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Lexus/Toyota Land Cruiser Hamilton Upgrade Kit Resolve Phone Call Echo

If your Lexus Hamilton Upgrade Kit or Toyota Land Cruiser Hamilton Upgrade Kit is having an echo on phone calls, you need to re-establish your phone's Bluetooth connection following Method 1 described in our article: Configuring Audio and CarPlay Hamilton Upgrade Kits for Lexus and Toyota Land Cruiser

It is also listed below. Please note all steps very closely. This will fully resolve any echo issues you may have. The audio will use your car's factory Bluetooth network and will not interact through the Hamilton Upgrade Kit. 

Method #1) Use Factory Bluetooth: For 2014-2021 Lexus GX Hamilton Upgrade Kit, 2016-2021 Toyota Land Cruiser Hamilton Upgrade Kit, 2012-2015 Toyota Land Cruiser Hamilton Upgrade Kit, 2013-2015 Lexus GS Hamilton Upgrade Kit, 2013-2015 Lexus LS, 2016-2019 Lexus LS, 2012-2015 Lexus LX570, 2016-2021 Lexus LX570 Hamilton Upgrade Kit, 2014-2020 Lexus CT Hamilton Upgrade Kit

Please watch the below video fully: 

  1. For the cars listed in Method 1, it is best to use the factory Bluetooth. All cars that use Method 1 can also use Method 2 if you prefer to use AUX mode instead of factory Bluetooth. 

    Properly Enabling Factory BT (Method 1):

  2. After installing the Hamilton Upgrade Kit, power on the vehicle and long-hold the voice speech button to make the Hamilton Upgrade Kit operating system appear. From the Hamilton operating system, touch "Settings" > "System" > Locate the setting "Use Car's BT Channel" > Turn it on and the device will reboot. You must turn on this setting to use Factory BT properly, as turning that setting on tells the Hamilton upgrade kit to expect your phone to play audio and route calls via the factory BT. 

  3. Long-hold the voice speech button to switch back to your factory Lexus/Toyota operating system. Pair your phone as a bluetooth device for phone calls and audio to your factory radio. 

    1. If you have never paired your phone before to your factory Lexus/Toyota radio, on the factory radio go to "Setup" > "Bluetooth" > "Add Device" > Follow prompts on your Lexus/Toyota screen to add your iPhone to your factory radio.

    Connecting Wireless CarPlay (Method 1): 

  4. To pair CarPlay, open your iPhone "Settings App" > Select "Bluetooth" > Scroll to the bottom and locate the device starting with Hamilton e.g. "Hamilton-1234" > Select it > A pairing code will appear on your phone > Click "Pair" > Your phone will prompt you to allow Apps & Contacts > Click "Allow" > Your phone will prompt you to use CarPlay > Click "Connect to CarPlay."

    Routing Audio Correctly to Factory Bluetooth (Method 1):

  5. Your phone is now paired to both CarPlay and your original Lexus/Toyota factory Bluetooth. When you get in the car, your phone will automatically connect to both CarPlay (via the Hamilton Upgrade Kit) and your Lexus/Toyota factory Bluetooth (to stream music/make phone calls). 

  6. Set your car radio mode to "Bluetooth" mode. Available modes are: Bluetooth, XM, AM, FM, Sirius XM, AUX. You can toggle radio modes by using the "mode button" on the steering wheel or switching back to the factory Lexus/Toyota OS and selecting the "Bluetooth" audio mode.

  7. On your iPhone, you can swipe down from the top right to enter control center > Tap the "AirPlay/Audio Output Icon" in the top right of your music widget > Make sure the phone is routing audio to "CARMULTIMEDIA-PLAYER." This is the name of your factory Lexus/Toyota Bluetooth network. 

    DO NOT FORGET THIS CRITICAL STEP FOR METHOD 1:

  8. Once again, you must make sure the setting "Use Car's BT Channel" described in the video and step 2 is enabled in order to properly use the car's factory Bluetooth channel. Otherwise your audio will be disrupted when the phone receives an incoming call.