Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1, Cortana and Car Bluetooth

My son sent me a YouTube video today that got me really excited, so I had to share his discovery.

My car is a lovely white 2009 BMW 125i coupe. It is my "Mid Life Crisis" car after I had my previous car for 14 years.

While I really like the car, there has always been one thing that really frustrated me.... The built in Bluetooth system would only dial pre-recorded voice tags. I could also twiddle with knobs to select numbers, but that is not hands free. I could not call numbers by voice and even though I could respond to a text message, I could not initiate a new one.

I just want a way to use the phone's voice dialling system, or more recently a way to activate Cortana.

Well, the latest Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 recently released to people on the Developer Preview has solved this problem. I have set it up and it works and it is brilliant.

Basically, you can add a voice tag to your car's Bluetooth for Cortana and dial her number 555-555-9876 and she will take over.

Note: I had to disconnect and re-pair my phone before Cortana became available in the address book loaded into the car's system. Once loaded, you can also double check the phone number for Cortana.

Check out the video from Windows Phone Central below:

How to use Cortana in your car with Bluetooth (direct link)

[View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXjl-7lG6wk]

Enjoy

David

PS: Can you work out what the custom number plate means? (hint: the plates were from my previous car which was a green fastback hatch). Post your answers in the comments.

07-Aug-2014: Added note to assist people who could not get it working.