cell phone connect BUICK ENCORE GX 2021 Owner's Manual

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Instruments and Controls 87
Caution
Leaving electrical equipment plugged in
for an extended period of time while the
ignition is off will drain the battery.
Always unplug electrical equipment when
not in use and do not plug in equipment
that exceeds the maximum 15 amp
rating.
Certain accessory plugs may not be
compatible with the accessory power outlet
and could overload vehicle and adapter
fuses. If a problem is experienced, see your
dealer.
When adding electrical equipment, be sure
to follow the proper installation instructions
included with the equipment. See Add-On
Electrical Equipment 0249.
Caution
Hanging heavy equipment from the
power outlet can cause damage not
covered by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for accessory
power plugs only, such as cell phone
charge cords.
Power Outlet 110V/120V Alternating
Current
If equipped with this power outlet, it can be
used to plug in electrical equipment that
uses a maximum limit of 150 watts.
The power outlet is on the rear of the
center console.
An indicator light on the outlet turns on to
show it is in use. The light comes on when
the ignition is on, equipment requiring less
than 150 watts is plugged into the outlet,
and no system fault is detected.
The indicator light does not come on when
the ignition is off or if the equipment is not
fully seated into the outlet. If equipment is connected using more than
150 watts or a system fault is detected, a
protection circuit shuts off the power supply
and the indicator light turns off. To reset
the circuit, unplug the item and plug it back
in or turn the Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) off and then back on. See
Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) 0203. The power
restarts when equipment using 150 watts or
less is plugged into the outlet and a system
fault is not detected.
The power outlet is not designed for and
may not work properly, if the following are
plugged in:
.Equipment with high initial peak wattage,
such as compressor-driven refrigerators
and electric power tools
.Other equipment requiring an extremely
stable power supply, such as
microcomputer-controlled electric blankets
and touch sensor lamps
.Medical equipment
Wireless Charging
If equipped, the vehicle has wireless
charging in the storage bin at the front of
the floor console. The system operates at
145 kHz and wirelessly charges one Qi
compatible smartphone. The power output

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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158 Infotainment System
The system will provide feedback the first
time voice recognition is initiated if it has
become apparent that any of these limits
are reached during a device initializing
process.
Voice recognition performance will degrade
to some extent based on many factors when
adding large amounts of data to recognize.
If this is the case, perhaps accessing songs
through playlists or artist name would work
better.
Voice Recognition for Navigation (If
Equipped)
“Navigation”:Begin a dialog to enter
specific destination information.
“Navigation Commands” :Begin a dialog to
enter specific destination information.
“Address” :Begin a dialog to enter a
specific destination address, which includes
the entire address consisting of the house
number, street name, city, state/province,
and country. Do not include the ZIP code.
“Place of Interest” :Begin a dialog to enter
a destination Place of Interest category or
major brand name. The name must be precisely spoken.
Nicknames or short names for the
businesses will not likely be found. Lesser
known businesses might have to be located
by category, such as fast food, hotels,
or banks.
“Navigate to Contact”
:Begin a dialog to
enter a specific destination contact name.
“Cancel Route” :End route guidance.
“Take Me Home” :Create a route to a
stored home location.
Voice Recognition for the Phone
“Call ” :Initiate a call to a
stored contact. The command may include
location if the contact has location numbers
stored.
“Call At Home,” “At Work,” “On
Mobile,” or“On Other” :Initiate a call to a
stored contact and location at home, at
work, on mobile device, or on another
phone.
“Call ” :Initiate a call
to a cell phone number of seven digits, 10
digits, or three digit emergency numbers.
“Pair Phone” :Begin the Bluetooth pairing
process. Follow the instructions on the
infotainment display. “Redial”
:Initiate a call to the last dialed
number.
“Switch Phone” :Select a different
connected cell phone for outgoing calls.
“Voice Keypad” :Begin a dialog to enter
special numbers like international numbers.
The numbers can be entered in groups of
digits with each group of digits being
repeated back by the system. If the group
of digits is not correct, the command
“Delete” will remove the last group of digits
and allow them to be re-entered. Once the
entire number has been entered, the
command “Call”will start dialing the
number.
Phone Assistant Voice Recognition
Press and holdgon the steering wheel
controls to pass through and launch Google
phone assistant or Siri.
For the low radio, whether connected by
Bluetooth or phone projection, the only
available voice recognition is either Siri
(iPhone) or the Google Assistant (Android).

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
160 Infotainment System
Another way to connect is to touch the
Phones tab at the top right of the display
and then touch Add Phone.
.A Bluetooth smartphone with music
capability can be paired to the vehicle as
a smartphone and a music player at the
same time.
.Up to 10 devices can be paired to the
Bluetooth system.
.The pairing process is disabled when the
vehicle is moving.
.Pairing only needs to be completed once,
unless the pairing information on the cell
phone changes or the cell phone is
deleted from the system.
.If multiple paired cell phones are within
range of the system, the system connects
to the paired cell phone that is set to
First to Connect. If there is no cell phone
set to First to Connect, it will link to the
cell phone which was used last. To link to
a different paired cell phone, see“Linking
to a Different Phone” later in this section.
Pairing a Phone 1. Make sure Bluetooth has been enabled on the cell phone before the pairing
process is started. 2. Touch the Phone icon on the Home Page
or the phone icon on the shortcut tray
near the bottom of the display.
3. Touch Phones at the top of the infotainment display. There is also a
Connect Phones option in the middle of
the Phone display which will shortcut to
the Phone List menu.
4. Touch Add Phone.
5. Select the vehicle name shown on the infotainment display from your cell
phone’s Bluetooth Settings list.
6. Follow the instructions on the cell phone to confirm the six-digit code showing on
the infotainment display and touch Pair.
The code on the cell phone and
infotainment display will need to be
acknowledged for a successful pair.
7. Start the pairing process on the cell phone to be paired to the vehicle. See
the cell phone manufacturer's user guide
for information on this process. Once the
cell phone is paired, it will show under
Connected. 8. If the vehicle name does not appear on
your cell phone, there are a few ways to
start the pairing process over:
.Turn the cell phone off and then
back on.
.Go back to the beginning of the
Phone menus on the infotainment
display and restart the pairing
process.
.Reset the cell phone, but this step
should be done as a last effort.
9. If the cell phone prompts to accept connection or allow phone book
download, touch Always Accept and
Allow. The phone book may not be
available if not accepted.
10. Repeat Steps 1−8 to pair additional cell phones.
First to Connect Paired Phones
If multiple paired cell phones are within
range of the system, the system connects to
the paired cell phone that is set as First to
Connect. To enable a paired cell phone as
the First to Connect phone: 1. Make sure the cell phone is turned on.
2. Touch Settings, then touch System.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Infotainment System 161
3. Touch Phones to access all paired and allconnected cell phones and mobile
devices.
4. Touch the information icon to the right of the cell phone to open the cell
phone’s settings menu.
5. Touch the First to Connect option, to enable the setting for that device.
Cell phones and mobile devices can be
added, removed, connected, and
disconnected. A sub-menu will display
whenever a request is made to add or
manage cell phones and mobile devices.
Secondary Phone
A cell phone can be enabled as a Secondary
Phone by touching the information icon to
the right of the paired cell phone name to
open the phone settings menu. If a cell
phone is enabled as a Secondary Phone, it
can connect simultaneously alongside
another Bluetooth mobile device. In doing
so, the Secondary Phone will be labeled as
Incoming Calls. This means the mobile
device can only receive calls. The Address
Book of a Secondary Phone will not be
available and hands-free outgoing calls
cannot be placed using this cell phone. If needed, touch the Secondary Phone while
in the Phones list to swap it into the
Outgoing and Incoming role. This role makes
it possible to place outgoing calls from the
Contacts and Recents list.
Listing All Paired and Connected Phones
1. Touch the Phone icon on the Home Page or the phone icon on the shortcut tray
near the bottom of the display.
2. Touch Phones.
Disconnecting a Connected Phone 1. Touch the Phone icon on the Home Page.
2. Touch Phones.
3. Touch the information icon next to the connected cell phone or mobile device to
show the cell phone’s or mobile device’s
information display.
4. Touch Disconnect.
Deleting a Paired Phone 1. Touch the Phone icon on the Home Page or the phone icon on the shortcut tray
near the bottom of the display.
2. Touch Phones. 3. Touch the information icon next to the
connected cell phone to display the cell
phone’s or mobile device’s information
display.
4. Touch Forget Device.
Linking to a Different Phone
To link to a different cell phone, the new
cell phone must be in the vehicle and paired
to the Bluetooth system. 1. Touch the Phone icon on the Home Page or the phone icon on the shortcut tray
near the bottom of the display.
2. Touch Phones.
3. Touch the new cell phone to link to from the not connected phone list. See “First
to Connect Paired Phones” and
“Secondary Phone” previously in this
section.
Switching to Handset or
Handsfree Mode
To switch between handset or
handsfree mode:
.While the active call is hands-free, touch
the Handset option to switch to the
handset mode.
The mute icon will not be available or
functional while Handset mode is active.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Infotainment System 163
Three-Way Calling
Three-way calling must be supported on the
Bluetooth cell phone and enabled by the
wireless service carrier to work.
To start a three-way call while in a
current call:1. In the Call View, touch Add Call to add another call.
2. Initiate the second call by selecting from Recents, Contacts, or Keypad.
3. When the second call is active, touch the merge icon to conference the three-way
call together.
Ending a Call
.Presscon the steering wheel controls.
.Touch#on the infotainment display,
next to a call, to end only that call.
Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) Tones
The in-vehicle Bluetooth system can send
numbers during a call. This is used when
calling a menu-driven phone system. Use the
Keypad to enter the number.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
If equipped, Android Auto and/or Apple
CarPlay capability may be available through
a compatible smartphone. If available, the
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay icons will
change from gray to color on the Home
Page of the infotainment display.
To use Android Auto and/or Apple CarPlay:
For Wired Phone Projection
1. Download the Android Auto app to your smartphone from the Google Play store.
There is no app required for Apple
CarPlay.
2. Connect your Android phone or Apple iPhone by using the factory-provided
phone USB cable and plugging into a
USB data port. For best performance, it is
highly recommended to use the device’s
factory-provided USB cable, which should
be replaced after significant wear to
maintain connection quality. Aftermarket
or third-party cables may not work.
3. When the phone is first connected to activate Apple CarPlay or Android Auto,
accept the terms and conditions on both
the infotainment system and the phone.
4. Follow the instructions on the phone. The Android Auto and Apple CarPlay icons
on the Home Page will illuminate depending
on the smartphone. Android Auto and/or
Apple CarPlay may automatically launch
upon USB connection. If not, touch the
Android Auto or Apple CarPlay icon on the
Home Page to launch.
Press
{on the center stack to return to the
Home Page.
For Wireless Phone Projection
Verify your phone is wireless compatible by
visiting the Google Android Auto or Apple
CarPlay support page.
1. Download the Android Auto app to your smartphone from the Google Play store.
There is no app required for Apple
CarPlay.
2. For first time connection, there are two ways to set up wireless projection:
.Connect your Android phone or Apple
iPhone by using the factory-provided
phone USB cable and plugging into a
USB data port. For best performance,
it is highly recommended to use the
device’s factory-provided USB cable,
which should be replaced after

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Infotainment System 165
Time / Date
Use the following features to set the clock:
.Automatic Time and Date: Touch On to
have the time and date automatically set.
When this feature is off, the time and
date can be manually set.
.Set Time: Touch to manually set the time
using the controls on the infotainment
display.
.Set Date: Touch to manually set the date
using the controls on the infotainment
display.
.Automatic Time Zone: Touch Off or On to
disable or enable automatic update of the
time zone based on vehicle location.
When this feature is on, the time zone
cannot be manually set.
.Select Time Zone: Touch to manually set
the time zone.
Touch a time zone from the list.
.Use 24-hour Format: Touch to specify the
clock format shown.
Touch Off or On.
Language
This will set the display language used on
the infotainment display. Touch Language and select the appropriate
language.
Phones
Touch to connect to a different cell phone or
mobile device source, disconnect a cell
phone or media device, or delete a cell
phone or media device.
Wi-Fi Networks
This will show connected and available Wi-Fi
networks.
If a 4G LTE data package is not active on the
vehicle, the infotainment system can be
connected to an external protected Wi-Fi
network, such as a mobile device or home
hotspot, to utilize connected services.
Wi-Fi Hotspot
Touch and the following may display:
.Wi-Fi Services: This allows devices to use
the vehicle hotspot.
Touch the controls on the infotainment
display to disable or enable.
.Wi-Fi Name: Touch to change the vehicle
Wi-Fi name.
.Wi-Fi Password: Touch to change the
vehicle Wi-Fi password.
.Connected Devices: Touch to show
connected devices.
.Share Hotspot Data: Touch Enable to
allow devices to use the vehicle hotspot
and its data, or touch Disable to allow
devices to only use the vehicle hotspot.
Privacy
If equipped, touch and the following may
display:
.Location Services: This setting determines
if data sharing can be used by features
including Wi-Fi, Hotspot, and applications.
Touch Off to disable data services.
Emergency services and phone calls, such
as calls with OnStar Advisors or others,
will not be affected when Off is selected.
.Voice Recognition Sharing: This setting
determines if voice commands can be
shared with a cloud-based voice
recognition system. Touch Off to prevent
the sharing and possible recording of your
voice commands with this system. This
may limit the system’s ability to
understand your voice commands and
may disable some features.
.Types: This setting lists all
Android-defined as dangerous permissions
currently used by the infotainment

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Infotainment System 169
.Auto Rear Defog: This setting
automatically turns the rear window
defogger on when the vehicle engine is
started.
Touch the controls on the infotainment
display to disable or enable.
.Ionizer : This setting specifies the air
quality improvement when the ionizer
control setting is on.
Touch Off or On.
Navigation
Touch and the following may display:
.Set Up My Places
.Map Preferences
.Route Preferences
.Navigation Voice Control
.Traffic Preferences
.Alert Preferences
.Manage History
.About
See Using the Navigation System 0141.
Phone
Touch and the following may display:
.My Number: Displays the cell phone
number of the Bluetooth connected
device.
.Active Call View: Shows active call display
when answering a call.
Touch the controls on the infotainment
display to disable or enable.
.Privacy : Only show call alerts in cluster.
.Sort Contacts: Touch to sort by first or
last name.
.Re-sync phone Contacts:
This allows the device contacts to re-sync
if you are having difficulty accessing all of
the contacts on your cell phone.
OnStar Phone TTY Mode: This enables
OnStar cell phone TTY mode.
Touch Disable or Enable.
Vehicle
This menu allows adjustment of different
vehicle features. See Vehicle Personalization
0 114.
Teen Driver
If equipped, this allows multiple keys to be
registered for beginner drivers to encourage
safe driving habits. When the vehicle is
started with a Teen Driver key, it will
automatically activate certain safety
systems, allow setting of some features, and
limit the use of others. The Report Card will record vehicle data about driving behavior
that can be viewed later. When the vehicle
is started with a registered key, the Driver
Information Center (DIC) displays a message
that Teen Driver is active.
To access:
1. Touch Settings on the Home Page, then touch Vehicle, and then Teen Driver.
2. Create a Personal Identification Number (PIN) by choosing a four-digit PIN.
Re-enter the PIN to confirm. To change
the PIN, touch Change PIN.
The PIN is required to:
.Register or unregister keys.
.Change Teen Driver settings.
.Change or clear the Teen Driver PIN.
.Access or delete Report Card data.
Register keys to activate Teen Driver and
assign restrictions to the key:
Any vehicle key can be registered, up to a
maximum of eight keys. Label the key to
tell it apart from the other keys.
For a pushbutton start system: 1. Start the engine.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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176 Infotainment System
Map End User License Agreement
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and its licensors (including their licensors
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The Data for areas of Canada includes
information taken with permission from
Canadian authorities, including: © Her
Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, ©
Queen's Printer for Ontario, © Canada Post
Corporation, GeoBase
®.
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United States Postal Service
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Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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356 Connected Services
PressQ, then ask the Advisor to download
directions to the vehicle’s navigation system,
if equipped. After the call ends, the
navigation screen will provide prompts to
begin driving directions. Routes that are sent
to the navigation screen can only be
canceled through the navigation system.
See www.onstar.com (U.S.) or www.onstar.ca
(Canada).
Connections
The following services help with staying
connected.
For coverage maps, see www.onstar.com
(U.S.) or www.onstar.ca (Canada).
Ensuring Security
.Change the default passwords for the
Wi-Fi hotspot and myBuick mobile
application. Make these passwords
different from each other and use a
combination of letters and numbers to
increase the security.
.Change the default name of the SSID
(Service Set Identifier). This is your
network’s name that is visible to other
wireless devices. Choose a unique name
and avoid family names or vehicle
descriptions. Wi-Fi Hotspot (If Equipped)
The vehicle may have a built-in Wi-Fi
hotspot that provides access to the Internet
and web content at 4G LTE speed. Up to
seven mobile devices can be connected.
A data plan is required. Use the in-vehicle
controls only when it is safe to do so.
1. To retrieve Wi-Fi hotspot information, press
=to open the OnStar app on the
infotainment display, then select Wi-Fi
Hotspot. On some vehicles, touch Wi-Fi
or Wi-Fi Settings on the screen.
2. The Wi-Fi settings will display the Wi-Fi hotspot name (SSID), password, and on
some vehicles, the connection type (no
Internet connection, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE), and
signal quality (poor, good, excellent). The
LTE icon shows connection to Wi-Fi. It is
possible that the icon may not illuminate
even though the vehicle has an active
connection.
3. To change the SSID or password, press
Qor call 1-888-4ONSTAR to connect
with an Advisor. On some vehicles, the
SSID and password can be changed in
the Wi-Fi Hotspot menu. After initial set-up, your vehicle’s Wi-Fi
hotspot will connect automatically to your
mobile devices. Manage data usage by
turning Wi-Fi on or off on your mobile
device, by using the myBuick mobile app,
or by contacting an OnStar Advisor. On
some vehicles, Wi-Fi can also be managed
from the Wi-Fi Hotspot menu.
MyBuick Mobile App (If Available)
Download the myBuick mobile app to
compatible Apple and Android smartphones.
Buick users can access the following services
from a smartphone:
.Remotely start/stop the vehicle,
if factory-equipped.
.Lock/unlock doors, if equipped with
automatic locks.
.Activate the horn and lamps.
.Check the vehicle’s fuel level, oil life,
or tire pressure, if factory-equipped with
the Tire Pressure Monitor System.
.Send destinations to the vehicle.
.Locate the vehicle on a map (U.S.
market only).
.Turn the vehicle's Wi-Fi hotspot on/off,
manage settings, and monitor data
consumption, if equipped.
.Locate a dealer and schedule service.