Without the smartphone in the cradle, the receiver offers fairly limited utility.It's fair to assume that most folks will be using the stereo in conjunction with their phone, and that the phone will be mounted in the receiver's cradle. If youalready have another spot onyour dash where you prefer to mount your phone, that's fine. Mounting your phone They're easy to find without even looking down while driving. There's also aUSB port (with a somewhat annoying port cover) above the left-hand buttons, and a small display screen in the middle of the stereo's face. You can see a little bit of text on the display, but most of the action will be on the phone's screen. Setting up the stereo and your phone Vik's team took a few hours to install and test the Pioneer system with a subwoofer, which is a typical amount of time. (The subwoofer was Pioneer's TS-WX400DA Class D Active Subwoofer.) If you install the system yourself, make sure you don't put the stereo where it may interfere with normal operation of the vehicle, or someplace that could injure a passenger in case of a sudden stop or anywhere near the car's heater. Pioneer also recommends installing the unit at an angle of less than 45 degrees for optimum performance. Better still, it plays nicely with reversing cameras and easily hooks up with voice command functionality, so you can make and receive hands-free calls and make the most of your favoured voice assistant to control much of the functionality.

Integrate Your Smartphone with Your Receiver. Pioneer Smart Sync is a highly evolved app available for both iOS and Android OS that utilizes the power of a connected smartphone to expand the features and user interface of compatible Pioneer in-dash receivers. With support for either a Bluetooth® or USB connection, the link between your smartphone and the in-dash receiver can be either wired or wireless. This car radio does not support disc types, meaning it cannot play CDs or DVDs. However, it offers a high pass filter and a low pass filter, allowing users to customize the audio frequencies and enhance their listening experience. The volume control is rotary, allowing for easy adjustment. Simply connect your smartphone* via wireless or wired connection, and pair with the free Pioneer Smart Sync app to enjoy a smarter, connected driving experience. In general, it works pretty well for basic music, mapping, messaging, and calling functions, and the voice command aspect of it is very attractive from a safety perspective. Sonic enthusiasts will definitely dig all the tweaks available through the app.If you have an older car, and use your smartphone often, then definitely consider SPH-10BT to inject a new connected driving experience to your vehicle. But do note that if your smartphone runs out of power while using the receiver, you'll also lose access to the app. You can still listen to music, but you won't be able to pull up all of the other features.

The Pioneer SPH-10BT's cradle offers a safe home for most smartphones. Big buttons make it easy to control The Pioneer Smart Sync v4.0 app now enables the display of widgets for vehicle information including engine performance, live data and vehicle diagnostic codes to show repair needs. With a compatible Pioneer in-dash receiver, by connecting your smartphone via Bluetooth to a compatible OBD-II code reader*** (optional and sold separately) plugged into the vehicle’s OBD-II port, you can read and clear diagnostic codes and view drive information, average speed, economy and more straight from the Pioneer Smart Sync v4.0 app. Take full advantage of Pioneer Smart Sync version 4.3 by updating your in-dash receiver with the latest firmware (required).

Pioneer SPH-10BT Smartphone Receiver

Pioneer's SPH-10BT, the perfect match for today's on-the-go lifestyle, offers a new approach to smartphone connectivity. Simply mount your smartphone¹ in the built-in cradle², then connect (either wirelessly or wired,) to the Pioneer Smart Sync app³ and enjoy a smarter connected driving experience. Specially designed for easy use, the SPH-10BT features direct access buttons that work with the Pioneer Smart Sync app to bring multimedia capabilities such as navigation, hands-free calling, messaging, and voice-command to a single-DIN receiver.

Finally, we like how you can disconnect the SPH-10BT from the car and store it away when not in use. The last thing you want is someone to break in and steal this new connected car device. There are more settings to play with that go beyond cosmetics. I was able to choose the default navigation app (Google Maps please, although Waze is available for both kinds of phones and Apple Maps for iPhones), as well as my messaging app of choice (between iMessage, WhatsApp Messenger, or Telegram). Safety Features– Pioneer Smart Sync assists your safety by making every operation more intuitive. Voice recognition and optional parking sensors support safer driving. The SPH-C10BT can be connected to Pioneer’s ND-PS1 optional parking sensor kit. a>