MythicOne

I just wanted to see if anyone else is having issues with their iPhone XS/XS Max not working correctly with their GS. When I had the iPhone 7+, Siri worked fine. Now whenever I try to use Siri in the car, the Lexus voice/mic prompt comes up and Siri just hangs.

I did some initial research last night; and as far as I can tell, it may be the Bluetooth versions being too different between the phone and car.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! ...this issue is driving me nuts - and I'm regretting the phone upgrade.

JDR76

My only contribution is to check your phone settings. The outcome you stated is what happens when the Siri setting is set to OFF for "Allow Siri When Locked". You need to make sure that's enabled.

Settings > Siri & Search > Allow Siri When Locked

MythicOne

Thank you JDR76 for helping me debug this issue...looks like the setting is already enabled on my phone (just checked).
Yeah, so Siri works fine when I am not in my car, just doesn't work when I am in it.

JDR76

Thanks for following up. I'll give it some more thought and see if I can come up with anything else for you to try.

HUSKERnKS

Have you tried resetting it up yet?

1. Delete phone from car system
2. Delete car from phone bluetooth
3. Reset up and test results?

Could be that something got crossed up during a software update or the like.

signdetres

I have no problems at all with my 2018 GS 350 & iPhone XS Max. Never had any issues, everything works as it should. I would do what @HUSKERnKS suggested.

MythicOne

Thank you guys, I did remove the phone from my car before I posted...did not remove the car from the phone (I'll look that up). I will try it!

frazierwa

I have a 2018 RX 450h and the Bluetooth connection to any of the systems is inconsistent at best. I have spent hours on the phone with the Lexus tech support group and they inevitably have me disconnect the phone (remove the Bluetooth device), then add it again. It will work again, only to fail to reliably connect within a few days. I've taken it back to the dealership to work with their 'technical support' representative, but the same scenario repeats as described with the phone support agent. I hardly ever try to use any part of the app suite any longer since it is so frustratingly unreliable. FYI, I use my iPhone with lots of other Bluetooth devices with virtually no issues. I don't know if the problem is with the Bluetooth connection to the phone or other app-related issues. Between the connection issues and the frequent and untimely requirements to log in, I've given up. I've had 3-year leases on Lexus for years, hoping that they would get this stuff nailed down. The only thing reliable from year to year is the frustration level with their media system and apps. The fact that they have the nerve to charge for the Enform Remote app which suffers some of the same issues (frequent login requirements that always occur at the most inopportune time) has nearly driven me from the brand.

Every time I take my car to the dealership for service, I mention these issues and request that they check to see if there are any software updates to the system; hopeful that they will have some improvement to offer. The reply is always the same; "no updates available".

jwolf

Here is a few things to try. 1st I see that you said that the Lexus Voice command prompts started, this could be the issue. To activate Siri eyes free you need to press and hold the Off Hook phone switch. pressing and holding the talk switch will result in what you have reported (Press talk switch Lexus system talks. Keep holding the switch Lexus voice command is canceled) make sure you are pressing and holding the Phone Answer Button. Also it is a good idea to turn off and restart your phone once every 2 weeks or so, they are little computers and need to be turned off from time to time.

frazierwa - What do you want to use the App Suite for? also the Enform Remote app has been replace over a year ago whit the New "LEXUS" app that is a huge improvement over the Old LER app. not only do they put out app updates frequently, they have consolidated many of the old apps in to it. (ie Lexus drivers app, manuals, schedule maintenance). I would also recommend restarting your phone more often, and get into the habbit of closing old apps if you are not already doing that. lastly check for your self if you have an Software updates and bonus points if you do them you self! https://securedp.lexus.com/download-app/downloads.

hope this helps

frazierwa

Thanks for your reply to my post to this ancient thread! I accidentally posted to the wrong thread somehow; but your comments are responsive to my complaints.

RE: App Suite
I wanted to use that app to stream music from Pandora or Spotify (can't remember which). I'd jump into the car for a short trip and want to play some music. Usually, I'd get the message that the app wasn't running on the iPhone. So I'd fumble around to start the app and often I'd get a request to log in. At the next stop light, I'd try to log in, often that wouldn't work (complex password, small keyboard). But even if it DID work to log in, often the in-vehicle system still complained that it couldn't connect. On a mobile app, they need to minimize the interaction needed to make it work. I can start and drive away in my $60k car with a key fob in my pocket, but they can't figure out how to let me play Pandora without going though all that nonsense? Ideally there should be NO interaction needed beyond selecting the app that I have already configured.

Re: Enform Remote App
I haven't tried it for a couple of years. In year one when it was 'free,' I found it extremely frustrating that I had to continously log in with username and password event though I had activated 'touch' login. About half the time, even the correct password wasn't accepted. Lexus support said there was 'account confusion' with the account I had established with my last Lexus. Also, I sometimes am out of town for a couple of months and found that I could no longer communicate with the car to verify the location. I was informed that it will not respond if the car has not been driven for over 30 days. Keeping tabs on the location when I was gone was a primary need. Since it did not work well in year one, I did not subscribe, so maybe some of these issues have been resolved. I'm peeved that they don't roll the cost of these services into the price of the car. At that large scale (EVERY Lexus) the cost would be very low per car.

Thanks for providing that link for software updates. I checked and my 2018 RX450h has no updates available which is pretty remarkable. Every other high tech software based device I own typically has at least one update per year to improve stability, add functionality, etc.

I do regularly restart my phone since I find it useful to clear out the cobwebs. I also did that several times when I was on the phone with Lexus support and sometimes it worked, other times no effect.

websurfer

I have the iphone X and it works good with my bluetooth on my 2020 GS. For Enform, I'm using 2.2.2.834.55. I only use it for Alexa. No issues. First time, I had to setup the login and password with faceid for it to work without having to login.

See if you phone is updated to the latest version including Enform also.

frazierwa

So I was inspired by the addition of the Alexa app to try again to make the connection more reliable. Spent a couple of hours in two different sessions with Lexus tech support over the phone. As has been the case in the past, they ran me through the script of removing/adding the Enform App on my iPhone, removing the phone from the phone list, then adding it back. In each case, it took several tries to get the phone added back to the phone list of Bluetooth connections. After each session, the connection would work, all the apps would work, including Alexa. Like groundhog day, the next day I'd get messages on the screen saying to open the Enform App on my phone; it already was open and said "Connected to Car" and the signal strength and battery level of the phone were displayed at the top of the multimedia screen in the car. Obviously, I had a Bluetooth connection, but it wasn't a connection that would support the running of any apps. Kept getting the dialogue box informing me that a data connection was required.

So I went through the steps above -- the phone would NOT pair with the car even after numerous cycles of removing the connection from the phone and starting over. I was actually glad since, at least now, I had a condition that could be evaluated. I remembered in one of my sessions with the Lexus support team, they had me 'reboot' the radio by pressing and holding the volume button until the system shut down. Released the button, the system started and immediately I was able to pair the phone to the car. This seems to infer a problem with the in-car electronics, but I'll bet the dealer will not take any action unless this can be reproduced reliably, but since it is intermittent, my chances are not good. I described the issue every time I've had the car in for service (3 times) and each time they report " no problem observed, no updates available". I'm not sure how I can convince them to chase an intermittent problem like this.