Infotainment Issue

[ap19063]

Hi - I just bought the new Equinox in the RS trim last Saturday. Seems like a nice car, and although the materials could be better I'm not loosing sight of the fact that it is a 33k car. Not sure that this matters, but I am an Android guy, so the new Google tech was a big attraction. That said I'm having a problem I wanted to post in the hope that if others if not yet, soon have the same problem someone can find a solution. I also do not know if Chevrolet engineers or staff reads these posts and may become aware of the problem. My problem is with the Bluetooth connection to my Samsung S24+ phone. It acts very erratic. Once you start the car and it recognizes the phone, the connection begins to endlessly connect and disconnect. Google is unable to use contacts and make calls because of the constant lost connection to the Bluetooth. Also and this is very bizarre, I cannot disable the Bluetooth on my phone. When I do, hoping to stop the madness, the car (or something) turns it back on and it goes back to connect-disconnect - connect - disconnect... and the cycle continues until I turn the car or the phone off. Also, and, this is important... it only happens with my S24+ phone. I will circle around to this later. That said, I know many people will suggest the obvious troubleshooting steps, so I will list them here to save you some time.

1 - I have unpaired and paired the phone several times. I have made sure the phone is forgotten in both the car and the phone before I pair it again.
2 - I have RESTARTED the phone. I have also restarted the car.
3 - I reset the infotainment to factory and tried it again.
4 - I have reset my phone to factory - to ensure there isn't a corruption
5 - Note that the phone works flawlessly otherwise and that includes connecting to several other Bluetooth devices, wifi, etc.
6 - This is where it gets juicy and many will say (it's obviously the phone) - I have set several other phones including 2 other same generation Samsung phones and there isn't a problem. Ordinarily I would also assume that my phone or phone's Bluetooth is broken, but remember I said the phone works perfectly in every other case including Bluetooth with other devices. These would include my other car a 23 Nissan.

All I can think is that for some reason I have not found yet, that there is some incompatibility with the S24+. My phone is running the latest updates from Samsung. I know the car is running some version 12. If anyone has one of these phones and is having a similar issue, I'd like know. The only thing I have not done yet is find another S24+ and try it. It would surprise and confuse me if it did work, as it would not answer why I am able to use it with other devices without problems. Also if anyone can advice a way to let Chevrolet engineers know about this or talk to someone who isn't just answering a phone. I try the dealer, but I'm sorry to say that seems also useless, as they would only reset the radio to factory, test it with the phones and give it back to me saying that they did not find a problem. Thank you in advance for your time.

 

[bagbyjw]

I realize it's not the same phone but I have a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Android version 14 One UI version 6.1 Google Play system Update of July 1 2024, with the Android security patch level of August 1 2024. I don't have any of the symptoms that you are experiencing, are you up to date on the software?

 

[PhillyPhan23]

I suggest posting your issue on the Samsung Community forum. I took a quick look there and some people are reporting issues similar to you. I didn't see any answers there yet.

 

[ap19063]

I realize it's not the same phone but I have a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Android version 14 One UI version 6.1 Google Play system Update of July 1 2024, with the Android security patch level of August 1 2024. I don't have any of the symptoms that you are experiencing, are you up to date on the software?

Yes, the phone is up to date. Today I'm driving with the Samsung a25. Off course the cheap phone works fantastic - LOL.

 

[ricklack]

I had similar issues in my 2013 Nox shortly before trading it in (2021) with my Samsung phone, sorry I forget what model.

The issue started after a Samsung update and was corrected in the next update. The workaround I found was to perform a "Network Reset". In the Settings menu just do a search - after running that and rebooting the phone and re-pairing, it would work ok for a random amount of days/weeks. Maybe worth a try, good luck.

 

[ap19063]

For those who care to follow and/or contribute to this process , I have a couple of updates. One of the issues I mentioned was that once the phone was attached, it would not let me turn off bluetooth in the event it was necessary. I mean, I can't express how stressful and frustrating it is to loose access to your phone because your buggy infotainment has hijacked it. I don't know about you all, but I've had cats with bluetooth for at least 25 years. For me attaching my phone to the cars bluetooth is a part of driving to safely make and receive calls. Ok, so - the infotainment continues to be buggy, but I figured out why I can't turn off bluetooth. It has to do with wireless android auto. I'm not gonna go into a deep dive into why they are related, but basically if you have wireless android auto running, that requires a bluetooth connection to the infotainment and android auto will not let you disconnect it in order to maintain WAA running.

That said, buggy, glitch, pick your description... the issues with bluetooth continue. Sometimes it is connected, but it didn't established a link to your contacts, so when you ask the infotainment to call someone, it says it's unable to complete the command. I was able to correct the problem by just turning off/on bluetooth. When it reattached, it linked to the contacts. BTW, it also happened to my wife who uses a different Samsung phone.

At this point I'm just praying either Chevrolet or samsung puts out some kind of update that fixes these bugs. I am avoiding the dealer cause as I said, these days the level of service businesses give you is subpar and considering the glitch is inconsistent, I don't expect much cooperation. As well, I would allow them to reflash the infotainment, but I would rather get rid of the car, than allow them to replace it.

 

[PhillyPhan23]

This is a wild guess, but it may not be a Bluetooth issue. While wireless Android Auto uses Bluetooth to establish a connection, the actual screen display is accomplished using wifi. There are a couple of Verizon network dead spots on the PA Turnpike. Every time I travel in those dead spots, my phone loses network connectivity and Android Auto drops and then comes back just like you mention. How is the cell phone coverage in your area and do you notice Android Auto dropping in the same location?

 

[ap19063]

Hey Phillyphan. Keep in mind that the issue is the phone remaining connected to the infotainment. I'm not sure if you have the same nox or if you've seen these new infotainment systems, the new not EV, new traverse, new EV truck has it also. When you connect the bluetooth to the infotainment, it lists your phone at the top - e.g. "ap19063's phone". When it's glitching out, I can see it disconnect, connect, disconnect, connect... I can choose to not run android auto and still have a problem using bluetooth because of the constant connection looping and/or it not linking to my contacts etc. If I had a wifi issue (and yes no zone is 100%) I would them report that my calls were dropping. My post from yesterday was to explain that I now found the reason why the infotainment WILL NOT let you disconnect from bluetooth and/or why you NEED bluetooth if you're going to use android auto. WAA is sort of new to cars and it's a learning curve. If I was using android auto wired I would be able to turn off bluetooth. My intent with that information was to point out that this is not one of the issues as listed on my original post, it is a common behavior of WAA.

BTW, as part of my troubleshooting, I ordered a WAA dongle from Amazon. I connected to my 23 Nissan and it works perfectly. The phone not only established a connection with the flash drive via bluetooth, it identified that the device was used for AA and limited it to music, while updating the bluetooth connection to the car's infotainment to calls only. With this connection, I'm able to make and receive calls through the car by using the controls on the steering wheel, as well as saying "hey google" ,etc.etc. And this is some cheap Chinese crap .

I have a Oneplus phone I will be testing with for a couple of days to hopefully narrow the trouble to samsung phones. I will also eventually go to my iPhone and determine if the problem also exists with Carplay.

 

[habsrule999]

Hi - I just bought the new Equinox in the RS trim last Saturday. Seems like a nice car, and although the materials could be better I'm not loosing sight of the fact that it is a 33k car. Not sure that this matters, but I am an Android guy, so the new Google tech was a big attraction. That said I'm having a problem I wanted to post in the hope that if others if not yet, soon have the same problem someone can find a solution. I also do not know if Chevrolet engineers or staff reads these posts and may become aware of the problem. My problem is with the Bluetooth connection to my Samsung S24+ phone. It acts very erratic. Once you start the car and it recognizes the phone, the connection begins to endlessly connect and disconnect. Google is unable to use contacts and make calls because of the constant lost connection to the Bluetooth. Also and this is very bizarre, I cannot disable the Bluetooth on my phone. When I do, hoping to stop the madness, the car (or something) turns it back on and it goes back to connect-disconnect - connect - disconnect... and the cycle continues until I turn the car or the phone off. Also, and, this is important... it only happens with my S24+ phone. I will circle around to this later. That said, I know many people will suggest the obvious troubleshooting steps, so I will list them here to save you some time.

1 - I have unpaired and paired the phone several times. I have made sure the phone is forgotten in both the car and the phone before I pair it again.
2 - I have RESTARTED the phone. I have also restarted the car.
3 - I reset the infotainment to factory and tried it again.
4 - I have reset my phone to factory - to ensure there isn't a corruption
5 - Note that the phone works flawlessly otherwise and that includes connecting to several other Bluetooth devices, wifi, etc.
6 - This is where it gets juicy and many will say (it's obviously the phone) - I have set several other phones including 2 other same generation Samsung phones and there isn't a problem. Ordinarily I would also assume that my phone or phone's Bluetooth is broken, but remember I said the phone works perfectly in every other case including Bluetooth with other devices. These would include my other car a 23 Nissan.

All I can think is that for some reason I have not found yet, that there is some incompatibility with the S24+. My phone is running the latest updates from Samsung. I know the car is running some version 12. If anyone has one of these phones and is having a similar issue, I'd like know. The only thing I have not done yet is find another S24+ and try it. It would surprise and confuse me if it did work, as it would not answer why I am able to use it with other devices without problems. Also if anyone can advice a way to let Chevrolet engineers know about this or talk to someone who isn't just answering a phone. I try the dealer, but I'm sorry to say that seems also useless, as they would only reset the radio to factory, test it with the phones and give it back to me saying that they did not find a problem. Thank you in advance for your time.

hi
I have a 2025 LT and I have an S22 phone. I do not have any issues with android auto or any bluetooth issues. Good luck

 

[ap19063]

hi
I have a 2025 LT and I have an S22 phone. I do not have any issues with android auto or any bluetooth issues. Good luck

So for those of you following this thread. I've menage to get the phone working as long as AA is not connected. To be clear, since the new Chevy radio is already google, it has maps and assistant built in. So, this is what i did. 1) I reset the radio to factory. 2) I made sure that AA does not start automatically. BTW, this doesn't mean you can't run AA, you just have to find it in the infotainment and manually run it. 3) I then added the phone to the car using bluetooth. Under this configuration I'm able to receive and make calls and messages. I no longer need to use AA, because I just use the built in Google maps and assistant to make and receive calls and messages.

 

[ap19063]

So after a month, my latest work around continues to work. Mind you, it took resetting the infotainment several times. I also have some other grievances now that I've had the car for a month or so, but I will wait until others create new posts regarding their experience and weigh in.

One thing for sure, this is not an expensive car for all the tech they give you. But as they say, you get what you pay for and the workmanship shows. And, I hate to say it I should have expected it when they told me (upfront) that it was built in Mexico. I already hear some minor squeak and rattles, so I know it's not for me, and I'll probably unload it at Carnax in a year or worse case scenario 2.

 

[Slow Learner]

Hi - I just bought the new Equinox in the RS trim last Saturday. Seems like a nice car, and although the materials could be better I'm not loosing sight of the fact that it is a 33k car. Not sure that this matters, but I am an Android guy, so the new Google tech was a big attraction. That said I'm having a problem I wanted to post in the hope that if others if not yet, soon have the same problem someone can find a solution. I also do not know if Chevrolet engineers or staff reads these posts and may become aware of the problem. My problem is with the Bluetooth connection to my Samsung S24+ phone. It acts very erratic. Once you start the car and it recognizes the phone, the connection begins to endlessly connect and disconnect. Google is unable to use contacts and make calls because of the constant lost connection to the Bluetooth. Also and this is very bizarre, I cannot disable the Bluetooth on my phone. When I do, hoping to stop the madness, the car (or something) turns it back on and it goes back to connect-disconnect - connect - disconnect... and the cycle continues until I turn the car or the phone off. Also, and, this is important... it only happens with my S24+ phone. I will circle around to this later. That said, I know many people will suggest the obvious troubleshooting steps, so I will list them here to save you some time.

1 - I have unpaired and paired the phone several times. I have made sure the phone is forgotten in both the car and the phone before I pair it again.
2 - I have RESTARTED the phone. I have also restarted the car.
3 - I reset the infotainment to factory and tried it again.
4 - I have reset my phone to factory - to ensure there isn't a corruption
5 - Note that the phone works flawlessly otherwise and that includes connecting to several other Bluetooth devices, wifi, etc.
6 - This is where it gets juicy and many will say (it's obviously the phone) - I have set several other phones including 2 other same generation Samsung phones and there isn't a problem. Ordinarily I would also assume that my phone or phone's Bluetooth is broken, but remember I said the phone works perfectly in every other case including Bluetooth with other devices. These would include my other car a 23 Nissan.

All I can think is that for some reason I have not found yet, that there is some incompatibility with the S24+. My phone is running the latest updates from Samsung. I know the car is running some version 12. If anyone has one of these phones and is having a similar issue, I'd like know. The only thing I have not done yet is find another S24+ and try it. It would surprise and confuse me if it did work, as it would not answer why I am able to use it with other devices without problems. Also if anyone can advice a way to let Chevrolet engineers know about this or talk to someone who isn't just answering a phone. I try the dealer, but I'm sorry to say that seems also useless, as they would only reset the radio to factory, test it with the phones and give it back to me saying that they did not find a problem. Thank you in advance for your time.

Same issues with new S24. Both phone and Chevy dealer say not them. Chevy dealer says it's a "known" problem within Android Auto. Frustrating.

 

[ap19063]

Millennials would not relate with me, I am a baby boomer after all, but I'm not sure when and why we as people became so complacent that we accept subpar products and service for 35 thousand dollars . I work(ed) hard for the money I put into these cars and you'd think you should expect more for that money, but sadly it's a different world where many just want to have a title and do as little as they can for as much as possible! My first car was a 78 Chevy nova. My parents helped me buy it and it costed 4k new. Now a cheap car is 30k. And yes, I know it's 50 years later, but 30k for many people is like 400 dollars a month for 5 years. I'm going to guess that if you're buying this kind of car, you're a working person, who needs their car. I would think you would expect to get a reliable car and get good service when you need it. Instead, you get dismissed like it's not their problem, but I digress....

Since your infotainment is not the new one, I do not have an opinion as to why you're having problems with AA. Have you considered resetting your phone to factory, making sure you've removed the phone from the car's memory before adding it again? I know it's a pain, but worth it if you can get AA to work, specially if you need the maps.

 

[Slow Learner]

Yes, and yes. No joy. It's the Bluetooth connection which fails.
Agree with your digression.

 

[MDSR21]

Purchased a new 2024 Equinox Premier last week. Android Auto & WiFi will not work simultaneously. Either 1 or the other only. Have a Samsung Note 20 5G. After numerous calls to Onstar & trips to the dealer, Onstar has told me I have to use a USB cable if I want both WiFi and AA to work together. I find it disturbing in today's tech world one must resort to cables with modern rolling computerized cars. Sigh.....

 

[Slow Learner]

That's really sad.
And, unfortunately, suggests how little these businesses care about their customers.

 

[Jeff D.]

Hi - I just bought the new Equinox in the RS trim last Saturday. Seems like a nice car, and although the materials could be better I'm not loosing sight of the fact that it is a 33k car. Not sure that this matters, but I am an Android guy, so the new Google tech was a big attraction. That said I'm having a problem I wanted to post in the hope that if others if not yet, soon have the same problem someone can find a solution. I also do not know if Chevrolet engineers or staff reads these posts and may become aware of the problem. My problem is with the Bluetooth connection to my Samsung S24+ phone. It acts very erratic. Once you start the car and it recognizes the phone, the connection begins to endlessly connect and disconnect. Google is unable to use contacts and make calls because of the constant lost connection to the Bluetooth. Also and this is very bizarre, I cannot disable the Bluetooth on my phone. When I do, hoping to stop the madness, the car (or something) turns it back on and it goes back to connect-disconnect - connect - disconnect... and the cycle continues until I turn the car or the phone off. Also, and, this is important... it only happens with my S24+ phone. I will circle around to this later. That said, I know many people will suggest the obvious troubleshooting steps, so I will list them here to save you some time.

1 - I have unpaired and paired the phone several times. I have made sure the phone is forgotten in both the car and the phone before I pair it again.
2 - I have RESTARTED the phone. I have also restarted the car.
3 - I reset the infotainment to factory and tried it again.
4 - I have reset my phone to factory - to ensure there isn't a corruption
5 - Note that the phone works flawlessly otherwise and that includes connecting to several other Bluetooth devices, wifi, etc.
6 - This is where it gets juicy and many will say (it's obviously the phone) - I have set several other phones including 2 other same generation Samsung phones and there isn't a problem. Ordinarily I would also assume that my phone or phone's Bluetooth is broken, but remember I said the phone works perfectly in every other case including Bluetooth with other devices. These would include my other car a 23 Nissan.

All I can think is that for some reason I have not found yet, that there is some incompatibility with the S24+. My phone is running the latest updates from Samsung. I know the car is running some version 12. If anyone has one of these phones and is having a similar issue, I'd like know. The only thing I have not done yet is find another S24+ and try it. It would surprise and confuse me if it did work, as it would not answer why I am able to use it with other devices without problems. Also if anyone can advice a way to let Chevrolet engineers know about this or talk to someone who isn't just answering a phone. I try the dealer, but I'm sorry to say that seems also useless, as they would only reset the radio to factory, test it with the phones and give it back to me saying that they did not find a problem. Thank you in advance for your time.

Hi, ap19063. Not sure if this will help, but might be worth a shot. I had a similiar issue with bluetooth constantly disconnecting and reconnecting about every 5 seconds. Not with an Equinox, but with a Harley Boom Audio motorcycle headset. It was recommended I go into my phones "developer options" and change the Bluetooth AVRCP from 1.5 (default) to 1.6. It fixed the problem. It was odd as I had not had the same problem with this phone with previous headsets.

I do use the 1.6 setting when connecting to our 2025 Equinox with no issues, bluetooth or Android Auto.

My phone is a Pixel 8, though, and not a Samsung. If this setting is an option with Samsung, it couldn't hurt to try. You can always switch it back to the default if it doesn't work.

Good luck!

 

[Autoworker 74]

Hi - I just bought the new Equinox in the RS trim last Saturday. Seems like a nice car, and although the materials could be better I'm not loosing sight of the fact that it is a 33k car. Not sure that this matters, but I am an Android guy, so the new Google tech was a big attraction. That said I'm having a problem I wanted to post in the hope that if others if not yet, soon have the same problem someone can find a solution. I also do not know if Chevrolet engineers or staff reads these posts and may become aware of the problem. My problem is with the Bluetooth connection to my Samsung S24+ phone. It acts very erratic. Once you start the car and it recognizes the phone, the connection begins to endlessly connect and disconnect. Google is unable to use contacts and make calls because of the constant lost connection to the Bluetooth. Also and this is very bizarre, I cannot disable the Bluetooth on my phone. When I do, hoping to stop the madness, the car (or something) turns it back on and it goes back to connect-disconnect - connect - disconnect... and the cycle continues until I turn the car or the phone off. Also, and, this is important... it only happens with my S24+ phone. I will circle around to this later. That said, I know many people will suggest the obvious troubleshooting steps, so I will list them here to save you some time.

1 - I have unpaired and paired the phone several times. I have made sure the phone is forgotten in both the car and the phone before I pair it again.
2 - I have RESTARTED the phone. I have also restarted the car.
3 - I reset the infotainment to factory and tried it again.
4 - I have reset my phone to factory - to ensure there isn't a corruption
5 - Note that the phone works flawlessly otherwise and that includes connecting to several other Bluetooth devices, wifi, etc.
6 - This is where it gets juicy and many will say (it's obviously the phone) - I have set several other phones including 2 other same generation Samsung phones and there isn't a problem. Ordinarily I would also assume that my phone or phone's Bluetooth is broken, but remember I said the phone works perfectly in every other case including Bluetooth with other devices. These would include my other car a 23 Nissan.

All I can think is that for some reason I have not found yet, that there is some incompatibility with the S24+. My phone is running the latest updates from Samsung. I know the car is running some version 12. If anyone has one of these phones and is having a similar issue, I'd like know. The only thing I have not done yet is find another S24+ and try it. It would surprise and confuse me if it did work, as it would not answer why I am able to use it with other devices without problems. Also if anyone can advice a way to let Chevrolet engineers know about this or talk to someone who isn't just answering a phone. I try the dealer, but I'm sorry to say that seems also useless, as they would only reset the radio to factory, test it with the phones and give it back to me saying that they did not find a problem. Thank you in advance for your time.

My Android disconnects for some reason. I have a friend who bought a trail blazer and hasn't been able to make an hands free call yet with her Android phone.

 

[SUNLENDING]

Similar problem with USB Flashdrive here with a twist. The infotainment defaults to Playlists. So I managed to create playlists for several albums. (on a MAC BTW)
- I get in the car- select an album playlist to listen to and all is right in the world. Everything plays in order as expected.
- stop at the store- turn car off-
- back in the car and the song that was playing continues to play- great.
- but after that , the next song is whatever is next on the USB in alphabetical order regardless of playlist. So it can go from Beatles: Something to Mozart Symphony #2 - Both beginning with S.
Tried different formats, Schemes, in folders, all on the root drive. I can't seem to crack the code.
Difficult to research on the web, because everyone has different issues under different conditions.
So it seems to remember what song it was on, but doesn't remember what song is next.
For all the smart features on this car- I'm a little surprised how this little thing confuses it.
It's madness -
The CD player seems to have been way more advanced in many ways.

 

[Autoworker 74]

Hi - I just bought the new Equinox in the RS trim last Saturday. Seems like a nice car, and although the materials could be better I'm not loosing sight of the fact that it is a 33k car. Not sure that this matters, but I am an Android guy, so the new Google tech was a big attraction. That said I'm having a problem I wanted to post in the hope that if others if not yet, soon have the same problem someone can find a solution. I also do not know if Chevrolet engineers or staff reads these posts and may become aware of the problem. My problem is with the Bluetooth connection to my Samsung S24+ phone. It acts very erratic. Once you start the car and it recognizes the phone, the connection begins to endlessly connect and disconnect. Google is unable to use contacts and make calls because of the constant lost connection to the Bluetooth. Also and this is very bizarre, I cannot disable the Bluetooth on my phone. When I do, hoping to stop the madness, the car (or something) turns it back on and it goes back to connect-disconnect - connect - disconnect... and the cycle continues until I turn the car or the phone off. Also, and, this is important... it only happens with my S24+ phone. I will circle around to this later. That said, I know many people will suggest the obvious troubleshooting steps, so I will list them here to save you some time.

1 - I have unpaired and paired the phone several times. I have made sure the phone is forgotten in both the car and the phone before I pair it again.
2 - I have RESTARTED the phone. I have also restarted the car.
3 - I reset the infotainment to factory and tried it again.
4 - I have reset my phone to factory - to ensure there isn't a corruption
5 - Note that the phone works flawlessly otherwise and that includes connecting to several other Bluetooth devices, wifi, etc.
6 - This is where it gets juicy and many will say (it's obviously the phone) - I have set several other phones including 2 other same generation Samsung phones and there isn't a problem. Ordinarily I would also assume that my phone or phone's Bluetooth is broken, but remember I said the phone works perfectly in every other case including Bluetooth with other devices. These would include my other car a 23 Nissan.

All I can think is that for some reason I have not found yet, that there is some incompatibility with the S24+. My phone is running the latest updates from Samsung. I know the car is running some version 12. If anyone has one of these phones and is having a similar issue, I'd like know. The only thing I have not done yet is find another S24+ and try it. It would surprise and confuse me if it did work, as it would not answer why I am able to use it with other devices without problems. Also if anyone can advice a way to let Chevrolet engineers know about this or talk to someone who isn't just answering a phone. I try the dealer, but I'm sorry to say that seems also useless, as they would only reset the radio to factory, test it with the phones and give it back to me saying that they did not find a problem. Thank you in advance for your time.

At first I thought I could help but by the end of your post I was out. Have you considered just getting a new phone. I know it can be expensive but have you got any other options.