Does Cortana work well over your car's bluetooth connection?

[Joe920]

Some users (me included) are reporting problems in their cars using Cortana and maps navigation over bluetooth. For some users Cortana stays silent, for others Cortana and maps use the voice call profile (slow, bad audio quality), and others don't get any voice prompts at all. Ideally all voice prompts would come over A2DP, which has higher quality audio and doesn't have to interrupt music playback.

I'm curious if this a rare problem or fairly common, and if it's specific to certain car makes. Please complete the poll and post here which WM10 version you use, which phone you have, and which car you drive, if you're willing to share that private info!

 

[Joe920]

I'll start: in my 2014 Mazda CX5 Cortana uses the voice call profile, using a 950XL on build 10586.29. It also went over voice call when using my 1520 on all WM10 versions I tried. I DID work on WP8.1 in the same car with the 1520, so something seems to have changed.

 

[Joe920]

Stunning result: so far 100% of all users have trouble with Cortana over bluetooth! :wink:

Edit: in a shocking turnaround, suddenly it turns out half the people here are getting their voice over A2DP.

 

[gwinegarden]

She hears me but I don't hear a reply.

 

[jeetu4444]

Works fine for me Lumia 950ds

 

[The Extreme G]

Lumia 920 on .71
Aftermarket Pioneer Radio
"Cortana and Maps use the Bluetooth voice call profile...." which is exactly how I INTENDED for it to work. How and Why?

1) Cortana can't hear me through A2DP, which leads to...
2) "Use an alternate Bluetooth audio connection for Speech" is checked in Bluetooth settings. As a result...
3) No matter what source my radio is on (FM, CD, BT audio, or even off) it will switch to BT voice, give me notifications, then when it's finished, switch back to the prior source (or turn back off).
4) Also, my volume for notifications are separate from the other sources which is a huge plus. For instance, if I'm having a conversation in the car with low sound on the radio, a turn-by-turn direction can come in loud and clear enough to hear it without having to fiddle with the volume.

A2DP may so sound better (does it really matter for notifications?) but I'd always have to use BT Audio Source to ensure I get notifications. I don't have to as mentioned in my 2nd reason. I can't choose the first 2 answers in the poll so I chose the first one.

Everything works great!

 

[Joe920]

Lumia 920 on .71
Aftermarket Pioneer Radio
"Cortana and Maps use the Bluetooth voice call profile...." which is exactly how I INTENDED for it to work.

Everything works great!

Glad to hear it. For me it works like that as well, but it's very slow in my car. Here Drive used to just dim the audio and speak over A2DP which was a much better experience. While driving I would prefer to have faster performance and as little interruption as possible. During navigation the microphone isn't even needed, so why wouldn't MS use the A2DP profile? It used to work like that, and Groove clearly knows how to use A2DP so it's not a problem with the head unit.

Even for receiving and dealing with text messages, Cortana could use A2DP and simply drop the music volume when listening for my answers, right? At least I know in my car 'hey cortana' works without having to open a voice call.

 

[The Extreme G]

Glad to hear it. For me it works like that as well, but it's very slow in my car. Here Drive used to just dim the audio and speak over A2DP which was a much better experience. While driving I would prefer to have faster performance and as little interruption as possible. During navigation the microphone isn't even needed, so why wouldn't MS use the A2DP profile? It used to work like that, and Groove clearly knows how to use A2DP so it's not a problem with the head unit.

Even for receiving and dealing with text messages, Cortana could use A2DP and simply drop the music volume when listening for my answers, right? At least I know in my car 'hey cortana' works without having to open a voice call.

Sure, it can be a little slow. But, I think the reason it's the way it is now is because many people complained that they can only hear the latter part of a notification. Some head units have really slow Source transitions. Maybe they could give some sort of customized delay (in seconds) so us fast head unit guys can receive notifications quicker. :excited:

Is "Use an alternate Bluetooth audio connection for Speech" unchecked in the Bluetooth settings? Because having it checked is what disables A2DP for notifications and uses the voice profile instead.

When A2DP is being used for notifications, you're depending on the mic on your phone for responses. A2DP does not allow for simultaneous voice and stereo audio on the same device (in this case, the head unit). This is a Bluetooth limitation, not the fault of any device or OS. 'Hey Cortana' solely uses the phone's mic for initiation. Have your phone outside of your vehicle, not within the reach of your voice and say it...it won't work. The same goes for dealing with text messages when using A2DP. My guess is that it stops the music to eliminate as much noise as possible for optimal voice recognition.

 

[gwinegarden]

My answer, today, is sometimes. Some of the time she just has no idea what I say, other times, she just goes away. And the rest, she works, OK. One of my biggest issues is knowing when she is listening. From observation, while parked, when I hit the button there can be quite a few seconds before she goes into listening mode and it is virtually impossible to hear that tone that comes, when she is. So, I either start talking too soon or wait too long. Seems to me that, when using Bluetooth, the prompt should be more obvious, e.g. she could actually say 'listening'.

 

[cmattau90]

My answer, today, is sometimes. Some of the time she just has no idea what I say, other times, she just goes away. And the rest, she works, OK. One of my biggest issues is knowing when she is listening. From observation, while parked, when I hit the button there can be quite a few seconds before she goes into listening mode and it is virtually impossible to hear that tone that comes, when she is. So, I either start talking too soon or wait too long. Seems to me that, when using Bluetooth, the prompt should be more obvious, e.g. she could actually say 'listening'.

You nailed it. Cortana didn't have these problems in 8.1. Responses to voice commands were quick, but now I hear the radio resume between the time I tell her to read a text and she begins reading.

 

[Joe920]

When A2DP is being used for notifications, you're depending on the mic on your phone for responses. A2DP does not allow for simultaneous voice and stereo audio on the same device (in this case, the head unit).

Understood, thanks for the explanation. I have 'user alternate connection' unchecked, but all voice prompts (cortana, map navigation voice) still arrive over the Voice Call profile (slow, bad audio).

I'd love it if all voice input could make use of the phone mic, and if all voice responses would use the A2DP protocol for quick high quality sound. That should work if the phone would dim audio output while listening. For example, 'hey cortana' would dim (but not stop) the audio output volume while 'Cortana' was listening to me.

For some users I know that at least the navigation voice prompt comes over the A2DP profile and I can't figure out why in some cars it doesn't work like that.

 

[Joe920]

The latest change log / current issues for build 14283 contains this tidbit:

"We have updated the Bluetooth AVRCP profile on mobile to version 1.5. Some cars only tell Windows what they support and vice versa during the initial pairing ceremony. In order for this update to take full effect, you need to delete your existing Bluetooth pairing with your car and then re-pair. After doing so, if you notice any issues using media playback controls or missing artist or track info, please file a new feedback item including your car's make, model, and year"

It's nice to see that car audio is at least on the radar.

Sent from mTalk, a great Tapatalk alternative

 

[Soundtweaker]

Cortana and her voice in the new Maps app are super low. almost silent compared to music over Bluetooth. Any way to raise Cortana's volume over Bluetooth?

 

[Steve Kesler]

My answer, today, is sometimes.....

That is my exact experience. I am using a aftermarket Alpine head unit. Cortana seems to have learned some female tendencies. Some days, she works great (voice commands, hands-free SMS read and respond, etc.). Other days, she is just stubborn, won't listen, can't understand, and turns a cold shoulder (aborts to home screen).

I am wondering it that is part of her AI programming...

 

[anthonyng]

Is "Use an alternate Bluetooth audio connection for Speech" unchecked in the Bluetooth settings? Because having it checked is what disables A2DP for notifications and uses the voice profile instead.

Hmm I wonder if this will fix my navigation voice prompt issue in some cars. 2013 Buick is fine, rental cars like ford sync and toyota corolla in recent memory is not working.

 

[anthonyng]

Well damn, this rental corolla is pretty new but checking the flag for "Use an alternate Bluetooth audio connection for Speech" worked for my navi voice prompts! what kind of old BT system are they still using??