2012 COLOR TOUCH RADIO FAQs

A. IntelliLink is Buick’s infotainment brand. The media system retains all of the capabilities of today’s entertainment units, including AM/FM/SiriusXM tuners, CD player with MP3 playback, auxiliary inputs and USB inputs. Front and center is a high-resolution, full-color touch screen display that makes the new media system more usable, informative and attractive. Buick IntelliLink combines Bluetooth audio streaming from smart phones with a wireless connection that is Integrated through Bluetooth. This connection builds on the usual, hands-free phone capabilities already offered in most Buick products. A Gracenote database built into the system makes it easier for Buick owners to pick tracks stored locally on their devices to play. In addition, Buick IntelliLink allows drivers access to two popular internet radio services through their smartphones. IntelliLink’s touch-screen (steering wheel control works well here as an alternative to touch screen) and enhanced voice control interfaces allows handheld phones to be safely stowed whiledriving. Finally, IntelliLink allows Buick drivers to listen to their own “self-created” stations through Pandora and Stitcher^®.

A. It will be available later this year on 2012 models of the Regal, LaCrosse and the All-New Verano. We’re only announcing this feature for U.S. market models at this time. Other regions will introduce IntelliLink within the next few months.

A. Currently, the IntelliLink is available as optional equipment on the Regal, LaCrosse and the All-New Verano

A. IntelliLink is available as optional equipment on the 2012 Regal, LaCrosse and the All-New Verano. You must purchase one of these vehicles to acquire the IntelliLink system.

A. GM has worked with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to develop driver-interface test methods and voluntary guidelines that address interactions with advanced in-vehicle systems such Buick’s IntelliLink. The guidelines and GM’s testing process were used throughout the development of IntelliLink to make sure that driver distraction risks are manageable. Having the ability to control smart phone features with simple voice commands rather than direct handling of the device is expected to reduce distraction as the driver keeps eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

A. The option price for the upgraded audio system will be announced closer to the on-sale date later this year. There is no monthly subscription fee associated with IntelliLink although customers will need a compatible phone with a 3G or 4G data plan to utilize the full feature set.

A. As we’ve seen in recent years there is always some risk of security issues with electronic systems. However, the engineers working on IntelliLink have worked hard to minimize any risks with security checks for updates. Bluetooth connections are actually quite secure with strong encryption once the device and car have been paired.

A. Yes, Pandora is free, however, if you would like to enjoy an ad-free experience, a Pandora One subscription is available for a one-time yearly fee of $36.00.

A. Bookmarks are shortcuts back to a specific artist or song. Once you add a bookmark, you will be able to access that song or artist through the Pandora audio menu online. Simply scroll through and find the one you’re looking for

A. Safety is of the utmost importance when driving a motor vehicle. Therefore, certain features may be grayed out when the vehicle is in motion. If this happens, the buttons will turn active again upon putting the vehicle in park.

A. Currently, the Buick IntelliLink system only allows you to pull in stations that you’ve already created via the web or your smartphone when it is not connected to the IntelliLink system.

A. Because the iPhone uses a specific operating system, the PANDORA app must be activated from the phone first to acquire the necessary information.

A. Ads help Pandora pay the bills. Free Pandora listener accounts are primarily supported by advertising to help cover the costs associated with offering a lot of great music for free. However, if you would like to enjoy an ad-free experience, a Pandora One subscription is available for a one-time yearly fee of $36.00.

A. If you are an OnStar⁶ subscriber and use the service to get Turn-By-Turn directions, those directions will be displayed over top of any current screen on the right-hand side. This means, you may not have the ability to use the Thumbs-Up/Thumbs-Down icons and see some of the album art while in this mode.

For more information on Pandora, please visit www.pandora.com

A. Safety is of the utmost importance when driving a motor vehicle. Therefore, certain features may be grayed out when the vehicle is in motion. If this happens, the buttons will turn active again upon stopping

A. Depending on the quality of your connection, it may take the IntelliLink system about 30 seconds; once complete, you’re ready to listen to your show.

A. Currently, the Buick IntelliLink system only allows you to pull in stations that you’ve already created via the web or the app.

A. Because the iPhone uses a specific operating system, the Stitcher app must be activated from the phone first to acquire the necessary information.

For more information on Stitcher^® Smart Radio, visit www.stitcher.com

A. No, Gracenote^® is technology embedded in the Buick IntelliLink system only, it will not fix any missing information on your MP3 player, USB drive³ or iPod^®/iPhone^®. However, as long as the information on your device doesn’t change, that information will be in your IntelliLink system every time you get in your vehicle.

A. Gracenote^® lets Buick IntelliLink fill in information for you only if NORMALIZATION is turned ON. If you still have missing information, check your radio settings to see if NORMALIZATION is set to on. New music or less popular artists or songs may not be in the database.

A. Gracenote^® does its best to fill any voids in your music collection’s information. However, there are even some artists or album covers that Gracenote^® may not be able to find because information was missing from your music files. In those rare instances, an icon of the device (iPod or USB) will be placed where the album art is usually found.

A. This is perfectly normal. Once a device is connected, Gracenote^® starts working immediately to index the song list, and assign voice tags. While this process is happening, the Gracenote^® logo will pop up on the screen, letting you know that the technology is working. The length of the indexing process will depend on the number of songs on your device.

A. Gracenote^® assigns digital voice tags so you can access artists, albums, and genres, just by saying their name. However, some new or less popular artists may not be in the Gracenote^® database. And there are times when several artists sing different versions of a song or two artists may have the same name. In this instance Gracenote^® will show you list of possible matches. Select the one you want to play.

A. To take advantage of all the features IntelliLink has to offer, a smartphone running iPhone OS, Blackberry or Android platform is required. However, most Bluetooth-enabled phones are compatible with the IntelliLink system, but some features may be limited.

For a list of Bluetooth-enabled phones,² click here.

A. IntelliLink allows you to pair up to five different devices. These can be smartphones or other Bluetooth-enabled phones,² and even such Bluetooth-enabled devices as an iPod^® Touch.

A. While the Buick IntelliLink system has highly accurate voice-recognition software, it recognizes a list of many commands as well as most names. However, at times there could still be names or nicknames that the system cannot recognize.

A. Gracenote^® lets Buick IntelliLink fill in that information for you only if NORMALIZATION is turned ON. If you still have missing information, check your system’s settings to see if NORMALIZATION is set to on.

A. No, Buick IntelliLink only allows you to access music through your connected/paired device. The system has built-in memory, but not a hard drive. The integrated memory is used to store the list of the songs on your connected/paired device this way the radio will remember the list every time you connect that device.

A. Make sure your playlists are in the supported format. Your playlist will not work if the music in the list is not on the connected device.

A. Buick IntelliLink supports a large variety of song file formats, including: MP3, WMA, AAC. It also supports the following playlist files M3U standard and extended, iTunes, PLS, WAX, ASX and RMP.

A. We recommend that there are no other files on your device when playing music or downloading any data. Any other files could interfere with the system properly downloading an update or create issues while indexing your music.

A. Buick IntelliLink supports any smartphones and MP3 players that are able to be plugged in via the USB port. It also supports many different brands of USB flash drives.

A. No, SiriusXM’s channels⁴ are satellite-based, so there is no need to pair your phone to use the feature. However, you do need to pair your phone to take advantage of the more advanced features Buick IntelliLink offers.

A. Yes, Buick IntelliLink is just the interface that allows you to access the channels. A subscription is required. Most 2012 models come with 3 months of SiriusXM Radio⁴ standard. For more subscription information and a complete list of channels, click here.

A. Buick IntelliLink can play any standard audio or MP3 CD. It cannot play three-inch CDs.

A. The integrated CD player in the Buick IntelliLink system functions as any other CD player does. Because of this, do not add a label to a disc. It may get caught and in the CD player. Do not use disc lens cleaner, as it may contaminate the lens optic, damaging the player. Insert only one disc at a time. And never play damaged or scratched CDs, as they too may damage the player.

A. Buick IntelliLink has high-accuracy enhanced voice control technology, however, there are some things that could interfere with the system understanding your command. Highway speeds, open windows and high fan speeds are just some of the possible things that could interfere with IntelliLink understanding your exact commands. Voice-recognition with background noise is extremely challenging. To remedy this, close all windows and reduce the fan speed to a minimum and retry issuing your voice command. If this still doesn’t work, it may be because you’re speaking too soon. Wait for the beep, then pause a brief second before saying your command. This gives the microphone time to open and prepare itself to receive the speech signal.

A. Because of our speech patterns sometimes we tend to run a string of numbers together, so they may not be as clear as they need to be. You can greatly increase the accuracy of the number, by slowing down and properly enunciating each number with a slight pause between digits. If this still does not work, you can switch your Buick IntelliLink from CONTINUOUS DIGIT MODE to DIGIT DIAL MODE, which allows you to speak each digit separately. This is the highest accuracy way of dialing via enhanced voice control.

A. Buick IntelliLink lets you control almost the entire system from your steering wheel. To change sources from USB to XM for example, simply press the SRC button down until you reach your desired source.

A. The SRC button is the button that changes your source. Although you are toggling it up and down for previous and next stations, only pressing it can change your source. Toggling it up and down will move it to the next or previous favorite station on your favorite station list.

A.  Pressing the Push to Talk button while a phone is paired will default to your paired phone rather than OnStar. However, you can still access an OnStar advisor by pressing the blue OnStar button on the mirror.

A. Yes, Buick IntelliLink lets you organize the icons, so you can easily access the features you use most.

A. Yes, you can have up to 8 icons, but you control the amount you want to see. If you only want four shown, the other features will be removed from the page. However, no features are being deleted they will just be accessible by clicking your next homepage.

A. Yes, Buick IntelliLink gives you the ability to have multiple homepages, however, just your first one is customizable. This allows you to put everything you need at your fingertips, while features you don’t access as often will be on other pages.

A. If you customized your homepage, you may have noticed that one or more of your icons are now no longer on the homepage. They’re not missing. Buick IntelliLink lets you customize your first homepage only. Any features you don’t want on the page for any reason get pushed to your other homepages, which are accessible from your homepage by hitting NEXT on your touch-screen.

A. Currently, Buick IntelliLink is set up only to display your climate controls. You still need to physically adjust the knobs or press buttons to change them.

A. To get specific step-by-step instructions for your particular phone, click here.

A. Yes, you can stream audio from any smartphone that supports Bluetooth Audio Streaming. And you can stream both PANDORA^® and Stitcher^® if you use a smartphone that runs on the Blackberry or Android operating system.

A. Due to certain circumstances, any smartphone or device utilizing Apple’s iPhone OS will play its audio over the speakers, but must be plugged into the USB port in the center console to take full advantage of the Buick IntelliLink system.

A. Buick IntelliLink can recognize up to five different Bluetooth-enabled devices. It will recognize the devices in the order they are listed on screen. If a device listed isn’t in the vehicle, IntelliLink will recognize this and immediately pair with the device that is in the vehicle.

A. Buick IntelliLink stores up to five Bluetooth-enabled devices.² Simply access your settings to see the different devices that are paired. Scroll through the device list and find the device you’re looking for.

A. If one device is paired, like a smartphone and you would like to switch to a different paired phone, simply go into the Bluetooth Settings device list and select the Bluetooth-enabled device. You can also connect different USB devices³ to IntelliLink. Up to five different Bluetooth-enabled devices² can be paired with one connected through the USB at one time.

A. IntelliLink supports AVRCP 1.3 profile. This allows you to pair your Bluetooth-enabled device² and see all of your song information on your Buick IntelliLink screen. However, certain devices, like iPod^®/iPhone^® utilize AVRCP 1.0 and while the music will play over the speakers, information about the current song playing is unable to transfer.

A. In most cases, the Buick IntelliLink system will have no problems recognizing your USB drive.³ However, there are some instances where software on the drive may conflict with software in the system. If this happens, simply use a different USB or try formatting your USB drive before you use it.

A. We recommend that there are no other files on your device when playing music or downloading any data. Any other files could interfere with the system properly downloading an update or create issues while indexing your music.

A. Buick IntelliLink supports smartphones and MP3 players that are able to be plugged in via the USB port. It also supports many different brands of USB flash drives.