Pioneer's new smart connected car device is designed to help eliminate distractions while driving — like looking for your phone to see directions on Waze. All the information you need appears on your smartphone screen, which connects to Pioneer's smart sync smartphone receiver, and takes advantage of a USB port and Bluetooth.

Just place your smartphone* in the integrated cradle, and it will transform into an extension of your head unit. Using direct access keys, you can use your favorite apps without touching your smartphone*, helping to ensure a smooth and safe ride wherever you go. Add to this, when connected with the new Pioneer Smart Sync app, various colour and sound adjustments offer a superior customised in car experience. The SPH-10BT also includes RDS features, specifically PTY (Program Type) identification. This allows the user to filter radio stations based on the type of program being broadcasted.When I had my iPhone plugged into the SPH-10BT's front USB port, the artwork was always present for whatever was playing off my phone, whether streaming or stored files. And switching between those sources was quite seamless. The SPH-C10BT is Pioneer’s flagship smartphone* receiver and is designed to let you use features of your smartphone* in a safe, direct and convenient way that you have never seen before. A 31-band EQ could easily provide hours of fun tweaks if I was using it in a car with a decent stereo system. It even includes several presets and a pair of customizable options that I can save. I don't really know much about "Super Todoroki Sound" but there are three settings for it, or I can just turn it off. One aspect of the SPH-10BT I was concerned about was how seamlessly it would move between different sources. When I was connected to the radio via Bluetooth, there was only a slight lag when moving between streaming music apps, stored music files, and the FM tuner.

It's not too often, but Every once in a while the unit just doesn't want to communicate with the phone and I've had to "forget" the device and set up as if it was an initial setup. 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. Besides bring up smart applications, Pioneer also has a way to add sensors to your old car, which typically don't have it installed. With the Pioneer SPH-10BT you can get a ND-PST Rear Parking Sensor kit (which will need to be professionally installed), to help prevent fender benders and other minor bumps to your car. Say goodbye to complicated user interfaces. With your compatible apps just a tap away, your drive will be much smoother. In addition, Pioneer Smart Sync v4.5 enables you to keep up with your vehicle information including engine performance, live data, and more. Pioneer Smart Sync provides you with intuitive app-based features like: In some cases with the streaming music apps and stored music files, I would not see the album artwork, although the song titles and artists would always show up. Moving between the phone sources and music on a thumb drive took a little bit longer, but that's to be expected.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).

With the SPH-10BT we were able to enjoy all the amenities you normally get from newer cars with built-in touchscreen entertainment or infotainment systems, but at the faction of the cost. The Pioneer smart sync app is easy to use and we were able to customize it to fit our driving needs. Pioneer's Smart Sync app is the key to getting the SPH-10BT to work the way you want while driving. The app does a nice job of utilizing your smartphone's features for a personalized driving experience. For instance, if you use Waze as your navigation, first connect to the Smart Sync app, then customize based on how you use Waze while driving, such as voice directions and volume. Then, when you need directions, you can either pull up Waze by asking out loud, or hit the navigation button on the SPH-10BT to pull up Waze. Pioneer has done a nice job of bringing a connected car experience to older vehicles with the SPH-10BT. The receiver has innovative smartphone connectivity features, which we found easy to use once installed. The one-touch access was also very responsive. However, you have to remember that even with SPH-10BT, the in-car user experience is still going to be different from today's infotainment systems.The Pioneer SPH-10BT's cradle offers a safe home for most smartphones. Big buttons make it easy to control Pioneer's SPH-10BT digital media receiverturns into a touchscreen receiver with voice control when combined with a smartphone. (Use the slider to see the stereo with and without a phone.) A stereo designed for smartphone integration

The Smart Sync app plays well with a number of streaming sources, integrating with appsfor the following services: Pandora It was a pain to play music from my thumb drive without engaging the Smart Sync app first. When I launched the app and connected to the stereo, then the app became the command center for sources whether the iPhone was connected via Bluetooth or a cable. Android compatibility One thing that took a while to figure out was the "App Control" setting at setup — if I hadn't launched the Smart Sync app on my iPhone, the stereo would use the iPhone as the audio source whether I had chosen "Wired" or "Bluetooth" as my App Control default. Connect any device with an USB interface cable to charge your device or listen to clean, clear sound The voice button lets me compose a text and it also lets me choose to have an incoming message read aloud to me. This is definitely one of the most handy features of Smart Sync, and I found the incoming text being read aloud quite easy to understand.The Smart Sync app offers users four different choices for how they want their display to look as they drive: Music mode, Dash mode, Driver Pilot mode, and Personal photo mode. The SPH-10BT is designed to be used only with the Pioneer Smart Sync app on a smartphone mounted securely, safely, and legally within your vehicle. Any other use of the smartphone while driving may be dangerous and violate the law. There are two ways to install the Pioneer SPH-10BT — you either do it yourself or ask an authorized dealer. Since I am not that handy when it comes to installing car stereo systems, I went the dealer authorized route. Pioneer guided us to Vikas Mooichandani at Avenue Sound on Long Island who installed the SPH-10BT in our GB test car, an older Subaru Forester. He held up test the receiver, and we found his team very knowledgeable about new connected car devices. We installed Pioneer SPH-10BT in a 2004 Subaru Forester and found it worked exceptionally well. Avenue Sound also installed a subwoofer, connecting that to our new receiver as well. If you're one of those drivers who likes a big bass sound with your music, the TS-WX400DA subwoofer make the sound loud and deep, which we could control through the Smart Sync 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.