Apple Watch & iPhone Bluetooth Car Connection Question

[kmichalec]

Hi all,

My AWS is on order, expected delivery late June. Looking forward to it!

In the meantime, I'm trying to learn as much about it as I can, so I know all the ins and outs of it when it comes. My question is this. I understand that when you are not on a Wifi network, the Apple watch and iPhone (6 in this case) connect using Bluetooth. Since they are using the Bluetooth connection, does that have any impact on the iPhone's ability to connect via Bluetooth to a car (in my case, Ford Sync)? I thought Apple phones only had the ability to connect to one BT device at a time, but maybe I'm wrong. What's going to happen when I get in my car for the first time with my iPhone 6 in my pocket and my AW on my wrist? Will the iPhone still connect to my Ford Sync system and remain connected to the Watch as well, or will it remain connected to the Watch, but ignore Sync now? That would be a big issue for me, if I had to somehow manually switch it over everytime I get in the car.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mightyjabba]

You can connect to multiple Bluetooth devices. It works more or less as expected in the car for me, although initiating some things on the watch (like a phone call) will cause the audio to play through the watch rather than the car's speakers.

 

[danmart]

Have you tried pairing your watch to the car rather than your phone? That's what I'm going to look at once I get my watch.

 

[citrate]

This works fine for me. My iPhone will happily link with both. I don't have a Ford (VM here) but it works fine. If I'm streaming music to my radio (from my iPhone) then I can also use the watch to change track, get Siri to play an album etc.

 

[kmichalec]

You can connect to multiple Bluetooth devices. It works more or less as expected in the car for me, although initiating some things on the watch (like a phone call) will cause the audio to play through the watch rather than the car's speakers.

Thanks for the response mightyjabba.

When a phone call comes in while in the car, and your iPhone is connected to both the car and the Watch, do they both ring, and you have the option to answer the call on either? So I will still be able to answer the call through the Ford Sync system?

Any issues with playing Bluetooth Audio music through the Ford Sync system, while the iPhone is connected to both the Watch and car? So if I turn on BT Audio on the Ford Sync system, and then start streaming Pandora on the iPhone 6, the phone knows which BT channel to route the music to and sends it to the Ford Sync connection (I assume it should, but just checking)?

And to your point about initiating the call on the watch causes the call audio to come through the watch, is there any way to switch the audio to the car mid call, or are you committed at that point and have to stick with the watch?

Thanks again!

 

[CobraPA]

Have you tried pairing your watch to the car rather than your phone? That's what I'm going to look at once I get my watch.

I don't believe that's possible, although in theory you may be able to pair the car to the watch (maybe the same thing... but the watch is supposed to support headphones, so the car may be able to be paired to it for audio playback.)

Although from the reading I've done, I think you won't be happy with how that works. We'll have to see. I'm expecting a watch soon to. Have to try it!

 

[danmart]

We know the watch can use Bluetooth headphones, so it should be able to pair with the car as that is the same protocol. I presume that if you are using Bluetooth on your phone (to listen to music) and answer a call on the watch it would route the call to the headset?

To be fair, you can differentiate between music and headset so it might not work...

 

[Scott-n-Houston]

Thanks for the response mightyjabba.

When a phone call comes in while in the car, and your iPhone is connected to both the car and the Watch, do they both ring, and you have the option to answer the call on either? So I will still be able to answer the call through the Ford Sync system?

Any issues with playing Bluetooth Audio music through the Ford Sync system, while the iPhone is connected to both the Watch and car? So if I turn on BT Audio on the Ford Sync system, and then start streaming Pandora on the iPhone 6, the phone knows which BT channel to route the music to and sends it to the Ford Sync connection (I assume it should, but just checking)?

And to your point about initiating the call on the watch causes the call audio to come through the watch, is there any way to switch the audio to the car mid call, or are you committed at that point and have to stick with the watch?

Thanks again!

I have a 2015 Ford and can vouch for the fact that when your watch is paired, it plays BT audio through the system just fine with no interference or issues.

If you have SYNC with MyFordTouch and get texts through it, it will only notify you on SYNC about your texts and not your watch. That bothered me as I'd rather have the taptic vibration on my wrist, so I turned off 'show notifications' for my BT connection to SYNC and they went back to my watch, but it won't do both.

I can't remember what it does for calls. I pretty much just use my car for calls, so I can't remember if my watch is also ringing. I want to say it does, but I'll have to go test that to confirm.

 

[Rtt3rd]

Keeps dropping calls

My $.02, I have a Cadillac CTS, which connects via blue tooth to my Iphone 6+, I continue to experience dropped calls when trying to use my hands free in the car, last week I posted a similar thread, I drove a couple of hours this weekend and had more than a 1/2 dozen calls just stop unexpectedly. I have sent an email to Apple support but have heard nothing yet, I don't have issues at any other time just when my phone is connected to the BT on my car.

Any thoughts or help from anyone would be great.

Thanks,

Rich

 

[Kat518]

I have a 2015 Ford and can vouch for the fact that when your watch is paired, it plays BT audio through the system just fine with no interference or issues.

If you have SYNC with MyFordTouch and get texts through it, it will only notify you on SYNC about your texts and not your watch. That bothered me as I'd rather have the taptic vibration on my wrist, so I turned off 'show notifications' for my BT connection to SYNC and they went back to my watch, but it won't do both.

I can't remember what it does for calls. I pretty much just use my car for calls, so I can't remember if my watch is also ringing. I want to say it does, but I'll have to go test that to confirm.

Can I ask how you got the phone to pair with your watch? I have a 2014 Fusion and it gives me a 6 digit passcode to enter on the watch, however, it seems the watch won't accept more than 4 digits?

 

[dhlizard]

Can I ask how you got the phone to pair with your watch? I have a 2014 Fusion and it gives me a 6 digit passcode to enter on the watch, however, it seems the watch won't accept more than 4 digits?

I believe he is referring to the watch being paired to phone, not car. I also have a Ford with MFT & Sync and the watch causes no issues, but as stated notifications go to car, not watch. I may try turning off notifications also.

 

[r0k]

I have a plantronics bt earpiece, a bluetooth handsfree phone built into my car and an apple watch. All 3 play nicely together. When a call comes in, my car, my apple watch and my earpiece all "ring" and whichever I accept the call on the audio goes there.

 

[HDJulie]

I believe he is referring to the watch being paired to phone, not car. I also have a Ford with MFT & Sync and the watch causes no issues, but as stated notifications go to car, not watch. I may try turning off notifications also.

I have an Explorer. My phone connects to it & the watch & if I get a text, it shows up on Sync & a minute or two later it goes to the watch

 

[Kat518]

I goofed...I did mean, how do you pair the watch to Ford Sync? Mine gives me a 6 digit passcode I'm supposed to enter on the watch, but it seems the watch will not take a code longer than 4 digits. Haven't seem to be able to find a workaround.