Importing contacts into COMAND

[Simon_M]

As some of you may know, I am having serious ball-ache getting any contacts loaded into the COMAND of my 2010 C Class.

It doesn't have the phone prep so as I now know I cannot see my phone's address book. The manual does however say that I can load my contacts from my phone via Bluetooth as a one-off exercise, but if I changed the details in the phone then I would need to amend them on the COMAND I have an iPhone 3GS which connects fine to make calls but the 'Import External
Data' option on the COMAND remains greyed out which goes against what the manual suggests.

So the next step was to buy a PCMCIA adaptor. I have exported my contacts from Outlook 2003 as vCards and put them into an SD card which goes into the PCMCIA card, but still the 'Import External Data' option is greyed out. I have checked the card/adaptor works as I can see it as a media device and play MP3 files from it in COMAND.

Can anyone who doesn't have phone prep, who has got this working tell me how they have done this please? I am starting to wonder if my COMAND is knackered.

If you have, then please explain the process as if you were talking to a baboon so I don't miss anything.

As you can sense, this is getting right on my bristols. The salesman told me there was no need for phone prep unless I actually wanted to charge the phone, cobblers!

Simon

 

[whitenemesis]

Is it just an iPhone thing? Do you have another phone you could test?

 

[Diesel Benz]

Could the issue be lack of PbAP BT profile on your current phone? You might use another phone just to transfer the contacts. It works fine with our W204 (and my phone, which is not an iPhone) which should behave in a similar way.

Edited: see how slow I am, two minutes for a short sentence like this.

 

[Simon_M]

It is almost certainly an iPhone thing, but that doesn't explain why the PCMCIA import doesn't work which was my backup plan.

S

 

[gkerr4]

yep - borrow a different phone - one with less locked down bluetooth - a nokia or a blackberry - sync your contacts with your PC - sync them to the new phone (this is even easier if you are a mac owner) and sync the phone to the car - it's a pain in the **** though as every now and again you have to, as you say, delete all contacts from the car and re-sync with the phone to get the car up to date - else you occasionaly get calls from "unknown number" on the car - but you know that person is in your phone!

I have the same setup - it works well but for the need to "maintain" the list every now and then - wasting your time trying to do anything with the iPhone though..

 

[gkerr4]

oh - by the way - the "import external data" is greyed out because the command knows (on interrogating the iphone) that your phone does not support the bluetooth service which allows for this - if you sync a more open phone then this option will be there.

 

[apj0524]

I have had similar problem with my 2009 W204 with Command 20 (Bluetooth) and Iphone 4.

Before the I phone I had a Samsung so I could Vcard contacts in the Address book in Command but not can not from the Iphone.

Spoke to MB Dealer and their onlt advise was to buy a cheap phone add the Contact to the memory of the Cheap phone and then Vcard this to the Command system.

Very impressed with that idea, not!!!

Any other more practical solutions welcome

 

[Simon_M]

Thanks guys, but I think the PCMCIA adaptor with vCards was the work around, but that still does not work either.

I have an old Blackberry, but was hoping to avoid charging it up!

S

 

[Diesel Benz]

Thanks guys, but I think the PCMCIA adaptor with vCards was the work around, but that still does not work either.

I have an old Blackberry, but was hoping to avoid charging it up!

S

A wild guess, you have used and SD HC card but your PCMCIA adapter only supports SD-cards? Have you tried to play some MP3 music from the memory card?

The Outlook visitor card format should be OK.

 

[Simon_M]

Yep, I am using a lowly 512mb SD Card so no SDHC problems and I can play a MP3 file OK.

It is doing my head in....

 

[Simon_M]

This suggests it is p1sh, yeah right!!

Interactive Owner's Manual [Communicating | Apple | iPhone 3G S]

 

[gIzzE]

Have you gone into the bluetooth options on the iphone and set up what you want the phone to do??


There three main options..

Sync Contacts
Phone Favourites
Phone Recents

I just turn them all on.

I have the NGT2.5 in mine and it is fine, however I did try the new nav in the latest E which I believe is the same?? And that was fine too.

How are you pairing the device to the car?
There are a couple of ways, starting on the head unit is best.

I thought there was an option to transfer phone book on the car once the phone is paired??

 

[gIzzE]

Yeah, this is what you need to do..


Importing contacts

Contacts can only be imported to the Mercedes-Benz telephone system if:
Bluetooth® is activated on the mobile phone; see the mobile phone operating instructions.
the mobile phone has been authorised by the Mercedes-Benz telephone system via Bluetooth®.

Starting from the "TEL" basic menu of the Mercedes-Benz telephone system, select "Telephone" "Import contacts" "From mobile phone" and confirm.

Select "Add" or "Overwrite".

The "Contacts being imported…" and "Import successful" messages appear in succession.
The Bluetooth® connection to the currently connected mobile phone is interrupted and an incoming call cannot be accepted. Contacts can be imported from the mobile phone to the Mercedes-Benz telephone system.
If you switch to another main function during the data import, COMAND will terminate the reception of external data.

 

[Simon_M]

There three main options..

Sync Contacts
Phone Favourites
Phone Recents

This is my problem I think, all these options are missing. The settings only has 'Forget This Device', nothing else is there. However for my wifes car (also MB but with cradle) they are visible and obviously switched on. Although that was all set up prior to upgrading the iPhone to OS4/4.1

As for your second mail, yep that is the sequence I am following but the 'Import Contacts' is greyed out.

 

[gIzzE]

Did you pair it using external authorisation???


From the link posted above....


Preparing the Mercedes-Benz telephone system and the mobile phone for external authorisation


Mercedes-Benz telephone system: starting from the "TEL" basic menu" menu of the Mercedes-Benz telephone system, select "Telephone" "Bluetooth telephones" "Update" "Options" "External authorisation".

The "Ready for external authorisation..." message appears. The telephone system can now be recognised by mobile phones.

Mobile phone: starting from the basic display of the mobile phone, press the menu button.

Select "Settings" "General" "Bluetooth".

Activate "Bluetooth".

The "Bluetooth On" and "Now Discoverable" messages appear.

The iPhone searches for Bluetooth® devices.

Once the search has been completed successfully, select the name of your Mercedes-Benz telephone system "MB Bluetooth".

Mercedes-Benz telephone system: confirm the "Authorise my telephone?" message by selecting "Yes".

Entering the passkey in the Mercedes-Benz telephone system and the mobile phone

The passcode entry menu appears in the Mercedes-Benz telephone system.


The passcode is any one to sixteen-digit number which you can determine yourself. To achieve sufficient security for the telephone connection, please enter at least a four-digit number. You must enter the same number in the telephone system and on the mobile phone to be authorised.

Press the respective number key and confirm with in the menu bar.

To delete/correct an entry: select in the menu bar and press the button briefly (individual digit) or hold it down (entire number).

Mobile phone: the dialogue window shows the “Enter PIN for MB Bluetooth” message.

Enter the same passcode as for the Mercedes-Benz telephone system.

Confirm the passcode with “Connect”.

The “Bluetooth / Device ‘MB Bluetooth’ Connected” message appears.

Press the “Home” button to return to the background display.
The display of the telephone system shows the name of the mobile phone once the connection has been established successfully.

 

[gkerr4]

charge up that Blackberry.......

all this pain will go away

- I'm a big apple fan - but the bluetooth on the iPhone is just far too restrictive! - apple doesn't like the thought of people sharing files like music when they should be using iTunes - and this policy has knock-on effects.

 

[Simon_M]

Dealer has come back and said that, regardless of phone; Milton Keynes say there is no way to import contacts on the C Class except using the PCMCIA card and an engineer menu accessible by the dealer only - FFS!

Get the phone prep people, get the phone prep!

 

[Diesel Benz]

Dealer has come back and said that, regardless of phone; Milton Keynes say there is no way to import contacts on the C Class except using the PCMCIA card and an engineer menu accessible by the dealer only - FFS!

Get the phone prep people, get the phone prep!

I'm glad our W204 did not know it should not read contacts from my phone.

Engineering mode should be accessible for everyone, with the same approach that the dealers use (this has been published).

 

[Simon_M]

I am pretty hacked off about this to say the least!

 

[gkerr4]

eh?

that can't possibly be true - surely!

what audio have you got? the full command system?