# Using SIRI in car with bluetooth enabled **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325 "2012-03-20T15:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/1 "2012-03-20T15:28:11Z")
I’m a sad girl. I have found SIRI very useful, particularly for sending text messages in the car to my badgering children. However, when I have the bluetooth enabled to allow me to talk on the phone, it picks up when I’m trying to use SIRI in other applications … and it doesn’t work. Am I just out of luck? I tried turning off bluetooth when I wanted to use voice, but then when I turn it back on, the car wants me to pair phones again and it’s a pain in the butt. Am I SOL or is there a solution? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/2 "2012-03-20T15:50:15Z")
I use Bluetooth to do hands-free with my iPhone 4S, and don’t have this problem. Siri should only activate if you hold the button down, or have “raise to activate” turned on. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/3 "2012-03-20T17:47:41Z")
No, I use the microphone button to talk into it in a number of applications, including text messaging and email. But when I do that, it routes through the car and does not display the text in the app. It just “thinks” for a while and then times out. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/4 "2012-03-20T17:58:37Z")
Are you trying to use Siri hands-free? That is, talking through the car audio system? Because, I’ve noticed that it can take a moment for the Bluetooth connection to become active. I usually press the mic button on the iPhone and listen for the right ding-ding tone through the car speakers before talking. Sometime I need to press the button to have it stop listening, and then press it again. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/5 "2012-03-20T19:07:08Z")
Yes, that is what I am trying to do, but it is not going through. I’ll try giving it a few seconds. But every time I’ve tried so far it won’t obey the commands. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/6 "2012-03-20T20:39:08Z")
I’m using an iPhone 3G, so I don’t have Siri… but I am able to use my bluetooth stereo in my car to voice dial my contacts. I just hold in the button, wait 'til it does the iPhone beep thingy, and then tell it to dial the contact I want. I can even use it to start playing music by name. I wonder if Siri works differently? ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/7 "2012-03-20T23:49:11Z")
It depends on the bluetooth device. Siri works just fine in my van but when I’m driving my husbands car and press the Siri button it thinks it’s making a call to an unknown number and Siri just doesn’t work at all. Very frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/8 "2012-03-21T18:36:54Z")
I guess I’m not the only one. I wonder if it’s related to the type of car. Do you have a Toyota, Moonlitherial? ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/9 "2012-03-22T01:52:34Z")
Is your car radio attempting to handle the voice control? Many car radios have their own voice control and interrupt before the phone gets the commands. If possible you want to let your radio pass commands onto the iPhone and let it handle them. I am looking to buy an aftermarket radio for my car and one of my major criteria is that it will work with Siri. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/10 "2012-03-22T17:10:34Z")
> [@Anachronism](#): > > If possible you want to let your radio pass commands onto the iPhone and let it handle them. How? ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/11 "2012-03-22T17:43:10Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > How? From my research so far I have found out some stereos and blue tooth adapters pass the voice control through to the phone and some try to handle the voice control in the stereo. The ones that try to handle the voice control themselves obviously have more chance of having issues. I am not sure if it is common to be able to turn off the stereos built in voice control and allow it to pass through to the phone. If you can do it it would depend on the stereo you had. Is your stereo something that can have it’s software updated? (Like Ford Sync?) I have seen posts on other boards where software updates added compatibility for Siri. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-siri-in-car-with-bluetooth-enabled/616325/12 "2012-03-23T02:42:37Z")
I shall check. Thank you!