I want to be able to hear Google navigation directions on my Droid 4 (w/ICS) when it's in the docking station and when bluetooth is connected to my car so I can use the phone through my car and listen to the radio and satellite. Does anyone know how to make this happen? I looked at my bluetooth settings and couldn't find anything. Thanks for your help!
There is a known problem with the Motorola Vehicle Navigation Dock when used with the Droid RAZR, RAZR MAXX, and quite possibly with the D4 (and even Droid M & MAXX HD), where if you insert the phone into the docking station and have Bluetooth sync'd with your car (yes, including A2DP compatible cars), the navigation doesn't play through the Bluetooth or the phone's internal speakers. This is due to a hardware or programming flaw.
Is your car stereo A2DP capable? Navigation works no problem in my stock Honda, wife's Alpine stereo and my BlueAnt visor BT.
What you are saying is true, as long as the phone isn't connected by the MicroUSB connector on the MOTOROLA Vehicle Navigation Dock. It's the Dock that is at the root of the problem.
The problem results from the docking station also having audio capability through the MicroUSB connection on the dock, which then sends audio down the Audio and Power Adapter cable and to the small pigtail female 3.5mm headphone jack coming off the standard USB plug (shown below on the far right). There is no known way to select from a menu, and tell the phone you want audio to go one way, phone calls to go another, and navigation to go yet another way.
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In my car, the factory installed audio system doesn't have an "accessory" jack (i.e. 3.5mm headphone jack), or a usb connector, and it is not A2DP compatible either, so the only thing my car will play through the audio is a Bluetooth phone call. If I want Music to go to the car, I have to use an FM transmitter, and when I do, then both the media audio AND the navigation sounds come through the stereo. This is the ONLY way to get navigation sounds to come to the car stereo when the phone is in the MOTOROLA Vehicle Navigation Dock. There is an indication from one technician that I spoke to at Motorola that this may have since been resolved with newer MOTOROLA Vehicle Navigation Docks, since he grabbed a RAZR and a Dock and tried them with me on the phone. His worked properly but mine didn't, but I can't get them to swap mine out for one that does work.
It makes no difference if I have my Bluetooth Jawbone Headset on and sync'd, I can still hear phone calls through the headset, but if either my Droid RAZR MAXX or my wife's Droid RAZR are in the Motorola Vehicle Navigation Dock, the navigation sounds do NOT come through either the Bluetooth headset OR the phone, and as you already know don't come through the car either. HOWEVER, if I lift the USB plug off the phone while it's in the dock, THEN the navigation sounds come either through the phone's speaker, or if I have my Jawbone Headset in, they come through the headset. If while it is giving navigation instructions I press down the connector in the dock, the sound stops in my headset or on the speaker.
THIS DOES NOT happen if you are using a non-Motorola dock, and/or are using a standard car power accessory adapter, this ONLY happens with the MOTOROLA Vehicle Navigation Dock. It also makes no difference if you use the cable with the pigtail or not...same results. I've complained about this to Motorola, and they've said there's nothing you can do about it. For me, it's an especially troublesome situation because my FM transmitter shuts itself down after 30 seconds of silence, so unless I'm playing music through the FM transmitter, I get hit with a blast of loud static from the dead FM Radio channel when the transmitter shuts down and I then have to turn down the volume to save my ears. Once the transmitter shuts down, it takes some 10 seconds or so to come back once it senses audio and by that time, any navigation instructions have already been completed.
This was a case of poor planning, beta testing, troubleshooting and support on the part of Motorola and Verizon. If anyone can report different results, I would be interested. Thanks.
