rushbikes

2013 Audi A6 + Moto X

When I connect via Bluetooth, the notification sounds on my phone (email, directions, etc) go mute, and are in turn transmitted through Bluetooth audio. I can hear them just fine when my MMI is in MEDIA mode. But let's say I want to listen to Sirius while still receiving notification sounds. Is there a way to overlay this track while in another mode?

I'd prefer not to have to disconnect Bluetooth every time I want to hear my notifications. Alternatively, is there anyone familiar enough w Android to know whether or not its possible to have my phone still sound while connected to MMI?

superswiss

No, there is not. You can disconnect just the Bluetooth Audio profile in the MMI's Bluetooth settings or disable the media player all together, but then you can't listen to music over Bluetooth anymore.

I can't speak to Android, so I don't know if there is a setting to tell it to play notifications over the phone's speaker instead of Bluetooth.

Take this as a subtle hint that you are supposed to pay attention to driving and not get distracted by notifications from your phone. :-).

I wish more app developers would incorporate voice as a standard feature into their apps. On my phone if I receive a text message, the phone's voice assistant comes on over the speaker and reads the text message to me and then I can reply without ever picking up the phone. That's how it should work. But if my wife sends me a message through WhatsApp, then I usually don't see it until I get out of the car.

rushbikes

I ask so that I CAN keep my eyes on the road. I prefer using Google Maps on my phone to the Audi Nav system - primarily for more accurate traffic updates/routes - and I'd like the audible cues so I don't have to check my phone visually. At the same time, I'd like to keep Bluetooth connected so I can receive calls through the car's interface or listen to the radio. Either takes me out of MEDIA mode.

Btw, Android also reads texts aloud but I can't hear anything if Bluetooth is connected and the MMI isn't in MEDIA mode.

rushbikes

I may have answered my own question. Poured through some Android forums and apparently I'm not the only one with an Android asking this question. And Audi isn't the only car maker this is applicable to.

Long story short, there's an app you can download at the Play Store called SoundAbout that supposedly takes care of sound routing. I haven't put it through its fair trials, but at first blush, it seems to be just the ticket.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...utingfix&hl=en

superswiss

Basically, what you want is that phone calls and all speech functions of the phone get routed over the hands free connection. That way regardless of what your current audio source is, the phone will always take precedence. This is what my Windows Phone does out of the box. Voice prompts whether it is text messages or instructions from the nav app, it all gets routed over the hands-free connection. I don't need to be in Media to hear it.

mileman402

What is the verdict on this? This has been an annoyance to me since I got my '14. Apparently on the '16 C7's this is not an issue and notifications will play over the radio.

rushbikes

Been using the free trial of SoundAbout for a little over a week now and it's solved my problem. I can take calls using MMI while still having the phone's media audio (i.e. directions from Google Maps, etc) come through the phone speakers. A quick change to the SoundAbout settings and I can rewire the phone's media audio to flow back through MMI.

mileman402

Ah ok. But, even with the app, you're not able to have the notifications come through the car's speakers while listening to Sirius? It only comes through the phone's speakers?

rushbikes

Correct. It's a tradeoff albeit a minor one that I can totally live with.

mileman402

Yeah, definitely better than no notification sounds at all. Thanks for the tip. I downloaded the app and will give it a try on my way home from work.