How To Pair My Bluetooth Car Stereo System With My Bluetooth Audio Device - Pairing And Troubleshooting

Important: This article applies only to specific products and/or operating systems. check applicable products and categories for details.

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Depending on your model, the pairing procedure may differ slightly. In this article, we will introduce some pairing procedures as an example.

Reading: How to connect to sony bluetooth radio

You can always refer to your help guide or manual to check the pairing procedure, which applies to your specific model. Help guides and manuals are available on your product page on this support website.

try nfc first

a quick & An easy way to pair is to use NFC (Near Field Communication). Many car audio units come with NFC. you can recognize it by the following logo:

NFC symbol

most android phones are equipped with nfc by default. they may feature a similar logo somewhere on the back of the phone.
make sure nfc is enabled in your smartphone settings and try touching both nfc logos to activate the nfc pairing sequence .
remember that the maximum range for nfc is about a centimeter away!
approval messages will appear on the mobile phone screen. Proceed to approve these pop-up screens to finish the pairing process.
If your smartphone or car audio system does not have NFC, pair the devices using the normal

how to pair my car audio unit for the first time

DSX model example

press call and rotate the command dial to select [set pairing], then press the command dial. the bluetooth symbol will flash while the unit is in pairing mode. that means it should be discoverable by your smartphone.
once you see the car audio unit in the list of bluetooth devices on your smartphone, select [dsx-xxxx] (your model name)
if your car audio unit doesn’t come up right away, quickly turn bluetooth off and back on on your phone.
sometimes devices ask for a pin (or password or something similar). the default pin is 0000.

MEX

press menu
turn the command dial to select [bluetooth], then press it
turn the command dial to select [set pairing], then press
rotate the control dial to select [set device 1] or [set device 2], then press it.
go to the bluetooth menu on your smartphone and select [mex-xxxx] (your model name)
If your car audio unit does not appear immediately, please quickly turn bluetooth off and on again on your phone. check if the drive is listed now.
sometimes devices ask for a pin (or password or something similar). the default pin is 0000.

XAV models

press home, then tap [settings]
search for [bluetooth connection] and set the signal to turn on
select [pairing] to make your car audio unit visible to your smartphone
go to the bluetooth menu on your smartphone and select [ sony automotive] (or your model name)
if your car audio unit does not appear right away, quickly turn bluetooth on your phone off and on again. check if the drive shows up now.
sometimes devices ask for a pin (or password or something similar). the default pin is 0000.

bluetooth troubleshooting

Turn the bluetooth function of your smartphone off and on again and check if it appears in the list of bluetooth devices.
do the same for the car audio unit. Quickly exit pairing mode and try again while still searching for bluetooth with your smartphone.
Check if your car audio unit is not mistakenly connected to another device. once connected, it will not be visible to other bluetooth devices.
Reset your car audio unit.

make sure you have updated your car audio unit with the latest firmware. check the firmware section of your product page, available on this support website. tip: you can install the support by sony mobile app on your phone and bookmark your specific car audio head unit, to be notified when a firmware update is released for your product.
“forget” the car audio unit information on your smartphone. You can remove the pairing information in your smartphone’s bluetooth settings and some car audio models. pairing both devices again might solve this problem.
Check if your car audio unit is not mistakenly connected to another device. if so, it will not be visible to other bluetooth devices.
If you have connected with many other bluetooth devices recently, the old pairing information may be deleted automatically. Usually your smartphone will only have up to 8 different bluetooth devices.

depending on your car audio model, you may need to select a different output channel (eg bluetooth audio)
check the volume on both your playback device (eg example, a smartphone) such as in the car audio unit.
for some car audio models, the caller’s voice will be output from the front speakers only