Official Acura Bluetooth and iPhone Compatibility Discussion

[4thchild]

just wanted others to know that the bluetooth on the iPhone works great with the Acura MDX Handsfrees link systems.:laugh2:

[causefx]

I can confirm this. It works great with my 07 TL. you can even import all your contacts into the car.

[iphone_austin]

Works great on my 05 TL. I don't see an option to import contacts, but it paired up the 1st try and both the signal strength and battery strength levels display on the dash.

[causefx]

Works great on my 05 TL. I don't see an option to import contacts, but it paired up the 1st try and both the signal strength and battery strength levels display on the dash.
im not sure if its the same as the 07 but on the nav unit, hit the Info button below the steup button. then tap on the cellular phonebook and you can import from there.

[jeanne]

For some reason, my iPhone won't pair with my 2006 Acura TL--My phone says "discoverable" and searching, but never picks up the Bluetooth in the car. Any ideas?

[chris]

For some reason, my iPhone won't pair with my 2006 Acura TL--My phone says "discoverable" and searching, but never picks up the Bluetooth in the car. Any ideas?
Is there a menu on the Acura's Bluetooth to "search"? Might try initiating the pairing via the car rather than the iPhone initiating the pairing -- if that makes sense.:wink:

[jeanne]

Yes--you initiate the pairing by saying "Phone setup" in the Handsfree mode. When I do this, it says "no phone is found. Return to the main menu."
And on my iPhone the "Handfreelink" does not show up as a device on the phone to select.
Thanks

[causefx]

What i did was:

Hit the HFL button and say "phone setup"
then hit it again and say "Pair"
Make sure your on the bluetooth setup screen on your iphone and it says Discoverable...
it should then find it and will ask you to say a 4 digit pin number... then the iphone will ask you for the same pin. i hope it works for you :)

[jeanne]

I have tried that exact method many times. For some reason my phone is not recognizing the bluetooth on my Acura I think. The phone says "discoverable" and "searching" but does not pick up the car bluetooth. When I say "phonesetup" and "pair" I just get "no phones were found." It is frustrating . . I know it should work. I will keep trying.
Jeanne
Thanks for your help.

[jeanne]

Yes!! Success! I tried it again today and it finally worked. I know know if this had anything to do with it, but I paired my phone first with my iBook just to make sure there wasn't a problem with the phone. Then, I tried again to pair the phone with my Acura and it worked fine the first time. It works great now--even better than with my previous Treo.

[Gigstylez]

when I make a call from the phone then I see the option to choose Handsfree Link, iphone, or speaker. Choosing bluetooth Handsfree Link does not work for me. Pressing the talk button on the steering then saying, "transfer" will not work as well. Anyone having the same problem? I have a 2006 TL.

[Spike99]

I have a Acura TL 2004. I am able to pair my iPhone with the bluetooth but I have a problem. The initial set-up is fine and I'm able to make/receive calls. When i leave and come back the next day, the phone does not automatically connect/pair. If i do the pairing process again it works but again, it does not automatically pair the next day... I have 2 iPhone's and they both have the same issue....

Note: previously I had a Motorola RAZR and it worked fine.

Any ideas ?

[Gigstylez]

I have a Acura TL 2004. I am able to pair my iPhone with the bluetooth but I have a problem. The initial set-up is fine and I'm able to make/receive calls. When i leave and come back the next day, the phone does not automatically connect/pair. If i do the pairing process again it works but again, it does not automatically pair the next day... I have 2 iPhone's and they both have the same issue....

Note: previously I had a Motorola RAZR and it worked fine.

Any ideas ?

I had the same problem. Doing a soft reset solved the problem for me.

[Spike99]

I had the same problem. Doing a soft reset solved the problem for me.

Thanks for your reply Gigstylez... But what do you mean by a soft reset ? Do you mean that you shut down your iPhone and then turned it back on ?

[Gigstylez]

Hold the the power/lock and home button at the same time until you see the apple logo appear on the screen. You'll see "Slide to power off". Ignore this and continue to hold. Your phone will reboot.

[Spike99]

Hold the the power/lock and home button at the same time until you see the apple logo appear on the screen. You'll see "Slide to power off". Ignore this and continue to hold. Your phone will reboot.

I tried resetting phone as you suggested and also shutting it down and turning it on... but unfortunately it did not work for me...

I re-paired the phone and I saw that it was connected to car but after reseting phone... It disconnected but it did not re-connect... Argh !!

Any other ideas ? :laugh2:

[Gigstylez]

Try to unpair handsfree link from the iphone then from your TL, clear all your phones and pair it again.

[thegate]

I was able to import my iphones cellular phonebook in the NAV system (2007 MDX ) and use it for a few minutes to make calls and then I could not even use my iphone at all on the Hands free link!!! When I tried to use the iphone the car screamed back - NO PHONE AVAILABLE. Bottom line is I had to delete my iphone from hands free link and then pair it up again - ths took multiple efforts but now I can use the iphone through handsfreelink and when I press INFO the contacts are no longer in the Nav system... anyone else experience this or have any thoughts???? The Acura dealer said he has heard of this happening with other phones

[kcarr91]

i can not pair the iphone with my mdx b/c i don't have bluetooth in my car DANG

it is an 2001 with pretty much everything on in like navigation wood interior but the bluetooth option did not come out till the 2004 model

(but i still love my mdx)

my dad has an 2007 tl (great car) and we tried to set it up but i got pissed off at the handsfree b/c instead of listening to what i said (phone setup) it changed the radio station

[Spike99]

Unfortunately, I am still unable to pair my iphone with my 2004 acura TL... (It does not automatically pair when phone is restarted). I have tried to unpair and pair it several times. I have deleted my iphone from acura's list and pair it again.... :frown: The only thing I can think of... is possibly updating the software... I had noticed the software version and the database version is from 2003. I'm gonna see if these can be updated to the latest version... hopefully this will work...

[smagoon]

I have my iPhone successfully paired with the Handsfree Link in my 05 TL. I can make and receive calls fin. However when I can't listen to voice mails. If while listening to the voice mail on the iPhone I press the Audio button I can see that HandsFree Link is selected but the HandsFree Link is not engaged on the Acura. If I prss the Hands Free Link on the car and say "Transfer" I am told there is no call in process. Has anyone overcome this problem? Any help would be appreciated.

SM

[ZENO]

I tried resetting phone as you suggested and also shutting it down and turning it on... but unfortunately it did not work for me...

I re-paired the phone and I saw that it was connected to car but after reseting phone... It disconnected but it did not re-connect... Argh !!

Any other ideas ? :laugh2:

I'm guessing that u are transfering your phone number from someone other than ATT. If true did u "delete" the old pairing?? Check to see by saying "phonesetup" then "list" if your old phone is there go back and after "phonesetup" say "delete" and delete your old phone. THEN repeat the pairing process. I had exactly your symptoms and I spent 1/2 hour trying everything. After running the battery on my 05 Acura RL dead I started over with the above proceedure and --- HOPEFULLY!!! I have found the answer. I have my fingers crossed.

[dhjdhj]

While my iPhone does work with bluetooth in my 2005 Acura RL, I've run into some odd issues
1) When it pairs, I am always prompted whether I want "set up my phone", which seems to have something to do with linking to an Acura server somewhere. I've no idea what the heck it's trying to do but I've never been able to get it to connect. In any case, I'm not sure why I would ever WANT such a connection.
So my first question is, how do I get the car to STOP asking for this setup?

2) Occasionally, the prompt (as described above) actually HANGS the system and I have to restart (reboot) my car to fix it. All the more reason to get the car to stop asking about this.

Suggestions would be much appreciated.

[o2bnsfo]

Hi all,

Just joined the chat and I've seen a couple of mentions about importing the iPhone contacts list into the Acura using the nav system. I have an '06 TL with nav but I can't seem to figure out how to do that. Is there a step by step instruction somewhere? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[o2bnsfo]

Hi all,

Just joined the chat and I've seen a couple of mentions about importing the iPhone contacts list into the Acura using the nav system. I have an '06 TL with nav but I can't seem to figure out how to do that. Is there a step by step instruction somewhere? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Just found the answer to my own question. Posting here in case anyone else is wondering. According to the person I spoke with at HandsFreeLink, the '06 TL I own is not able to import contacts. That feature was put in the '07 cars. Rats.

[Malibu]

The 2008 Acura TL website shows that they are still testing the car with the iphone. Anyone buy one yet?

[Leon]

I'm seeing exactly the same thing. It asks for the setup information over and over. I also had to stop and restart the car once. The next time I managed to use the "Hangup" key to get out of it.

I'm trying to figure out what the manual setup parameters are from Acura/Apple. If I find them I'll post them here.
Leon


While my iPhone does work with bluetooth in my 2005 Acura RL, I've run into some odd issues
1) When it pairs, I am always prompted whether I want "set up my phone", which seems to have something to do with linking to an Acura server somewhere. I've no idea what the heck it's trying to do but I've never been able to get it to connect. In any case, I'm not sure why I would ever WANT such a connection.
So my first question is, how do I get the car to STOP asking for this setup?

2) Occasionally, the prompt (as described above) actually HANGS the system and I have to restart (reboot) my car to fix it. All the more reason to get the car to stop asking about this.

Suggestions would be much appreciated.

[722ish]

I joined the site for the same problem. I had a sony ericsson prior to this and it worked flawlessly.

I have a 2005 TL/navi, and i can't figure out what to do with it now.. I got the phone to connect once, and never again. I updated the phone on itunes, and it offered a 1.12 or whatever. Has this been a solution for anyone with the acura bluetooth problems? I drive so much i need this, it was the stipulation that allowed me to buy the iphone, otherwise i would have kept my prior one.

thanks
Mark

[Malibu]

Hi everyone,
Just got the 2008 Acura TL and successfully paired it at the dealer yesterday when I bought the car. If you want any help, ask for Abe 714/669-9900, he was the salesperson.

I have my iPhone successfully paired with the Handsfree Link in my 05 TL. I can make and receive calls fin. However when I can't listen to voice mails. If while listening to the voice mail on the iPhone I press the Audio button I can see that HandsFree Link is selected but the HandsFree Link is not engaged on the Acura. If I prss the Hands Free Link on the car and say "Transfer" I am told there is no call in process. Has anyone overcome this problem? Any help would be appreciated.

SM

[177ike]

my iPhone has been paired with my 2007 TL Type S for a few months now. Initially i had problems pairing the phone and importing contacts. After trying multiple ways of pairing my phone, I was able to get it set up perfectly with full functionality. Being able to import contacts is great, but i never use that function anyway since the people i most often call are already stored in my handsfree voice dialing. Although, i can see how it could be useful for someoene in sales or something where you are always having to contact clients, etc.

Nevertheless, having auxilary inputs for the ipod function of the phone and bluethooth have worked flawlessly.

Mike

[Nervion]

having auxilary inputs for the ipod function of the phone and bluethooth have worked flawlessly.

Mike

Mike, I read your post above and was wondering what you mean with Aux imput or the iPod function. I see the Acura radio has a Aux button, but how do you connect the iPod/iPhone to it?

An additional question in the theme of the topic: didn't have any problem pairing the iPhone. It is however a model without NAV, so importing contacts won't work. Is there a way to transfer calls initiated from the phone to the car other than saying "transfer" and risking sounding funny to the person getting the call?

Greatly appreciate any insights!

[happy_babyblues2]

I have tried that exact method many times. For some reason my phone is not recognizing the bluetooth on my Acura I think. The phone says "discoverable" and "searching" but does not pick up the car bluetooth. When I say "phonesetup" and "pair" I just get "no phones were found." It is frustrating . . I know it should work. I will keep trying.
Jeanne
Thanks for your help.

I am now having the same issue with my new iPhone - I guess you have to be persistant and eventually it pairs with the car.

[bschneider]

I have my iPhone successfully paired with the Handsfree Link in my 05 TL. I can make and receive calls fin. However when I can't listen to voice mails. If while listening to the voice mail on the iPhone I press the Audio button I can see that HandsFree Link is selected but the HandsFree Link is not engaged on the Acura. If I prss the Hands Free Link on the car and say "Transfer" I am told there is no call in process. Has anyone overcome this problem? Any help would be appreciated.

SM

That's because when you check your voicemail, you're not actually making a phonecall, you're simple accessing a file on the iphone that contains the message. This also explains how you can listen to individual voicemails instead of all of them just to get to one of them and how you can rewind them with the slide of the touch screen.

Bschneider

[bschneider]

i can not pair the iphone with my mdx b/c i don't have bluetooth in my car DANG

it is an 2001 with pretty much everything on in like navigation wood interior but the bluetooth option did not come out till the 2004 model

(but i still love my mdx)

my dad has an 2007 tl (great car) and we tried to set it up but i got pissed off at the handsfree b/c instead of listening to what i said (phone setup) it changed the radio station

Sounds to me like your dad has a car that has NAV and you're pressing the voice command button instead of the HFL(phone) button. The Voice Comm button is the one behind steering wheel and the HFL is the BIG ONE on the front left side of the wheel. That button has nothing to do with the radio station.

[bschneider]

Just found the answer to my own question. Posting here in case anyone else is wondering. According to the person I spoke with at HandsFreeLink, the '06 TL I own is not able to import contacts. That feature was put in the '07 cars. Rats.


Time to get an '07 or an '08

[bschneider]

Mike, I read your post above and was wondering what you mean with Aux imput or the iPod function. I see the Acura radio has a Aux button, but how do you connect the iPod/iPhone to it?

An additional question in the theme of the topic: didn't have any problem pairing the iPhone. It is however a model without NAV, so importing contacts won't work. Is there a way to transfer calls initiated from the phone to the car other than saying "transfer" and risking sounding funny to the person getting the call?

Greatly appreciate any insights!

By pressing "audio source" on your phone during the call, this will then give you the option to transfer the call to the phone via the earpiece or the speakerphone, this also works for transferring the call back from the phone to the car.

[lb323]

OK, after reading all issues with Acura TL and iphone....talking to Acura Handsfree Link 800 # reps.....going into an Apple store....and calling all tech's I could think of...I marched into my Acura dealer, with the blessings of Apple and Handsfree reps, and told them that my Acura was not holding the pairing. They were to do whatever was necessary to make the phone pair with the car and HOLD THE PAIRING! 3 Hours later, they ordered a NEW bluetooth computer chip for my car. I returned 4 days later, dropped off my car, was given a comp loaner...and....2 hours later, I had an iphone that worked with my Acura ALL THE TIME. Acura did not charge me a dime! They were GREAT! But, I did have names, dates, times, and phone numbers to back up my request.

[Newsguy]

I've found a work-around that allows me to use my iPhone (software V. 1.1.2) with my 2004 Acura TL with Navigation. I wanted to see if there was a workable alternative to getting the Bluetooth chip replaced in the car. I called the very pleasant folks at Handsfree Link and successfully tried one of their suggestions:
After starting the car, press the telephone button and say "next phone"
After searching for a few seconds, the voice will say something like "no bluetooth phone found, returning to main menu"
A few seconds later, it returns to the main menu...and the iPhone is linked to the car!
I tried this four times and it worked flawlessly every time.

[rr7922]

It Works Great With My 07tl -- Loving It!!

[Gustavo74]

when I make a call from the phone then I see the option to choose Handsfree Link, iphone, or speaker. Choosing bluetooth Handsfree Link does not work for me. Pressing the talk button on the steering then saying, "transfer" will not work as well. Anyone having the same problem? I have a 2006 TL.


Hi, i am from Guatemala, I have the same problem with mi 2006 TSX. I want to know if you find a solution for this problem. (sorry for my poor english). Please let me know.

[acura_enthusiast]

OK, after reading all issues with Acura TL and iphone....talking to Acura Handsfree Link 800 # reps.....going into an Apple store....and calling all tech's I could think of...I marched into my Acura dealer, with the blessings of Apple and Handsfree reps, and told them that my Acura was not holding the pairing. They were to do whatever was necessary to make the phone pair with the car and HOLD THE PAIRING! 3 Hours later, they ordered a NEW bluetooth computer chip for my car. I returned 4 days later, dropped off my car, was given a comp loaner...and....2 hours later, I had an iphone that worked with my Acura ALL THE TIME. Acura did not charge me a dime! They were GREAT! But, I did have names, dates, times, and phone numbers to back up my request.

What 800 number did you call, and what information did you provide the dealership? I've had problems with more than just my iPhone. I've reset the system memory dozens of times, and I still have remnants of old pairings. It also doesn't recognize many of my voice commands. I've been to the dealership twice, and they turned me away. I called the Acura service and support line, and they could only tell me how to repair my phone.

[bschneider]

Just read that the new 2009 RL is going to have Bluetooth Audio capabilities. Now all we need is to have the iphone go the same route

[ogbza]

I have my iPhone successfully paired with the Handsfree Link in my 05 TL. I can make and receive calls fin. However when I can't listen to voice mails. If while listening to the voice mail on the iPhone I press the Audio button I can see that HandsFree Link is selected but the HandsFree Link is not engaged on the Acura. If I prss the Hands Free Link on the car and say "Transfer" I am told there is no call in process. Has anyone overcome this problem? Any help would be appreciated.

SM

I am having this same problem w/ my visual voicemail, has anyone found an answer. I am using the iphone in an 05 TL. Thanks!

[Backboard Man]

when I make a call from the phone then I see the option to choose Handsfree Link, iphone, or speaker. Choosing bluetooth Handsfree Link does not work for me. Pressing the talk button on the steering then saying, "transfer" will not work as well. Anyone having the same problem? I have a 2006 TL.


I'm having the same problem with 2006 TL. For some reason, I'm not able to see the other posts that replied. Can someone please enlighten me on what the fix is. I notice that the calls only transfer to the speakers once the call is answered and someone is speaking. The problem is that you have to hold the phone and listen and then push HANDSFREE to get it engaged. Not ideal to say the least. Doesn't go through if there's a busy signal. Thanks.

GE

[jarofclay73]

Just read that the new 2009 RL is going to have Bluetooth Audio capabilities. Now all we need is to have the iphone go the same route

The 2009 TSX I currently drive has Bluetooth Audio. :laugh2:

I had a 2006 TL, and just by chance I upgraded to a 2009 TSX with the Technology package right before buying my iPhone 3G. It's super sweet. It comes with a USB port to keep my iPhone 3G charged and to listen to my iPod, Pandora, etc. Pairing was a snap and always works for me! And when the iPhone becomes A2DP compatible, I can listen to my iPhone wirelessly!

I highly recommend it.

[psalvala]

I can confirm this. It works great with my 07 TL. you can even import all your contacts into the car.


Can you give me instructions in how to import my contacts to the TL handsfreesystem?
does the hands free system restrict your contacts to 50 people?
thanx
psalvala

[Jeffois]

I'm having the same problem with 2006 TL. For some reason, I'm not able to see the other posts that replied. Can someone please enlighten me on what the fix is. I notice that the calls only transfer to the speakers once the call is answered and someone is speaking. The problem is that you have to hold the phone and listen and then push HANDSFREE to get it engaged. Not ideal to say the least. Doesn't go through if there's a busy signal. Thanks.

GE

Having the same problem with my wife's MDX and both of our iPhones. Both of which work flawlessly with my Camry.

Anyone know how to fix or work around this?

[Jeffois]

Going to bump this. Still having the problem whereby the calls don't go straight to the Handsfree. Anyone know the fix?

[ashbyab]

I can go thru the setup successfully until the point: "what would you like to call this phone? At this point no matter what I call it, the ans i get is "the name" can be confused with; an then it repeats what I had called it and says to use a longer name, no matter what I do, it will not complete a successful pairing. I have tried to numerous times with the same result. Can anyone help me.

[jarofclay73]

I have a 2009 Acura TSX and so far I haven't been able to pair up iPhone 3.0 with Bluetooth Audio.

The normal Bluetooth for phone calling pairs up perfectly.

If anyone gets the Bluetooth Audio working, let me know.

[jarofclay73]

Okay, I got A2DP to work in my Acura TSX. I didn't do anything different from last week. All you have to do is pair your phone with the HandsFreeLink and it should connect with Bluetooth Audio. I'm still not sure why it didn't work last week, but whatever.

If you're having problems, I found this page from another forum that might be helpful: http://tsx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=719913

[klinus19]

I'm having the same problem with 2006 TL. For some reason, I'm not able to see the other posts that replied. Can someone please enlighten me on what the fix is. I notice that the calls only transfer to the speakers once the call is answered and someone is speaking. The problem is that you have to hold the phone and listen and then push HANDSFREE to get it engaged. Not ideal to say the least. Doesn't go through if there's a busy signal. Thanks.

GE


I've had the exact same problem and it is extremely frustrating... Apple support was of no help. Did you happen to figure out a solution to keep the Handsfree Bluetooth option on the iPhone selected?

[Jeffois]

This is the best I've been able to do, and this seems to be a workable solution:

I entered the most common numbers that we dial into the car's memory, (about a dozen) and assigned names to them. I then initiate the call via the car itself, i.e. "Call House." It works flawlessly.

Still bizarre that it won't work when the call is initiated from the phone. This is a luxury automobile. Same exact phone works flawlessly with my Prius, and did the same with my Camry which I had previously.

[klinus19]

I actually just talked to Apple yesterday and they said they've been getting a lot of calls about this issue and that they may try to address it in the next firmware release.

[kbbuehler]

The Handsfree link will import the address book from my iphone, but when I turn the car off, it disappears. All of my contacts on the iPhone are synced through Microsoft Exchage server from my Outlook. Is there some way that you have to add them to the actual phone's phonebook first?