Zatz Not Funny!

Coming upon the two-year mark of Prius ownership, I began searching for updates to Toyota Entune – the automaker’s app platform. Originally designed to be a revenue generating service, Toyota took it fee-free in 2013. It seems a number of usability quirks and connectivity issues have been improved since taking possession of my Prius. Unfortunately, my local dealer is either uninformed or doesn’t take action unless prompted, as our Entune system was never updated during numerous routine servicings. And, it turns out, my car may have been three revs behind.

Fortunately, the community has stepped up and documented a DIY manual upgrade. Of course, your mileage may vary and you risk breaking something by going down this path. But I was willing to roll the dice with the procedure, versus visiting my local Toyota service center given their apparent unfamiliarity with Entune and now that my two years are up as I’d be paying out-of-pocket for maintenance. Also, keep in mind, this platform update won’t refresh your maps. Lastly, you don’t have to be on 3.1 or even 2.1 to upgrade to the current 3.2 (which is several months old), as the updates are cumulative.

1. Format a USB thumb drive using FAT32 and label it 14A
2. Download and copy these files to the USB drive
3. Insert the drive into your car’s USB port and turn the engine on
4. Follow on-screen prompts to install update

The process is super simple and relatively quick. Sadly, my wife still can’t browse our uploaded contacts from the passenger seat while I’m driving and Android devices provided greater Entune capabilities than iPhone – primarily related to Apple restrictions, versus Toyota shortcomings.

Some items corrected via the ~300MB 3.1/3.2 updates:

• Call volume through speakers is very loud upon first-time phone pairing
• iPod® and iPhone® autoplays when connected via USB
• Bluetooth® (BT) devices (in Bluetooth audio mode) autoplays when connected to the system
• Roads flash on and off in certain zoom levels (when Entune is in use)
• Discolored bands appear across the screen (when Entune is in use)
• Map area on the screen is black and only buttons are visible (when Entune is in use)
• Navigation freezes (when Entune is in use)
• When Bluetooth is the last audio mode selected in previous ignition cycle, audio source switches back to Bluetooth when another source is selected immediately after the engine starts