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Handsfree shenanigans

3422 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  chasem
Before I start, I have to admit that I do not get along well with those automated phone menus that ask you to speak what you want. When I call my bank, I usually end up in a rage yelling "representative" over and over while my wife falls off the couch laughing at me. So with this background I was not really looking forward to my first experience with the Subaru handsfree system.

So there we were...sitting in the parking lot of the dealership yet to put a single mile on the XV. My wife and I tossed a coin and I won the drive home. The dealer had already talked us through connecting our iPhones via Bluetooth. That was pretty dang simple, I was impressed. Rocking out to some Back Keys, I pull out of the parking lot in my brand new ride. I decide to call my wife who is following behind me in our other Subaru, I press the handsfree button on the steering wheel and after it asks me what to do I say 'handsfree'......

Me - "call Tiffany"
Car - "call Jason"
Me - "call Tiffany"
Car - "call tricare'
Me - "CALL TIFFANY"
Car - "call Dominos"
Me - "are you kidding me"
Car - "repeat"
Me - "CALL TIIIIIFFFFFANNNNY"
Car - "call work"
Me - "aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggg"
Car - "repeat"

So at this point I decide to try another name....and it works. I try three more....all work. I try Tiffany again....get Tricare.

Ugh.

I've since added her as a speed dial number. Works like a charm.
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We've had ours for about 1 & 1/2 monthsand I'm still fighting with the voice command!lol
My Fiesta is like that (Microsoft SYNC). My fiancé's family all have names that start with "K." It's no fun. Now I just use Siri. She understands me much better. :D and I press the button (for Siri), and the car acts as if I got a call, so it switches to the bluetooth, so I'm still using the cars microphone to use Siri. Loopholes freaking rock.
RallyeBourne said:
My Fiesta is like that (Microsoft SYNC). My fiancé's family all have names that start with "K." It's no fun. Now I just use Siri. She understands me much better. :D and I press the button (for Siri), and the car acts as if I got a call, so it switches to the bluetooth, so I'm still using the cars microphone to use Siri. Loopholes freaking rock.

ohhh I hadn't thought of that I will have to use Siri next time!
I had this problem at first too, and I figured out what you are doing wrong... My biggest problem was making a name that was long enough for it to like and one that didn't sound like another menu option or whatever. So you name a number "Bob's cell phone" because "Bob" is too short for it. Here is the deal: when you push the command button you don't say "Call bob's cell phone", it will get confused because call is a separate command. You just say "Bob's cellphone" then it will tell you to push the off hook switch to call Bob's cell phone. Realizing this should fix most of your calling problems.

My new problem is my current phone doesn't want to connect to the Bluetooth automatically anymore, I have to reconnect it every time I turn on my car, whereas my old phone connected every time I got in the car without having to mess with anything, that is driving me nuts.
I haven't bothered with voice control to avoid issues such as the one you mentioned. Don't want to have the car calling random people at random moments...
I have improved the handsfree by turning down the mic volume a couple notches. If it's too loud, it may distort the command and complicate things ( as it does )
One of my solutions was to use everyone's full name. That gives most of them a different enough sound.
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