syncing phonebook problems

What kind of phone (model) are you using? I know even among 'droids some models work better than others.

If your phone is using the BT connection, you should see what's shown in your phone directory, but I know some models work better than others. I have an iPhone 4, and I've had no issues.

FWIW, the few times I've been called, I think only the number has shown up on the touch screen. I don't know if anyone has called who has a name associated with the number on the phone.

 

I've had the same problem with my 2010 prius bluetooth for the past couple years and it's very annoying. I had a blackberry which started giving me problems so my work got me another blackberry (because thats all they use), this one was a BOLD. I decided to update all my contacts one day and all of a sudden ALL my contact names no longer appeared. It's so frustrating, I have no idea how to fix it and I've spent much time trying. It was so nice to be able to just say the person's name you were calling, or see who was calling you on the screen as I was driving. All I can do is wait and hope that the next my my works gets us will be able to pair properly and hopefully that will be soon, I've had this phone for 3 years.

 

I had a similar problem when I first got my Samsung Galaxy Light, even though my previous HTC phone never had a problem. I eventually solved it with an Android app called Bluetooth Phonebook. Apparently, some phones have a flaky PBAP (Phone Book Access Profile), which prevents the data from transferring properly. The Bluetooth Phonebook developer explains it here. There's a trial version of Bluetooth Phonebook so you can see if it fixes the problem - but be sure to read the info about the trial so you understand why it's loading in slightly screwed up numbers...

 

IIRC, Toyota has a "compatibility list" for phones they verify will work well with Entune. If it's not listed, it's either not a good match or not yet certified.

That's the sole good thing I can say about the iPhone. ONE PLATFORM to work with. Android allows so many variations that each model can have it's own quirks to work out.

 

Ah, no Entune on the Two.

Still, I believe the BT function for phone audio and phone features works better on some models than others.

 

You can still use the compatibility tool at Toyota - Entune - it covers all the audio units whether Entune or not. But unless your phone is pretty old, the problems you're describing sound more like something might be screwy with either the phone or the car's audio system. Since it's a 2013, should be still under Toyota warranty, unless you bought it used with a lot of miles. So you could take it to the dealer and have them look at it.

There's also an 800 number: Toyota Entune Support I called them a couple times when I was having problems with my old HTC and Pandora. They didn't solve it (I think it was just a buggy phone) - but they did offer a couple of worthwhile "try this" tips.

BTW, if you're phone is relatively new, don't worry too much if you don't see it on the compatibility list - it seems to take them a while to test/update it with new phones. And since you're talking about stuff like phonebook syncing and playing sound files which I think is pretty standardized by now, I wouldn't think newness would be a problem.

 

I have the Two, and my BT works perfectly, but i have an iPhone.

You can try testing a different phone with your system (like someone with an iPhone...which should always work properly). If they get bad performance issues, it may be your system that's to blame.

 

Yeah, testing with another phone is the best thing if you can. Then you know whether the problems are with the car's system or the phone. BTW, if the Toyota site says your phone should show artist info, I think that implies it should at least play the music. (Otherwise, why show the artist info?) The rest of the compatibilities on that page look like they have to do with controlling the audio from the car's controls. But if you're controlling the playback from the music player app on the phone, I don't see why it should skip.

One other thought - if you have some third party music player like Rocket Player installed, try uninstalling it and just using the stock Android player. When I had my HTC Sensation, I couldn't understand why the steering wheel skip track and volume controls were always wonky. It happened in different cars, so I knew the problem was with the phone. Eventually dug around and learned that music players can do that. Deleted Rocket Player and all was well.

 

I can say that not everything works via Bluetooth. I know album art only works if your smart phone is plugged into the USB data port. Even then, my iPhone doesn't always produce it, but that's something I've noticed on the iPhone. The data is there, but not every time does it come up...depends on the iOS version of late.

 

I think that's more an iPhone thing than Android. I definitely get album art on my Galaxy Light, and I've never plugged it into the USB port. AFAIK nothing requires USB on Android - I think it would just charge the phone - though of course it doesn't hurt to try.

 

Oops - I had it not quite right. It does read the Android phone as a Media Device when you plug it in via USB, so it plays the audio via USB and seems to add a few more bells and whistles.