[tboult]

Share the frustration, but if you set up voice calling in the car you can still have it use bluetooth rather than onstar (just fewer people). For people not in my car voice list, I actually just hold the button on the iphone to foce voice calling then add the car ad the device when it rings


Then its
Hands Free
Call XXXX

rather than
Hands Free
Bluetooth
Voice
Call xXXX

 

[ammPilot]

Agree with you both. A sequence like this would make sense:

Bluetooth
Call ABCD

It's just not that hard to add one more command ("Bluetooth") to the top-level speaker-independent voice recognition system. It's also not that hard to figure out that if I want to engage the Bluetooth to my phone, and I'm doing it by voice, that my next command should go to the phone. (The "Call ABCD" is a pass-through to the phone's voice recognition system, if I understand correctly.)

I have many, many more phone numbers in my cell phone than I have programmed into the car's memory. I don't have to program the phone with anything but name and phone number to be able to use the voice dial feature. Sure, the most frequently used names and numbers are programmed into the car, too, but nowhere near close to all of them!

(One more example of where GM didn't have a top notch human factors engineer for the "in-cockpit" stuff, and that lack is showing.)

 

[VoltMama]

I am still learning many things on my 2012 Volt...but I do remember seeing where some of the "smartphone" phone books are accessible on the Nav radio touch-screen...and I also thought it was even voice activated - but I cannot find that video on the "MyVolt page now!
I will eventually find it!

 

[therfman]

I've never been too fond of voice commands. If I want to call out, I press the phone button on the centre console, then press phone book on the touch screen and select a name there.

Perhaps I should try the voice commands on the Volt, I have yet to use any of them.

 

[SolarExec]

I love my Volt, but I do have one complaint...using my iPhone to make handsfree Bluetooth calls is painfully slow and clumsy. From the time I press the button on the steering wheel, until my phone actually begins to dial, it takes no less than 25 seconds of waiting and answering prompts. Onstar calling is slightly faster, but still not as quick as it should be. I've got an aftermarket Motorola kit installed in my other car, and I can place a call in less than half the time, with fewer commands. Am I too impatient, or does anybody else share my frustration?

This has been raised many times (see software requests below) but hopefully GM will do something about it this time. It absolutely sucks. I went back to using my BT headset instead of the car.

 

[tfford]

Maybe we should drive and not talk?

I don't argue that the BT hands free in the Volt could perhaps be more elegant than it currently is, but . . .

I remain completely astounded in my daily commute to/from work just how many people are on the phone while driving, and most of them not hands free, and on the phone for miles. I use my phone while driving MAYBE three times a month for MAYBE two minutes each time, and ALWAYS hands free, and some months not even that much. I can't even think of a conversation I've had on the phone while in the car that couldn't have waited until I got home, or to the office. But then, I didn't make the call . . .

Cellular phones in cars should be used for emergency purposes and yes, I'm guilty of my three times a month (or less) not being an emergency. And yes, I have kids (now mostly grown) and while they were in their younger years we didn't even have a cell phone and yes, we managed.

And yes, I'm done ranting and will get off my box. No intent to offend anyone, but yes, we should concentrate more on driving than talking . . .

 

[RDO CA]

I have found you can call by just pushing the wheel button and answering with "handsfree" and at the beep say "Karen cell" and it will ask if it is correct and dial.

 

[beechnut]

I have found you can call by just pushing the wheel button and answering with "handsfree" and at the beep say "Karen cell" and it will ask if it is correct and dial.

Wouldn't this just initiate a call though the more expensive OnStar System?

 

[mja1962]

Share the frustration, but if you set up voice calling in the car you can still have it use bluetooth rather than onstar (just fewer people). For people not in my car voice list, I actually just hold the button on the iphone to foce voice calling then add the car ad the device when it rings



Then its
Hands Free
Call XXXX

rather than
Hands Free
Bluetooth
Voice
Call xXXX

Wow, you mean that there's an even SLOWER way to dial than what I've been doing?! My complaint was about dialing the way that you suggested; I didn't even realize that it could be worse! And the on-screen phone book dialing seems to take forever, too. The system is so bad in my opinion that I am often tempted to pick up my phone and dial from there - not the kind of impact that a well-designed system should have. It always frustrates me when engineers miss the boat like this...technology should improve the experience for the user, not get in the way.

 

[stephent]

Wouldn't this just initiate a call though the more expensive OnStar System?

On the 2012 base electronics, if you have a bluetooth phone active & paired, it defaults to that not the OnStar if use the steering wheel button, then just say "call ???". The car says something along the lines of "calling Karen cell on ..." then whatever you named your phone. If your bluetooth is off it'll fallback to the Onstar. If you use the overhead phone button it will always use the Onstar.

Don't know about the nav electronics or on the 2011.

 

[PoisonArrowFrog]

It's the same on the 2011 Volt. Just to throw another log on the fire, why didn't they go with one female voice rather than three?