Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

CarPlay Carplay Maps, Voice Prompt Issues

Groundhog66

Groundhog66

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 23, 2009
71
0
CA
Hello All,

I have been using the Maps app on Carplay, but the voice prompts are super low volume. It lowers the music, but the voice is not coming through the speakers like it should. I have my iPhone 6 Plus connected via cable to the head unit.

I have the voice prompts activated on normal volume, so I'm not sure what I'm missing here.

Any help would be appreciated, thank you.


Tim
 
There's another thread on this in this forum. MacAddict16 suggested changing the cars volume WHEN SIRI IS TALKING. That's supposed to change the siri and guidiance volume, independently of the music volume, and its supposed to be remembered by the car.

I've seen a video on Apples guidelines on this and this is what they tell the manufacturers to do.
 
I have the volume up, since I am listening to music at the time, not sure what you mean.
 
Our suggestion is the following:

1) At a time when music is playing and Siri is definitely not speaking, adjust the car's volume control so that the MUSIC is at exactly the volume you want it to be.

2) Later, at EXACTLY THE TIME when SIRI is speaking VOICE GUIDANCE commands for Maps, (even if the music is still playing) adjust the car's volume control so that SIRI"S VOICE for the guidance commands is at exactly the volume you want THAT to be.

That's all you should have to do.

SIRI"S VOICE guidance commands for Maps should get louder if you turn it up at the right time, and the music volume (which probably gets softer whenever voice guidance commands are spoken) will return to the same level you had previously adjusted it to, as soon as Siri's specific voice guidance command is completed.

This way CarPlay should remember (1) the volume you want for music by itself, and (2) the volume you want for Siri voice guidance commands, as two distinct volume levels.

Please read this other thread in its ENTIRETY:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-10-maps-low-volume-for-guidance.1999994/

That user had the same exact problem, and also had initial difficulty understanding this suggestion. In the end it totally solved his problem.

Please let me know if you're still having difficulty understanding the suggestion, and/or if it works (or doesn't) when you try it as suggested.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Grapplerone
PeteLP said:
Our suggestion is the following:

1) At a time when music is playing and Siri is definitely not speaking, adjust the car's volume control so that the MUSIC is at exactly the volume you want it to be.

2) Later, at EXACTLY THE TIME when SIRI is speaking VOICE GUIDANCE commands for Maps, (even if the music is still playing) adjust the car's volume control so that SIRI"S VOICE for the guidance commands is at exactly the volume you want THAT to be.

That's all you should have to do.

SIRI"S VOICE guidance commands for Maps should get louder if you turn it up at the right time, and the music volume (which probably gets softer whenever voice guidance commands are spoken) will return to the same level you had previously adjusted it to, as soon as Siri's specific voice guidance command is completed.

This way CarPlay should remember (1) the volume you want for music by itself, and (2) the volume you want for Siri voice guidance commands, as two distinct volume levels.

Please read this other thread in its ENTIRETY:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-10-maps-low-volume-for-guidance.1999994/

That user had the same exact problem, and also had initial difficulty understanding this suggestion. In the end it totally solved his problem.

Please let me know if you're still having difficulty understanding the suggestion, and/or if it works (or doesn't) when you try it as suggested.
Click to expand...
PeteLP said:
There's another thread on this in this forum. MacAddict16 suggested changing the cars volume WHEN SIRI IS TALKING. That's supposed to change the siri and guidiance volume, independently of the music volume, and its supposed to be remembered by the car.

I've seen a video on Apples guidelines on this and this is what they tell the manufacturers to do.
Click to expand...

This solved my issue on my new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu LT. I could barely hear prompts and this was something I never thought about since music was blaring over it.

I bet this works on all GM CarPlay
 
hauntvictim said:
Is this a bug?
Click to expand...

Assuming the suggestion works for you, IMO It's not a bug. I do believe it's a design problem, given that several folks have been stumped by this.

I will point out that the iphone itself has worked this way for many, many years (perhaps since the beginning).

For example, on the iphone, if you change the volume when the phone is ringing, the ringer volume is changed and will stay that way henceforth, with no change to music volume or phone call audio volume. Similarly for changing the volume when talking on a phone call, where the change is remembered but effects only phone call audio (not future ringer volume, or future music volume).

This CarPlay volume behavior is completely consistent with that. But any feature that stumps a bunch of people would benefit from a more obvious design.

One way to solve this IMO is to continue to operate the same way (which provides very quick access, and which is intuitive for some), but ALSO have an in-the-car, CarPlay "volume settings" screen. Where one could see and change the volume settings for each of the distinct audio types. AND where a little help note could describe the other quicker method.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ColoArtist
This is how it works in my daughter's VW Jetta and it's how it works on my non-CarPlay navigation system on my other car.
 
PeteLP said:
Our suggestion is the following:

1) At a time when music is playing and Siri is definitely not speaking, adjust the car's volume control so that the MUSIC is at exactly the volume you want it to be.

2) Later, at EXACTLY THE TIME when SIRI is speaking VOICE GUIDANCE commands for Maps, (even if the music is still playing) adjust the car's volume control so that SIRI"S VOICE for the guidance commands is at exactly the volume you want THAT to be.

That's all you should have to do.

SIRI"S VOICE guidance commands for Maps should get louder if you turn it up at the right time, and the music volume (which probably gets softer whenever voice guidance commands are spoken) will return to the same level you had previously adjusted it to, as soon as Siri's specific voice guidance command is completed.

This way CarPlay should remember (1) the volume you want for music by itself, and (2) the volume you want for Siri voice guidance commands, as two distinct volume levels.

Please read this other thread in its ENTIRETY:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-10-maps-low-volume-for-guidance.1999994/

That user had the same exact problem, and also had initial difficulty understanding this suggestion. In the end it totally solved his problem.

Please let me know if you're still having difficulty understanding the suggestion, and/or if it works (or doesn't) when you try it as suggested.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this thread. After months of working perfectly I suddenly couldn’t hear voice directions yet the stereo volume would lower for the directions. Took a couple days of reboots and changing cables before I thought to search. Bing was useless, google turned up this thread and bingo it’s fixed. Adjust volume on car stereo exactly as stereo lowers volume for direction.

I knew maps had its own volume for directions in the app, didn’t realize it was separately controlled when in CarPlay.
 
cere said:
Thanks for this thread. After months of working perfectly I suddenly couldn’t hear voice directions yet the stereo volume would lower for the directions. Took a couple days of reboots and changing cables before I thought to search. Bing was useless, google turned up this thread and bingo it’s fixed. Adjust volume on car stereo exactly as stereo lowers volume for direction.

I knew maps had its own volume for directions in the app, didn’t realize it was separately controlled when in CarPlay.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your good results. Very good to hear
 
Since this thread got bumped, I'll add what I do now.

To get Siri to talk for more than a split second, I go, "Hey Siri, say something," just as if I were asking a somebody to do a microphone check.

Siri responds, saying a phrase like, "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog," or, "I can say many things, including directions for navigation, text messages,....." and rambles on for ten or fifteen seconds.

While Siri is talking, I can adjust her volume level as described above.

It makes more sense on a human level, not a computer-gadget-thing level; and I think it's actually easier than burying a setting for Siri's volume in some submenu somewhere on the phone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PeteLP
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back