New Rider 550 Bluetooth connect to phone but not working

[bignige]

Very reluctanly I've replaced my Rider v5 with a new 550 only because lifetime updates have ceased.
(lifetime isn't verylong for a Sat Nav).

Dissapointed to find most of the new features it promises depend on it being linked to my iPhone.
I've paied the bletooth and installed the my drive app ok but the final step says there is an error and although both devises say they are joined.
Message on each service says "unable to connect"
There is no usable connection or exchange of information.
I have unistalled & reloaded numerous times both the pairing and the app, turned on and off and allsorts

I have yet to attempt the new headset, by old rider v5 worked perfectly with a bluetooth receiever and a Starcom.
Just today reading Blutooth issues on here I fear I've blundered?
It was just I have lots of "tyre" and itn routes and not sure if they work with a Garmin.

Any help gatefully received Kind Regards,

 

[canderson]

Guess it depends upon what you mean by "verylong". Your Rider 5 is two and a half generations old now (10 years since release). The problem is that it has no uSD card slot, and only 4GB of internal memory. The maps (e.g., Western Europe) have gotten so big that many of them no longer fit in that amount of space. They used to support some smaller maps like the UK & ROI alone, but no longer.

I'm trying to be sure I've got a handle on which device you have. Does your serial number start with KF, KG or even G7? That last one, the G7, would be the most recent version of the 550.

Yes, there have been some real Bluetooth issues with iPhones + TomTom devices in general. Your 550 supports WiFi connections, so depending upon the features you are talking about (e.g., traffic, transfering routes, etc), we may have an easy alternative there to the pesky BT connection. WiFi is also the way maps are updated on that device.

OTOH: Once loaded into Tyre, your 'Tyre' and *.itn routes should be able to be re-saved by Tyre in *.gpx format, which can be understood by a Garmin.

 

[bignige]

Guess it depends upon what you mean by "verylong". Your Rider 5 is two and a half generations old now (10 years since release). The problem is that it has no uSD card slot, and only 4GB of internal memory. The maps (e.g., Western Europe) have gotten so big that many of them no longer fit in that amount of space. They used to support some smaller maps like the UK & ROI alone, but no longer.

I'm trying to be sure I've got a handle on which device you have. Does your serial number start with KF, KG or even G7? That last one, the G7, would be the most recent version of the 550.

Yes, there have been some real Bluetooth issues with iPhones + TomTom devices in general. Your 550 supports WiFi connections, so depending upon the features you are talking about (e.g., traffic, transfering routes, etc), we may have an easy alternative there to the pesky BT connection. WiFi is also the way maps are updated on that device.

OTOH: Once loaded into Tyre, your 'Tyre' and *.itn routes should be able to be re-saved by Tyre in *.gpx format, which can be understood by a Garmin.

Many Many Thanks for the reply and interest
Yes my older Rider is model 4GD00 still gets new map update notifications but Tom Tom have stopped support last year
- Purchased New 2017, so lifetime is 5 years?

New 550 bought last Saturday - ser no start G720.

The bluetooth connection I mention is the one that uses the My drive app for traffic updates etc when on the move.
I have easily set up the Wi-Fi, no problem.
The bluetooth connection shows connection on the phone and the TomTom but then in the my drive app, says connection error and data not available.
This is a worry now as I wonder if will it work with a bluetooth headset in the new Shoei with built in Bluetooth I have on order.

Thank you also for the info on the Garmin and the fact TomTom have many bluetooth issues.

I realy do appreciate your reply, interest and help.

Kind Regards Nigel.

 

[canderson]

If I understand, you have already discovered that you can use your phone as a WiFi hotspot to manage traffic. You can also use that connection to move any data you create or upload at the MyDrive web site to your Rider. I use WiFi here, concurrently providing data to two TomTom units and the head unit in my car. It's just easier than farting around with BT. Again, if you don't use your phone to plan routes, the MyDrive phone app provides no additional utility.

There's something about Apple's home grown Bluetooth stacks that seem to play poorly with TomTom. For a while, it was a problem for many other devices as well. Not sure if that's still true. It's been an issue since iOS 12. But that's for the data connection. Audio doesn't seem to be as much of a problem.

There are a lot of 550 users that link to Shoei, Cardo and other units. Should work out for you. Shoei supports A2DP which is the BT profile that the 550 requires.

This article may be of help:

Pairing a smartphone and your Rider to a headset

We recommend that you pair both your smartphone and Rider to your headset so you can receive calls, notifications and traffic updates. If you have already tried to connect your devices, we re...

help.tomtom.com

 

[bignige]

If I understand, you have already discovered that you can use your phone as a WiFi hotspot to manage traffic. You can also use that connection to move any data you create or upload at the MyDrive web site to your Rider. I use WiFi here, concurrently providing data to two TomTom units and the head unit in my car. It's just easier than farting around with BT. Again, if you don't use your phone to plan routes, the MyDrive phone app provides no additional utility.

There's something about Apple's home grown Bluetooth stacks that seem to play poorly with TomTom. For a while, it was a problem for many other devices as well. Not sure if that's still true. It's been an issue since iOS 12. But that's for the data connection. Audio doesn't seem to be as much of a problem.

There are a lot of 550 users that link to Shoei, Cardo and other units. Should work out for you. Shoei supports A2DP which is the BT profile that the 550 requires.

This article may be of help:

Pairing a smartphone and your Rider to a headset

We recommend that you pair both your smartphone and Rider to your headset so you can receive calls, notifications and traffic updates. If you have already tried to connect your devices, we re...

help.tomtom.com

Thank you again,
Sorry I'm a bit slow here, If I'm reading the process correct.
There is no mobile, wi-fi in the TomTom so the phone gets traffic info from the mobile data and it transfers to the TomTom via
Bluetooth and the My Drive app, also it gets phone messages visability etc on the TomTom.
I have the Wi-Fi paired to the home Router just as it says in the instructions.
Am I doing something wrong, or is there a errorin my fundimental understanding please?
Sorry for being a pain.
Thanks Nigel

 

[canderson]

Just to be clear, your 550 has a WiFi connection option. If you set your phone up as a WiFi hotspot (tethering), and assuming your cellular carrier allows this, you can connect your 550 to your phone via WiFi instead of Bluetooth, just as you would connect it to your home WiFi router. No need for Bluetooth or the MyDrive phone app to get traffic.

You can instead use your 550 Blutooth connection just for nav audio to a Corda or Scalia headset while riding.

 

[bignige]

Thank you for all your help, its invaluable, Kind Regards

 

[Warren]

Good morning all. I upgraded my rider 2013 to the 550 a couple of weeks ago. I’m also having the same issues that Nigel has outlined above. I understand the Wi-Fi connection to provide the traffic data, but what is missing for me with this set up is the functionality of having phone calls (and messages) coming through the 550. It is this connectivity that is failing with the overall set up. Phone and headset are shown as connected, but on the 550 screen, the message states unable to connect.

I used this functionality to tell me who was calling, and if I then wanted to take the call, or return the call, I could pull over. It was just a useful function to have. Tom-tom advertise this functionality, but I am reading more and more, that this is a common problem. I am also beginning to wish I had just left the rider 2013 as it was with no further updates. At least it worked, and I would have been a few hundred pounds better off.

I have a ticket raised with Tom Tom from two weeks ago, but no resolution as yet.

 

[Kieron M]

Hi there @Warren -

The problem lies within the MyDrive app (pairing through the app) which has not been updated for over 2 years.
Apple introduced new Bluetooth security permissions from iOS 13 and TomTom had tried to modify the MyDrive app on a couple of occasions to make the two separate Bluetooth connections work effectively for traffic data and calls/texts but is now unlikely to be resolved. I see you are using the WiFi connection from your phone to receive traffic/camera data.

I am using Bluetooth only with my Rider 500, (Sena 5s communication system and iPhone 12 Pro Max **paired directly for music/calls), a Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker and an Apple AirTag in constant vicinity and successfully with no loss of the traffic connection.

 

[Warren]

Hello Kieron. Many thanks for the quick reply. Much appreciated. I can get the connection okay for the traffic update, but it is the actual phone connectivity that I’m trying to achieve. Not that I advocate a lot of mobile phone use, but I want to see who is calling so that I can pull over and bring them back if necessary. It is that connectivity that is missing for me. I have found a workaround via the built-in Garman on the BMW, but the fact that it worked okay on the old tom-tom is frustrating. Again, thanks for the reply.

 

[Kieron M]

Hi @Warren -

Unfortunately, it is the “see who is calling“ and the text side that is broken within the MyDrive app (iOS 13+) and even though some users managed to get it working, it was only temporary as the connection constantly tried connecting/disconnecting as you have also discovered. It is a shame, as many also found it useful. If it is an iPhone that you are using, then the issue remains, but there may be some users out there using the Android system that may work for them.
All the best.

 

[bignige]

Hi Keiron,
I did get a resolution of sorts, I connected the old Rider v5 to see if I could buy one last new map and amazingly it offered all the updates and a new free map. Rather Gobsmacked as it had being advising fro some time that the v5 was too old to update?
Returning and Explaining to the retailer that the 550 didn't work as advertised they refunded the unit without any fuss. So now the old v5 is fully up to date paired with the new Sena headset in the new GT air Shoei and I have as much functionality as i would have had with the 550.
Not what I set out to acheieve but it will get me through this season.
Thanks again to Warren.
Kind Regards Nigel.

 

[Kieron M]

Hi @bignige -
Good to know there were no issues on the 550 retailer refund as should be and great to hear that your v5 is up and running, paired well and all functionality intact. Thanks for the update - and - safe riding!