Use Two Phones

Brian Maxwell · November 12, 2020

New owner of a 2018 Silverado LT. I'm looking for guidance on how to use Bluetooth and / or Android Auto on two phones.

Scenario: I listen to Audible on my personal phone but would like to take calls on my work phone or both.

In my other vehicles (Toyota and Chrysler) I set one phones Bluetooth active for calls and the other for audio.

I was hoping that I could have my personal phone connected for Android Auto and my work phone connected for Bluetooth but this doesn't seem to work. Nor does trying to connect each to Bluetooth.

Does anyone have a way to make both devices useable?

Donstar · November 12, 2020

I don't know the answer to your question but I will share how I dealt with the two phone dilemma. Family and friends were given my work number to use in emergencies and my work colleagues/bosses were given my personal cell number for emergencies. My business cards boldly listed my work cell and included my personal cell as "home". I tried carrying two cell phones for a short period of time but discovered that I could manage well with one at a time. I appreciate that you may face different circumstances but if at all possible, simplify!

Teutonics · November 12, 2020

You can do this if you use USB connection for at least one of the phones... my daughter does it all the time to run her Spotify play list (rap, ugh!).

I have my phone plugged in for CarPlay screen projection for navigation and phone calls, and she connects via bluetooth (or USB). She just selects her phone as the audio source for music playback. Both phones are iphone in our case, but I don't think it makes a difference.

flyingfool · November 12, 2020

get a bluetooth speaker from JBL

i've tried runing an ipod off the usb and bluetooth my phone, it causes issues with the interface, locks up, crashes..

Edited November 12, 2020 by flyingfool

Brian Maxwell · November 12, 2020

I guess I've got some playing to do. I really hope it doesn't come down to buying a Bluetooth speaker. That seems silly given I can do this on cars that are 10 years old :-)

KARNUT · November 12, 2020

Maybe I’m just confused with the question. I use my phone for everything. Navigation, radio, and of course phone calls. When I receive a call it silents the radio. When the call is over radio on the phone resumes. Why two phones on usb or Bluetooth at the same time?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Brian Maxwell · November 12, 2020

1 hour ago, Donstar said:

I don't know the answer to your question but I will share how I dealt with the two phone dilemma. Family and friends were given my work number to use in emergencies and my work colleagues/bosses were given my personal cell number for emergencies. My business cards boldly listed my work cell and included my personal cell as "home". I tried carrying two cell phones for a short period of time but discovered that I could manage well with one at a time. I appreciate that you may face different circumstances but if at all possible, simplify!

This is a really good suggestion and I had in fact done this at one point but had to revert.

My issue at this point is that I'm faced with Audible app limitations where it doesn't consistently sync position between devices :-(

Forwarding my personal phone to the 'active' work phone when working is easy enough but I still end up needing one to do audio and one to do phone. Forwarding the work phone to my personal isn't a good option because then my outgoing calls end up coming from my personal number and in turn it's distributed.

If only technology always worked harmoniously... On the other hand, I'm in IT and wouldn't have a job then.

Brian Maxwell · November 12, 2020

22 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

Maybe I’m just confused with the question. I use my phone for everything. Navigation, radio, and of course phone calls. When I receive a call it silents the radio. When the call is over radio on the phone resumes. Why two phones on usb or Bluetooth at the same time?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Work Vs. Personal phones. Long story involving application functionality, an overly restrictive IT Security team, and desire to not take work calls 24/7.

flyingfool · November 12, 2020

i think the issue comes down to the processor speed in your phone, and dont do any updates after you get a new phone. older phones drag ass, but the new Samsungs are fast and can multi task apps and juggle the phone calls easily

i also run two phones, i use the apple for calls and text and to tap into the trucks screen for music and maps.

then i use an old samsung s5 for all the little apps you need and no sim card just wifi, this way when an app is hacking your data and sending it to the chinese commies its not your main connection to the world.

use the main phone in hotspot mode to feed data to the wifi phone

Edited November 12, 2020 by flyingfool

steelerdude15 · November 12, 2020

I don't think it is possible in our trucks. If my iPhone is connected to bluetooth or plugged in using CarPlay and if my girlfriend plugs in her Note 10, a message will pop up asking if we want to switch to her phone so she can use it. Then, the radio connects to her phone via bluetooth and she can use Android Auto. The only thing I can do with my phone at that point is plug it in and charge it unless we switch it back to my phone.

It's Tim · November 12, 2020

They couldn't pay me enough to have to fool with all that. I put my phone in my back pocket, get in the truck and drive. Insurance companies are starting to cancel policies when they can prove distracted drivers running a mobile office caused a crash. After that medical bills, jury awards and your conscience drop right in your lap. No thank you.