[iOS][BT][RNS 315] Car mode not automatically launching

[KluthR]

Plan

Premium

Country

Germany

Device

iPhone 8

Operating System

iOS 14.2

My Question or Issue

I have paired my iPhone 8 to an VW RNS315. However, spotify does not enable car mode automatically when connected. The RNS 315 is a hands free device which support phone calls via bluetooth. Is there a way to contribute to the device detection for automatic car mode activation? Is there a way to enable it automatically?

Spotify 8.5.84.680

[Mihail]

Hey @KluthR,

Thanks for searching for the answer you need here!

Just to make sure that we're on the same page - Car view does start when you activate it manually, but not when connecting your smartphone via Bluetooth to the RNS315, right? If that's the case it's a good idea to unpair then and run a clean reinstall using the steps here. Keep in mind that performing a clean reinstall always ensures that your app is on the most current version, plus has the added advantage that if there are any faulty installation files that might be causing this behavior, they get removed and built anew from the ground up.

If that doesn't fix things, we'd appreciate a video recording of what you see at your end. You can attach it to your post via the Insert Video button, just be sure to hide any private/ sensitive info.

Hope you find this useful. Let us know how you get on.

[KluthR]

CarPlay does NOT start manually - since it is not possible to start it manually. I never found an option for that. I asked if it is possible under iOS.

I'll create a video in the next time.

[Mihail]

Hey @KluthR,

Thanks for getting back to us. 

Could you clarify if you're experiencing issues with Apple CarPlay or Spotify's Car view? You can read up more on the different ways to use Spotify in your car here.

Keep us posted. We’ll keep an eye out for your reply and the video.

[KluthR]

Its about Spotify's Car View. Phone is connected via Bluetooth to the Car radio.

I'll post a follow up soon.

[KluthR]

So, this is the settings page from my phone for my car radio. As you can see I can select if I want to sync my contacts etc. So the radio advertises the right BT profile, as far as I can see:

 

I dont have permissions to upload videos here, so here is a YT link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k5LtXqeZrk

Again some infos:

iPhone8 @ iOS 14.2

Spotify App 8.5.84.680

[Mihail]

Hey @KluthR,

Thanks for getting back to us with the video.

Could you let us know if you tried the previous suggested steps - a clean reinstall and unpairing your phone and car? This usually solves such connectivity issues. It's also a good idea to check for any firmware updates for the RNS 315.

If that doesn't fix things, could you log in with a friend or family members account and share if you can replicate this behavior? 

Keep us posted. We're always one reply away.

[KluthR]

I can confirm, that a clean install and unpair/repair does NOT work.

The RNS315 is at latest firmware.


How does spotify detect if it should enable Car view or not? Is there nothing like a debug log I can send to you which clarifies the issue here easily?

[Mihail]

Hey @KluthR,

Thanks for clarifying the troubleshooting you've done so far.

We'd appreciate it if you tried one more test. With the iPhone disconnected from the RNS315, could you navigate to Spotify's Settings -> Car mode and toggle Switch to car mode between Always and Only in a car? Restart the app after each change and let us know it that makes a difference next time you connect to RNS315. if you have the option to try it out with a friend or family members account as well, that would help us a lot in identifying the root cause of this behavior.

Keep us posted and let us know if you have any questions. 

[KluthR]

There is no such option. I habe the option to enable the Car view or disable it.

[Mihail]

Hey @KluthR,

We appreciate the clarification.

Could you let us know if Car view starts automatically when you log in with another Spotify account on your iPhone or with a different smartphone and then connect to the RNS315? This way we can determine whether the root cause for this behavior lies with your account or device.

We'd love to investigate this further! We'll be here if you have any other questions.

[KluthR]

Hi,

I tried to use a Android phone with my account. Same result - it is NOT working 😞

I got some Bluetooth infos for the car radio, maybe one dev at your side could check, if the required BT profile is there which is needed for spotify to" detect" a car.

1.Bluetooth Device : RNS315
2.MAC Address : 90:03:B7:43:3C:E7
3.Type : Classic - BR/EDR
4.Profiles Supported:
Serial Port(SPP)
A2DP - SRC
HSP
HFP
OPP
FTP
Personal Area Networking(PAN) - PANU
A2DP - SNK
AVRCP
5.UUID List :
00001101-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
0000110a-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
00001108-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
0000111e-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
00001105-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
00001106-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
00001115-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
0000110b-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
0000110e-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
00000000-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
00000000-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb

[Mihail]

Hey @KluthR,

Thanks for getting back to us with the results.

Do you have the option to also test it with a friend or family members account? That would also be really helpful to know in addition to all the useful info we've provided so far.

We'll be on the lookout for your reply! 

[KluthR]

So. I tested this today with yet another phone and another user account. The same, Car View does NOT start.

But I noticed: The freinds phone offered 3 options - Car View never, in a car or always. These 3 options were never avilable on both my iPhone and my android.

So it seems that Spotify does not detect my car radio as such. I already posted the metadata of this car radio's offered Bluetooth-services. Maybe you could forward this to an dev who can check if there is something missing?

[Alex]

Hi there @KluthR,

Thanks for helping out with the troubleshooting and going through this process with us.

We've received several reports from other users who also can't see the Car View mode.

Could you send us a screenshot of how your Settings menu looks?

Thanks.

[KluthR]

Thanks for your update.

I dont know which settings do you want to see - but I made some general screenshots.

Please say, if you need more.

[Alex]

Hi @KluthR,

Thanks for the quick reply and the screenshots 🙂

We've passed this info onto the right team and they are looking into it.

We'll keep you posted when there is any development on this.

Cheers