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When listening to a MP3 over bluetooth that's broadcast to my van radio, there's no verbal directions. The music pauses but there's just silence during what should be a interruption of the music to announce a verbal direction. If I turn off bluetooth and just listen from the XT speaker, everything works as it should. Ideas???

maybe the XT will not give voice directions because the music is playing from internet radio

I am curious whether you can hear voice navigation over the car speakers regardless of whether music is playing. I have not connected my XT to my car via bluetooth but a map app run on my bluetooth connected phone will not broadcast over the car speakers. In fact, the phone is also silent until I break the bluetooth connection.

TNGW1500SE wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 11:58 am When listening to a MP3 over bluetooth that's broadcast to my van radio, there's no verbal directions. The music pauses but there's just silence during what should be a interruption of the music to announce a verbal direction. If I turn off bluetooth and just listen from the XT speaker, everything works as it should. Ideas???

You don't say specifically so I need more info:

Where is the source of the music you are listening to? Others have made assumptions but I wanna hear from you.

I know that after jumping through hoops with Garmin's BS Bluetooth, "3rd party" music like Sirius/XM radio from the app on my phone, will play through the XT to Bluetoothed speakers via my truck's receiver but turn instructions are often corrupted. I consider it such a PITA that's it's become normal so I don't even bother trying any more. When I listen to mp3 files from the XT SD card Bluetoothed to the truck's receiver, everything works as expected.

Same happens when I have a separate Bluetooth receiver with wired earbuds. Either the Sirius/XM radio works through the XT, or the turn instructions work from the XT but rarely do both function at the same time. I gave up trying last fall, it simply isn't worth the hassle.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED: I'm playing MP3 files from the internal memory in the XT not a card. The Mp3 files are in a folder named MP3. If I turn off the bluetooth in the XT settings, I hear the turn by turn from the XT built in speaker.

I'm using the XT to play music because the Ford radio software sucks. Ford has a USB socket that lets you plug in a jumpdrive full of MP3's but Ford doesn't allow you to change artist or genre while the vehicle is in motion. If you start listening to say James Taylor, you're stuck with that artist until you stop the vehicle. There's not even a option to tell the software you're a passenger. I've had to pull off the interstate at an exit to change what I'm listening to. It's really stupid! That's why I bought a mount for the XT to use it in the vehicle to play music. I had another GPS that I used in the vehicle but it was older, didn't allow MP3 files to be played and didn't have the ability to connect to my vehicle.

Note that the XT will not connect directly to the Ford radio via bluetooth either, I'm using a bluetooth receiver that rebroadcast the bluetooth input signal to a FM signal. I have the Ford radio tuned to that FM signal. The device is plugged into a 12 volt power outlet. That part works fine.

One other interesting quirk, when playing music from the XT to the vehicle via bluetooth, when the XT would normally make a announcement, the music pauses and all sound from the XT bluetooth output go silent. That "pause" in the music i's what clues me in that I need to look at the screen and see what the XT would have announced.

I have not tested to see if turn by turn announcements would be heard through the vehicle speakers without music playing on the XT. That's a good question that I will test that and post the

Keep in mind that the XT has a master volume setting as well as a mixer which allows for a different volume setting for each of navigation, media, phone calls, and proximity alerts. An unknown to me is whether these settings affect bluetooth broadcast volume.

UPDATE: does not announce over bluetooth even with no music playing. the only sound the GPS will transmit to the vehicle is music.

NOTE all gps volume settings are on high.

TNGW1500SE wrote: ↑Wed Feb 28, 2024 7:40 pm UPDATE: does not announce over bluetooth even with no music playing. the only sound the GPS will transmit to the vehicle is music.

My only thought is to confirm that spoken navigation is enabled.

Peobody wrote: ↑Wed Feb 28, 2024 8:39 pm

TNGW1500SE wrote: ↑Wed Feb 28, 2024 7:40 pm UPDATE: does not announce over bluetooth even with no music playing. the only sound the GPS will transmit to the vehicle is music.

My only thought is to confirm that spoken navigation is enabled.

It's on. It "talks" when bluetooth is turned off.

My next test is going to be to connect it to a BT headset. I've got a BT earpiece around here someplace.

Have you by any chance got OSM maps, Open Street Maps enabled? If so this will cut out spoken navigation directions. If you disable them you should return to normal.