsteen" (for example) from the main menu or the map screen. Thanks!

 

By properly searching the PDF manual I have answered my own question about accessing iPhone playlists by voice command. (Good thing, too, because it seems no one else here knew the answer. Yet it also seems unlikely that I am the only one here desiring to use voice control for Bluetooth music playback.)

The problem stems from poor integration of the nav/entertainment system. Using the regular voice-command button one can get as far as playing the last-used iPhone playlist by saying "Bluetooth Audio." From that point, you cannot change playlists or select a particular artist with a voice command; take one hand off the wheel and your eyes off the road and use the joystick and display.

Until and unless, that is, you press and hold the Phone button on the steering wheel to access Siri. Then you can say "Play Playlist Such-and-Such." It works well enough, I suppose, but it is not at all integrated with the other audio sources. IMO there ought to be one button for all and no fiddling with the joystick. Perhaps Apple Car Play rather than the Lexus App Suite?

 

Bluetooth is a standard. It usually depends on what version of Bluetooth and what protocols that version holds. Voice commands for music over Bluetooth may not be part of the Bluetooth standard. If you want to use voice commands for your music, I would suggest buying a compatible iPod and leave that plugged into the USB port. Otherwise, just continue using Siri Eyes Free.

 

It doesn't matter whether the Bluetooth standard includes allowing for voice commands to control music playback. Apple has worked that out in the iPhone and the Lexus "Siri Eyes Free" facility takes advantage of that. The issue was my misunderstanding as to how to access that feature, but, as noted, I have learned how to do that. And commented that, IMO, there ought to be one button for all voice-control functions. As it is, one can press the touch-and-release speech button to give a voice command to select the iPhone music and have it begin playing where it left off, but to make additional choices (playlist, artist, genre, etc.) one has to press and hold the "Phone" button to issue additional voice commands via Siri. It's the need for two switches to fully control a single function that I think is poorly executed.