This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Find out more about how to manage cookies, or dismiss this message and continue to use cookies.
DriveSmart 65 with Alexa issues
I just a got this. I have been a long time Garmin user, owned several over the years. I recently bought a new car that has Android Auto built in, 3 days of that and I'm done with it. It stinks! Back to Garmin. First step I upgraded the firmware and maps to the latest version.
The first issue has me stumped, it was shipped with 100% dead battery. So I used the USB cable included and plugged it into my 5 port USB power brick from Anker which can deliver plenty of amps. It powered on no issue but refused to charge it. I finally tried charging it in the car and that works fine, but from a USB port it won't charge. I tried 3 different USB power bricks, all will power it up but not charge.
Alexa is not happy. I installed the app on my Pixel XL running Android 10. No issues. I configured Alexa to send all output to the Garmin, I don't have my car set to Bluetooth for my audio, the car has an internal MP3 player using a USB thumb drive that I prefer. (This way no draining the battery on the phone).
Alexa refuses to say anything on the Garmin speaker, even though the settings clearly say it's going to the Garmin device. It's insisting on sending to the phone and then to the car. If I am in the house it sends the audio to the phone.
The first issue has me stumped, it was shipped with 100% dead battery. So I used the USB cable included and plugged it into my 5 port USB power brick from Anker which can deliver plenty of amps. It powered on no issue but refused to charge it. I finally tried charging it in the car and that works fine, but from a USB port it won't charge. I tried 3 different USB power bricks, all will power it up but not charge.
Alexa is not happy. I installed the app on my Pixel XL running Android 10. No issues. I configured Alexa to send all output to the Garmin, I don't have my car set to Bluetooth for my audio, the car has an internal MP3 player using a USB thumb drive that I prefer. (This way no draining the battery on the phone).
Alexa refuses to say anything on the Garmin speaker, even though the settings clearly say it's going to the Garmin device. It's insisting on sending to the phone and then to the car. If I am in the house it sends the audio to the phone.
Comments
Garmin might not intend for them to charge from the USB. My DS 61 doesn't charge significantly from my computer if at all.
You might call Garmin Support and ask them. Then let us know.
In the manual it says that it may not charge with some AC chargers and they recommend Garmins AC adapter. So probably a good indication that it needs a much higher amperage charger than most USB outlets in computers or cars typically supply.
"Garmin DriveSmart 65 Not Charging When Powered Off
Your Garmin DriveSmart 65 may not charge when the device is completely powered off while connected to power.
To verify that your device's battery does receive a charge, you may keep the device powered on while connected to the car charger or press the power button once briefly to put it into standby/sleep mode while connected to the car charger. As long as the device is not powered off completely, it will still receive a charge."
I found this regarding the DriveSmart 50, it may apply.
"Use your device with the included vehicle power cable for several hours before attempting to connect to the computer or using the device on battery power. This will charge the battery to an acceptable level for the computer/Garmin Express to recognize your device.
Or, plug your device into a 2A or greater A/C charger (not included with the device) and allow the device to fully charge for a minimum of 6 hours before plugging the device into a computer with a USB cable."
I also found this regarding the Drivesmart 50 that may apply.
“USB Charging of Automotive Devices
The provided vehicle power cable must be used in the vehicle in order for the device to operate and charge the battery simultaneously. The device cannot be charged by a USB cable in the vehicle.
When connected to a computer or vehicle via USB cable, your device may present a message stating "The attached cable cannot currently charge your device." This behavior is normal. While the device does receive enough power from the computer or vehicle to remain powered on and to operate, it does not receive enough power for the battery level to increase.”
So it looks like the GPS should be charged up to some minimum level before you can try charging from a USB port. It also looks like the GPS is expected to operate with the USB cable, but not simultaneously operate and increase the battery charge.
First, try charging the GPS with your vehicle power cable as described above regarding the DriveSmart 50. Check to see if the power icon indicates it is accepting the charge.
Second, try charging the GPS on a USB port for about 1.5 to 2 hours in the standby/sleep mode. Then unplug it, turn it on and see if the power icon in the upper right corner indicates that it has been accepting the charge. Also, expect that charging the GPS from a USB port will probably be slower than using the 12-volt car charger. If it still doesn't charge by Monday morning, call Garmin like privet01 suggested.
I used a third method to charge a new Garmin DriveSmart 50 and later a DriveSmart 55 - I cheated. I plugged the vehicle power cable into a DC power source at home and took a nap. When I checked a few hours later, the GPS was fully charged.
I have to charge it up full somehow so I can continue trying to get Alexa to output to the Garmin. It still sends audio back to the phone and then if the phone is connected to the car it ends up on the car speakers.
Sorry, can't help you with the Alexa issue.
Probably not a great choice for using it for charging Garmin's that try to guess what they are connected to based on voltages and amperages and therefore might not do what you want if outside what Garmin thinks you should be doing.
From the Garmin Drive app, select Settings > Garmin Speak > Audio. Look for "Alexa and Media". This "Sets whether to play media and Alexa audio through the Garmin Speak device. If you are connected to your vehicle using Bluetooth® wireless technology or your smartphone's headphone jack, you should select Vehicle. If you are using the Garmin Speak speaker or the audio output jack on the Garmin Speak power cable plug, you should select Garmin Device."
Also from the Garmin Dive app. "If you want to use the internal Garmin DriveSmart device speaker, verify each of these items: From your Garmin DriveSmart device, select Volume > Bluetooth Audio Setup, and verify Garmin Device is selected for each audio type."
Is your phone paired with the car audio system for phone calls, and is this overriding your setting for Alexa output to go to the Garmin?
But yes my phone is paired to the car because I use the voice commands to make phone calls. I even told my Android phone to not accept media voice from the Garmin device in the bluetooth settings. But Garmin via Alexa is still trying to send the voice to the phone.
I think the problem is in settings on your phone. Check the Garmin Drive settings - From your Garmin DriveSmart device, select Volume > Bluetooth Audio Setup, and verify Garmin Device is selected for each audio type.
Two more ideas (both long shots) on your phone settings.
First, in the phone settings, select Apps, then select Drive. Under the App settings, look under Notifications and Permissions for any setting options that may need to be selected.
Second, in the phone settings, select Connections, then Bluetooth. Look for your Garmin under Paired devices and press the gear icon. On this page check which options are enabled under Use for.
I will make a 2nd video showing the Voice settings on the phone, there are no options so set the device. All the Garmin Drive app does is bring you to the Bluetooth settings in Android. I have all options off to not allow anything to use the phone for that bluetooth connection.
1. Try a hard reset. Sometimes after accepting a software update when a GPS will not perform correctly a factory reset will correct the problem. Go to Settings > Device > Reset. Select Delete Data and Reset Settings. When the GPS is turned back on you’ll need to repair the device with your phone and go through all of your setting selections again.
2. The Garmin support site listed a troubleshooting FAQ with the Garmin Speak with Amazon Alexa that Audio Only Playing Through Phone When Paired with the Garmin Speak or Garmin Speak Plus. You’re not using this device or the Garmin Speak app, and the information in the FAQ only applies to phones using Android 8.0 - still might be worth trying.
“If the Garmin Speak or the Garmin Speak Plus only plays audio through the phone, rather than the device itself, you may need to toggle Bluetooth media playback settings on your Android phone. If not sure how to do that, consult your phone's owners' manual.
To toggle media playback settings on your phone:
Go to Bluetooth Settings on your phone
Touch More Settings
Touch the gear icon next to Garmin Speak
Touch the Media Audio button and then touch the Media Audio button again to toggle the setting
The audio should now be working on the device. If not, reboot your phone and try again.”
3. This probably doesn’t apply since your phone is an Android, and your video looked like you didn’t have the GPS plugged in to a USB cable. But I’ll include it anyway – it might give you an idea of something else to try. If nothing else it answers one of your questions – yes, it is expected to be able to send audio through the device’s speaker.
“No Audio from Garmin Automotive Device when Using an iPhone Connected to a USB Cable or Docking Station
While using your Garmin device with an iPhone, if the iPhone is connected to a USB cable or dock for charging purposes, you may find that you are no longer receiving audio through the Garmin device's internal speakers. Audio may be sent through your vehicle's stereo system if the iPhone is connected to a USB port on an in-dash system, or audio may not play at all. On the Garmin DriveSmart 65 with Amazon Alexa, you may receive the message Audio is currently playing to the vehicle stereo using your phone's USB connection.
This can occur because the iPhone is attempting to send phone audio through the connected USB cable or dock instead of through the Garmin device.”
What I don't like is Alexa is not really baked into the Garmin, it's nothing more than an interface to the smartphone which is doing all the real work. My issue is the phone battery, I don't plug my phone into the car, it stays on my person when I drive. This Garmin Drive app/Alexa is a battery eater. Even when you are not connected to the Garmin that Drive app is sucking down the phone battery for no good reason.
Another issue is the Drive app does not auto launch when you turn on the Garmin! I own two cars, a Toyota Highlander and Kia Sedona which both have apps. Once I start the engine the app for that car auto-launches on my phone. Why can't the Garmin Drive app do the same?
For the phone battery. If you need to use the GPS for several hours straight and think it would drain the battery too low, I would plug the phone into the car's power. A cord is a lot cheaper than a new phone, and you don't need to use it unless you see the battery is draining to a point you're not comfortable with. My DriveSmart 55 the Garmin Drive app doesn't run down the battery unless the GPS is on - must be the Alexa in your GPS.
It's poorly written software, my car is not losing connection with my phone but Garmin is. Very disappointed.
You could try: Do a hard reset of the GPS, taking it back to the factory settings. Uninstall the Garmin Drive app from the phone; "forget"/remove the Blue tooth pairing in your phone settings; and then reinstall the Garmin Drive and pair the GPS to the Garmin Drive app on your phone.
No guarantee that will fix the problem. From what I have read, Alexa uses/prefers the Bluetooth connection to the vehicle sound system by default.
For a problem like this, I would submit a written request on their site instead of waiting to speak to a representative. That will give you a written record of your interaction. It's quick and easy - you have already spent much more time here than it would have taken.
Phone support is better for something like a warranty issue where you might want to speak to a supervisor if the representative isn't giving you the answers you expect. The other advantage of phone support is that they can ask you to connect your device to your computer and then access it directly to fix problems. Unless you think this is needed, I would submit a written request through their site.
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/drivesmart65w-alexa/EN-US/GUID-7B732309-577E-42B4-90C8-03007FAB014E.html
Note what it says about the Garmin Drive pairing process, Select “Yes” when the app asks whether you currently use Bluetooth technology to connect your smartphone to your vehicle. Also note that by default the device sends audio to your stereo.
Now, uninstall and reinstall the Garmin Drive app. This time during the initial Garmin Drive app pairing process, lie to the machine and select “No” when the app asks whether you currently use Bluetooth technology to connect your smartphone to your vehicle. Maybe this way the app will ignore your phone’s connection to the vehicle and only try to send Alexa audio to the GPS internal speaker like you want.
If that doesn’t work, I'm out of ideas. Call Garmin Support. If they are busy you can select the option of leaving your phone number for a callback. Every time I have done this they have called me from Kansas and have been helpful. As @Boyd pointed out, they can remotely access your GPS through your computer to directly address problems.