How to Set up Car Mode in Samsung Galaxy S5

Car Mode is one of the most useful features a user can get if they have a Samsung Galaxy S5. Unfortunately, not every user (who drives, by the way) knows exactly what Car Mode is, or how it works for their benefit. In this short tutorial, we hope to enlighten our readers on the practical advantages of using this awesome app while on the road.

The new Car Mode is a great improvement over its predecessor named Drive Mode, technically that is. Drive Mode was excellent in its own right but Car Mode brings types of these apps to a whole new level. Car Mode lets users listen to music, take in calls, hear incoming messages–all while driving and never touching the phone. Thus, Car Mode is not only a convenient feature but a good safety app as well because it does not demand users to even hold the phone to in order for it to work.

Just like many peripherals nowadays, Car Mode utilizes the ubiquitous Bluetooth standard when communicating with cars so make sure that Bluetooth is turned on for both your car and your S5 when trying to register for the first time.

 

Starting Car Mode

To start using Car Mode, please follow the steps below:

  • Go to the Home screen and pull up the Notifications Panel.
  • Look for and touch Car Mode. Its icon looks like a steering wheel.
  • Follow the instructions how to set up S-Voice if a pop-up regarding it comes up.
  • Touch Next once Car Mode screen shows up
  • Tap Accept button to agree with the Terms of Service, then select
  • Tap Next again to accept the warnings
  • Hit Yes to sync your phone and car via Bluetooth. IF the phone fails to find the car, simply tap Select from mobile deviceoption and manually register the car.
  • Hit Next once done with the registration.
  • Select Start after reading the instructions
  • After selecting the presented options, the main screen will appear confirming the set up as complete.

 

How to register the phone to the car in Car Mode

Once done with syncing the phone and car, you can also select an option to allow the car speakers to be used to give you feedback. This also allows users to use their car speakers to listen to music stored on their phones. Most importantly, you don’t need to re-register your phone again after doing it the first time, saving you some precious moments. Just ensure to turn on the radio on the car when doing the registration the first time.

  • Open Car Mode.
  • Tap
  • Select Register Car.
  • Touch Add Car.
  • Accept if phone asks you about Bluetooth Authorization Request.
  • Hit Yes to activate Bluetooth.
  • Read and follow the instructions on how to connect the phone to the car.
  • Select Search from Mobile Device and look for your car if the phone does not automatically find it.

To allow the phone to automatically find the phone when in range, just follow these steps:

  • Open Car Mode
  • Go to Settings
  • Hit Auto Open via Bluetooth

The phone will now be forced to run in Car Mode everytime it detects your car within its Bluetooth range.

 

How to enable Car Mode  voice command in S5

To fully optimize the offerings of Car Mode, you must start by setting up its voice commands.

  • Turn on Car mode
  • Upon reaching the main Car Mode screen, just say “Hi, Galaxy” so you can start giving it a voice command.
  • While Car Mode is on, you can issue a voice command to wake it up

 

How to make hands free messaging in Car Mode

  • To start your S5, simply say “Hi, Galaxy”
  • Create a text command that includes your message and a contact number. A good example of this type of voice command is “Text Matthew Message. See you at the party.”

You can also send an SMS from the Touch Menu while in Car Mode

  • Tap Messages in Car Mode
  • Say the name of the recepient. Alternatively, you can also tap and enter the contact name.
  • Touch to enter your message using the keyboard. You can also say the message if you want to.
  • Tap Send to send the message.

 

Listening to music via Car Mode

The cool part of using Car Mode while driving is the fact that you can route the music stored in your phone to your car’s speakers to enjoy them. If you love the music on your S5, you’ll love them more when you hear hear them being played in your car’s surround sound system.

  • Say “Hi, Galaxy” to start the phone
  • Make your pre-arranged voice command as well as the name of the song. For example, you can say “Play Album Toys in the Attic”.
  • Tell your phone to skip songs or to do other tasks while playing
  • If you want to play tracks from the Touch Menu, just make a voice command that includes the name of the song. Options to control playback and skip songs will also be available from the Touch Menu. Searching for other songs can be done by tapping the screen and entering the name of the song.

 

Navigating with Car Mode using your Samsung Galaxy S5

Car Mode does not substitute common sense driving so we recommend that you have to check every direction with a pinch of salt. Digital navigation has come a long way today but the system is not perfect and may give out inaccurate information from time to time. “Turning right” may not really be a viable option because a recent construction is blocking the way. Always prioritize what is before you or pull off the highway to get your bearings when you are disoriented. When driving, safety is paramount so use Car Mode wisely when navigating.

Now, the cool part of using it though is the fact that it is a great aid when you travel to unfamiliar destinations, when in vacation, or when in a road trip. You can just set a destination before taking off and worry about driving safely to reach the place.

 

How to set a hands free navigation from Car Mode on your Samsung Galaxy S5

  • Say “Hi, Galaxy” to start the phone
  • Say the name of the preset destination like “Work” or “Home”
  • Listen to driving directions

 

How to set touch navigation from Car Mode on your Samsung Galaxy S5

  • Say “Hi, Galaxy” to start the phone
  • Select a known destination from the map or enter a known address. Entering a keyword or searching for the address from the search field will work as well.
  • Listen to driving directions

 

Setting up hands free navigation to a preset location via Car Mode

  • Say “Hi, Galaxy” to start the phone
  • Say the name of the preset destination
  • Listen to driving directions

Setting up touch navigation to a preset location via Car Mode

  • Say “Hi, Galaxy” to start the phone
  • Say the name of the preset destination
  • Listen to driving directions

 

How to add navigation shortcuts when using Car Mode

Adding shortcuts in Car Mode to make navigation a breeze is simple. Here’s how:

  • Open Car Mode.
  • Tap on
  • Tap Registered Places.
  • Tap Car, Home, or Work.
  • Select Set Method
  • Pick the method you want to use to recognize your own location like Wi-Fi, Maps, or Bluetooth.
  • Hit
  • Hit
  • Adding other new places will ask you for the method to recognize it like Wi-Fi, Maps, or Bluetooth. Just select Done after selecting a method.

 

Configuring other settings in Car Mode

There are other options and preferences in Car Mode that you might like to change to suit your needs. Go over the steps and see how easy it is to customize Car Mode.

  • Open Car Mode.
  • Go to Settings and change any of the following:
    • This allows a user to change the default language for the text-to-speech setting.
    • Register your Car. This allows you to manually add your car to your phone’s Car Mode. It also lets Car Mode to start automatically when in range of your car’s Bluetooth.
    • Reject Messages. If you set this up, Car Mode will automatically send a rejection message every time it gets an incoming call. You can also create your own personalized rejection message under this setting.
    • Edit Contacts Suggestions. This option gives you the chance to select Auto Recommend, which is useful if you want to nominate your frequently used contacts or Favorites.
    • Registered Places. Gives you the option to select a method that allows Car Mode to recognize your current location via Bluetooth, GPS, or Wi-Fi.
    • Terms of Service. As the name suggests, you can read Car Mode’s Terms of Service and Use.

If you are an AT&T subscriber, Car Mode has been replaced by their own “Drive Mode” app, which is not the same app as the old Samsung Drive Mode. AT&T Drive Mode works differently than Samsung’s so if you don’t want to use it, you need to root your S5 and install another ROM that supports Car Mode.

We are among the very few people who offer free Android support online and we are serious about it. So, feel free to contact us regarding your concerns, questions and problems. You may reach us at [email protected] or post on our Facebook and Google+ pages.


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2 thoughts on “How to Set up Car Mode in Samsung Galaxy S5”

  1. My car does not have bluetooth. So how do I set up the hands-free on the note 5? Does it even have a feature that I can use while I’m driving and not have to touch the phone? Or is anyone with a car that is not equipped with Bluetooth out of luck?

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