How to Not Default to Sirius Audio?

[rcrcr]

Bolt is really great so far. A few things are quirky, and here is one:

Every time I power up the Bolt, it defaults to playing a Sirius radio channel through the speakers. I will only ever want to hear audio through either Bluetooth (via a phone) or Apple CarPlay. Never Sirius. But most times, right when I power up the Bolt, Bluetooth is not yet connected nor is the CarPlay device plugged in, and so it seems that every one of those times I get an unwanted blast of audio from a Sirius channel.

How can I prevent that? I would prefer silence every time until I either initiate audio from Bluetooth or CarPlay, and additionally, I would ultimately like to remove Sirius as the audio default if that is possible.

 

[Zoomit]

I'm sorry to hear this. This is how my Spark EV works. It seems trivial but it's incredibly annoying. It wasn't a big deal at first because I was listening to the free SiriusXM radio. But after the freebie ran out, I listen to my phone via BT. Wait 6 more months and you'll be cursing GM engineers and want to punch the radio.

I don't see a separate fuse for the sat radio in the manual. If we're lucky, there might be a separate antenna connector for the sat radio antenna that you could disconnect.

I suspect SiriusXM has a clause in their contract with GM that mandates it starts on the SiriusXM channel, which turns into a commercial if you don't purchase the service. I bet the dealer didn't tell you that you'd hear a commercial every time you started your car.

 

[rcrcr]

So wait, are you saying that after the Sirius trial expires, I will have the same problem but it will be with FM radio instead of Sirius? That would be equally unfortunate.

 

[rcrcr]

By the way, one workaround I have found so far is to set Sirius to channel 0, which seems to be some sort of ID mode which is silent. Problem is, every once in a while it says that channel is unavailable and then it switches to a different channel with audio.

 

[EldRick]

My 2016 Spark EV does no such thing. Unfortunately it does start up on the Radio screen rather than the Home page for some odd reason, but I've never seen it showing Sirius.
Something missing here.

 

[rcrcr]

More than anything, I would like to consistently ensure silence on startup, assuming Bluetooth and/or CarPlay is either not yet available, or not sending any audio. Anyone who could advise on that front would be a hero in my book!

 

[Zoomit]

I connect my phone via BT every time I drive my Spark EV. When the car starts, the phone hasn't connected yet so it defaults to SiriusXM. After the SiriusXM trial expires, the only "channel" plays top hits with SiriusXM advertising between songs.

I think if you have it on FM or AM it will stay there between uses of the car. But I'm not sure because I haven't listened to FM radio in 25 years and never AM.

My frustration is reinforced due to challenges getting the phone to connect via BT. We have 3 drivers of our Spark EV and all connect their phones. If someone else drives the car before me, I have ZERO expectations that my phone will automatically connect. I usually have to go into the car settings (with a subpar user interface) and force the car to connect to the phone. All the while, the SiriusXM ad channel is playing. My reflexes to mute the channel are getting pretty good though...

 

[SparkE]

Turn off the 'radio' before you turn off the car. Then you hear *nothing* when the car is turned on. (At least that is how it works on my Spark.)

 

[dandrewk]

There is no "off" button for the radio. If you push the power button, it only mutes the sound. It would be great if the car remembered that setting, but it doesn't.

However, it does remember the volume setting. Just turn it to "0" before you turn off the car and you are golden.

 

[SparkE]

There is no "off" button for the radio. If you push the power button, it only mutes the sound. It would be great if the car remembered that setting, but it doesn't.

However, it does remember the volume setting. Just turn it to "0" before you turn off the car and you are golden.

WTF ?!!? That is *crazy* !! If it were I, every day that I got in the car and the radio came on, I would send several emails to Chevy until they fixed it. That is just plain stupid UI/behavior.

 

[dandrewk]

Agreed. Apparently the same "feature" has existed for the Volt. I assume GM thinks this is desirable behavior.

In the end, though, it's no harder to turn down the volume as it is to push a power button.

 

[BoltyMcBoltFace]

If you want silence, why not take a moment to find a dead FM or AM channel in your area, make that preset #1, and leave the radio there. At most you'll get a bit of static when you turn on the car until you get your music started. Sure, you might pick up a channel and get some music when you're far from home, but at least most of the time you'll get what you want.

 

[EldRick]

On the Spark EV, there is a Mute button on the steering wheel, and I'm pretty sure that it works across power cycling, i.e. you won't hear anything if it was muted when you powered-off. Give that a try.

 

[SeanNelson]

On the Spark EV, there is a Mute button on the steering wheel, and I'm pretty sure that it works across power cycling, i.e. you won't hear anything if it was muted when you powered-off. Give that a try.

Just be sure that it only mutes the radio and no other sounds such as an incoming call ring via bluetooth.

 

[EldRick]

Probably not an issue, as the usual Mute is used to kill the entertainment when a call comes in. But Hey, I don't have a Bolt yet, so let me know...

 

[dandrewk]

On the Spark EV, there is a Mute button on the steering wheel, and I'm pretty sure that it works across power cycling, i.e. you won't hear anything if it was muted when you powered-off. Give that a try.

I have, and it's inconsistent. Sometimes it stays muted, others not. It may be related to switching audio sources when power cycling. I suspect it's a bug, hopefully soon to be fixed.