steering BUICK ENCORE 2021 User Guide

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
96 Instruments and Controls
Remote Left in Vehicle Alert
This feature sounds an alert when the RKE
transmitter is left in the vehicle. This menu
also enables the Remote No Longer In
Vehicle Alert.
Touch Off or On.
Valet Mode
This will lock the infotainment system and
steering wheel controls. It may also limit
access to vehicle storage locations,
if equipped.
To enable valet mode:1. Enter a four-digit code on the keypad.
2. Select Enter to go to the confirmation screen.
3. Re-enter the four-digit code.
Touch Lock or Unlock to lock or unlock the
system. Touch Back to go back to the
previous menu.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Lighting 97
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . 97
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . 98
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . 99
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel IlluminationControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Battery Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . 102
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is on the
instrument panel to the left of the steering
column.
There are four positions:
O: Turns the exterior lamps off and
deactivates the AUTO mode. Turn
Oagain
to reactivate the AUTO mode.
In Canada, the headlamps will automatically
reactivate when the vehicle is shifted out of
P (Park).
AUTO : Turns the exterior lamps on and off
automatically depending on outside lighting.
;: Turns on the parking lamps including
all lamps, except the headlamps.
5: Turns on the headlamps together with
the parking lamps and instrument panel
lights. A warning chime sounds if the driver
door is opened when the ignition is off and
the headlamps are on.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
3: Push the turn signal lever away from
you and release, to turn the high beams on.
To return to low beams, push the lever
again or pull it toward you and release.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Infotainment System 103
Infotainment System
Introduction
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Overview (8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Using the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Radio
AM-FM Radio (8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . 109
HD Radio Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Multi-Band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Audio Players
Avoiding Untrusted Media Devices . . . . . 113
USB Port (8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Auxiliary Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Bluetooth Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
OnStar System
OnStar System (8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . 118
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition (8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . 118
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview for 8 InchScreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Bluetooth (Pairing and Using the Phone
for 8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Bluetooth (Voice Recognition for 8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Text Messaging (8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . 127
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (8 Inch
Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Settings
Settings (8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Trademarks and License Agreements
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . 132
Introduction
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Overview (7 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Using the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Radio
AM-FM Radio (7 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Radio Data System (RDS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Multi-Band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Audio Players
Avoiding Untrusted Media Devices . . . . 144
USB Port (7 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Auxiliary Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Bluetooth Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
OnStar System
OnStar System (7 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . 148
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview for 7 InchScreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Bluetooth (Pairing and Using a Phone for 7 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto . . . . . . . 153
Settings
Settings (7 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
104 Infotainment System
Introduction
Read the following pages to become familiar
with the features.
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road for too
long or too often while using any
infotainment feature can cause a crash.
You or others could be injured or killed.
Do not give extended attention to
infotainment tasks while driving. Limit
your glances at the vehicle displays and
focus your attention on driving. Use voice
commands whenever possible.
The infotainment system has built-in
features intended to help avoid distraction
by disabling some features when driving.
These features may gray out when they are
unavailable. Many infotainment features are
also available through the instrument cluster
and steering wheel controls. Before driving:
.Become familiar with the operation,
center stack controls, steering wheel
controls, and infotainment display.
.Set up the audio by presetting favorite
stations, setting the tone, and adjusting
the speakers.
.Set up phone numbers in advance so they
can be called easily by pressing a single
control or by using a single voice
command.
See Distracted Driving 0164.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Infotainment System 105
Overview (8 Inch Screen)
Infotainment System
The infotainment system is controlled by using the infotainment display, controls on the
center stack, steering wheel controls, and voice recognition. Below is the 8 inch screen controls
image and overview. For 7 inch screen controls, seeOverview (7 Inch Screen)0138.
1.{(Home Page)
.Press to go to the Home Page. See
“Home Page” later in this section.
2.7
.Radio: Press and release to go to
the previous station or channel.
Press and hold to fast seek the
next strongest previous station or
channel. SeeAM-FM Radio (8 Inch
Screen) 0109.
.USB/Bluetooth: Press to seek to
the beginning of the current or
previous track. Press and hold to
quickly reverse through a track.
Release to return to playing speed.
See USB Port (8 Inch Screen) 0113
or
Bluetooth Audio 0117.
3.O(Power)
.Press to turn the power on.
.Press and hold to turn the
power off.
.Press to mute/unmute the system
when on.
When the power is on and the
system is not muted, a quick
status pane will display when
Ois
pressed. Pressing
Owill mute the
system and trigger this pane to
show a long press is required to
actually power down the system.
.Turn to decrease or increase the
volume.
4.6
.Radio: Press and release to go to
the next station or channel. Press
and hold to fast seek the next
track or strongest station or
channel.
.USB/Bluetooth: Press to seek the
next track. Press and hold to fast
forward through a track. Release to
return to playing speed. See USB
Port (8 Inch Screen) 0113 or
Bluetooth Audio 0117.
5.SBACK
.Press to return to the previous
display in a menu.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
106 Infotainment System
Home Page
The Home Page is where vehicle application
icons are accessed. Some applications are
disabled when the vehicle is moving.
The Home Page can be set up to have up to
five pages with eight icons per page.
Touch
hto go left orkto go right or slide a
finger left/right across the display to access
the pages of icons.
k: Touch to go to the next Home Page.
h:Touch to go to the previous Home Page.
l:Touch this interaction selector to
display the favorites list.
Touch and hold a preset to begin the
process of saving a favorite application. Touch the application icon to store as a
favorite, and the name of the application
will show in the favorites.
Managing Home Page Icons
1. Touch and hold any of the Home Page icons to edit that icon.
2. Drag the icon to a new location on the Home Page or to save it to the
applications tray.
3. Press
{to exit edit mode.
Steering Wheel Controls
If equipped, some audio controls can be
adjusted at the steering wheel.
b/g: For vehicles with Bluetooth, press
to interact with those systems.
$/i: Press to decline an incoming call,
to end speech recognition, or to end a
current call. Press to silence the vehicle
speakers while using the infotainment
system. Press again to turn the sound on.
For vehicles with Bluetooth systems, press
to reject an incoming call or end a
current call.
_SRC^: Press to select an audio source.
Toggle up or down to select the next or
previous favorite radio station, MP3 track,
USB file, iPod/iPhone song, or Bluetooth
music.
Toggle and hold up or down to fast forward
or reverse the radio stations, MP3 tracks,
USB files, iPod/iPhone songs, or Bluetooth
music.
+
x− :Press + or −to increase or decrease
the volume.
Using the System
Home Page Features
Touch the icons on the Home Page to
launch an application.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
118 Infotainment System
OnStar System
OnStar System (8 Inch Screen)
4G LTE
If equipped with 4G LTE, up to seven
devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and
laptops, can be connected to high-speed
Internet through the vehicle’s built-in Wi-Fi
hotspot.
Call 1-888-4ONSTAR (1-888-466-7827) to
connect to an OnStar Advisor for assistance.
See www.onstar.com for vehicle availability,
details, and system limitations. Service and
connectivity may vary by make, model,
year, carrier, availability, and conditions. 4G
LTE service is available in select markets. 4G
LTE performance is based on industry
averages and vehicle systems design. Some
services require a data plan.
The OnStar App
If equipped, the infotainment system has
OnStar controls in the embedded OnStar app
on the Home Page. All OnStar functions that
can be performed with the buttons can be
done using the app. To open the app, select
the OnStar icon on the Home Page. Featuresvary by region and model. Features are
subject to change. For more information on
this feature, see my.buick.com/learn
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition (8 Inch Screen)
If equipped, voice recognition allows for
hands-free operation within the navigation,
audio, phone, and weather applications. This
feature can be started by pressing
gon the
steering wheel controls or by touching
gon
the infotainment display.
However, not all features within these areas
are supported by voice commands.
Generally, only complex tasks that require
multiple manual interactions to complete
are supported by voice commands.
For example, tasks that take more than one
or two touches such as selecting a song or
artist to play from a media device would be
supported by voice commands. Other tasks,
like adjusting the volume or seeking up or
down, are audio features that are easily
performed by pressing one or two controls,
and are not supported by voice commands. In general there are flexible ways to speak
commands for completing the tasks. Most of
them, except voice keypad, can be
completed in a single command. If the task
takes more than one command to complete,
the first command should be to indicate the
kind of task to be performed. The system
replies with prompts that lead you through
a dialog to enter the necessary information.
Voice recognition can be used when the
ignition is on or when Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) is active.Using Voice Recognition
Voice recognition becomes available once
the system has been initialized. This begins
when the ignition is turned on. Initialization
may take a few moments.
1. Press
gon the steering wheel controls
to activate voice recognition, or touch
g
on the infotainment display.
2. The audio system mutes and the system plays a prompt followed by a beep.
3. Wait until after the beep completes, then clearly speak one of the commands
described in this section.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Infotainment System 119
A voice recognition system prompt can
be interrupted while it is playing by
pressing
gon the steering wheel
controls again.
For example, if the prompt seems to be
taking too long to finish, press
gagain
and the beep should happen right away.
There are two voice prompt modes
supported:
.Long verbal prompts: The longer prompts
provide more information regarding the
supported actions.
.Short prompts: The short prompts provide
simple instructions about what can be
stated.
If a command is not spoken, the voice
recognition system says a help prompt.
Prompts and Screen Displays
While a voice recognition session is active,
there will be corresponding options on
screens displayed. Manual interaction in the
voice recognition session is permitted.
Interaction during a voice session may be
completed entirely using voice commands,
or some selections may expedite a session.
If a selection is made using a manual
control, the dialog will progress in the same way as if the selection was made through a
voice command. Once the system is able to
complete the task, or the session is
terminated, the voice recognition dialog
stops.
An example of this type of manual
intervention is touching an entry of a
displayed number list instead of speaking
the number associated with the entry
desired.
Canceling Voice Recognition
.Touch the Home Page. Touching this icon
will terminate a voice recognition session
which was initiated by touching the icon
on the infotainment display.
.Touch or say
“Cancel”or“Exit” to
terminate the voice recognition session
and display the screen from which voice
recognition was initiated.
.Presscon the steering wheel controls
to terminate the voice session and show
the display from which voice recognition
was initiated.
Most languages do not support natural
language commands in sentence form. For
those languages, use direct commands like
the examples on the display.
Helpful Hints for Speaking Commands
Voice recognition can understand commands
that are either naturally stated in sentence
form, or direct commands that state the
application and the task.
For best results:
.Listen for the prompt and wait for the
beep before saying a command or reply.
.Say “Help” or look at the infotainment
display for example commands.
.Voice recognition prompt can be
interrupted while it is playing by pressing
gon the steering wheel controls again.
For example, if the prompt seems to be
taking too long to finish, to speak the
command without waiting for the prompt
to complete, press
gagain and wait for
the beep.
.Speak the command naturally, not too
fast, not too slow. Use direct commands
without a lot of extra words.
.Usually Phone and Audio commands can
be spoken in a single command.
For example, “Call David Smith at work,”
“Play” followed by the artist or song
name, or “Tune”followed by the radio
station number.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
120 Infotainment System
There is no need to memorize specific
command words. Direct commands might be
more clearly understood by the system. An
example of a direct command would be“Call
555-1212.” Examples of these direct
commands are displayed on most of the
screens while a voice session is active.
If “Phone” or“Phone Commands,” is stated,
the system understands that a phone call is
requested and will respond with questions
until enough details are gathered.
If the phone number has been saved with a
name and a place, the direct command
should include both, for example “Call David
Smith at work.”
Using Voice Recognition for List Options
When a list is displayed, a voice prompt will
ask to confirm or select an option from that
list. A selection can be made by manually
selecting the item, or by speaking the line
number for the item to select.
When a screen contains a list, there may be
options that are available but not displayed.
The list on a voice recognition screen
functions the same as a list on other
screens. Scrolling or flinging can be used to
help display other entries from the list. Manually scrolling or paging the list on a
screen during a voice recognition session
suspends the current voice recognition event
and plays the prompt
“Make your selection
from the list using the manual controls,
press
qBACK orSBACK on the center
stack, or touch the Back icon on the
infotainment display to try again.”
If manual selection takes more than
15 seconds, the session terminates and
prompts that it has timed out. The screen
returns to the screen where voice
recognition was initiated.
The Back Command
Say “Back,” press
qBACK orSBACK on
the center stack, or touch the Back icon on
the infotainment display to go to the
previous menu.
If in voice recognition, and “Back”is stated
all the way through to the initial display,
then “Back” is stated one more time, the
voice recognition session will cancel.
Help
Say “Help” on any voice recognition menu
and the help prompt for the display is
played. Additionally, a pop-up displays a
text version of the help prompt. Depending on how voice recognition was initiated, the
Help pop-up will either display on the
instrument cluster or the infotainment
display. Touch Dismiss to make the pop-up
go away.
Pressing
gon the steering wheel controls
while the help prompt is playing will
terminate the prompt and a beep will be
heard. Doing this will stop the help prompt
so that a voice command can be used.
Voice Recognition for the Radio
All audio screens have a voice recognition
icon (
g) to launch audio voice recognition.
If the voice icon is touched in a radio
display, the voice commands for radio and
media features are available.
“Switch to AM” :Switch bands to AM and
tune to the last AM radio station.
“Switch to FM” :Switch bands to FM and
tune to the last FM radio station.
“Switch to SXM” :Switch bands to SiriusXM
and tune to the last SiriusXM channel.
“Tune to AM” :Tune to
the radio station whose frequency is
identified in the command (like “nine fifty”).

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Infotainment System 123
activate the phone voice recognition system,
press and hold
gon the steering wheel
controls for a few seconds.
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview for 8 Inch
Screen)
The Bluetooth-capable system can interact
with many cell phones, allowing:
.Placement and receipt of calls in a
hands-free mode.
.Sharing of the cell phone’s address book
or contact list with the vehicle.
To minimize driver distraction, before
driving, and with the vehicle parked:
.Become familiar with the features of the
cell phone. Organize the phone book and
contact lists clearly and delete duplicate
or rarely used entries. If possible,
program speed dial or other shortcuts.
.Review the controls and operation of the
infotainment system.
.Pair cell phone(s) to the vehicle. The
system may not work with all cell
phones. See “Pairing”in this section. Vehicles with a Bluetooth system can use a
Bluetooth-capable cell phone with a
Hands-Free Profile to make and receive
phone calls. The infotainment system and
voice recognition are used to control the
system. The system can be used with the
ignition on or in ACC/ACCESSORY. The range
of the Bluetooth system can be up to 9.1 m
(30 ft). Not all phones support all functions
and not all phones work with the Bluetooth
system. See www.gm.com/bluetooth for
more information about compatible phones.
Bluetooth Controls
Use the infotainment display features on
the infotainment system or press the
steering wheel icon to operate the Bluetooth
system.
Steering Wheel Controls
g:
Press to answer incoming calls, confirm
system information, and start voice
recognition.
c: Press to end a call, decline a call,
or cancel an operation. Press to mute or
unmute the infotainment system when not
on a call. Infotainment System Features
For information about how to navigate the
menu system using the infotainment
features, see
Overview (8 Inch Screen) 0105.
Phone : Touch the Home Page to enter the
phone main menu.
Audio System
When using the Bluetooth system, sound
comes through the vehicle's front audio
system speakers and overrides the audio
system. Press
Oduring a call to change the
volume level. The adjusted volume level
remains in memory for later calls. The
system maintains a minimum volume level.
Bluetooth (Pairing and Using the
Phone for 8 Inch Screen)
Pairing
A Bluetooth-enabled cell phone must be
paired to the Bluetooth system and then
connected to the vehicle before it can be
used. See the cell phone manufacturer's user
guide for Bluetooth functions before pairing
the cell phone.