How to disable audio on start up

[Fizzy]

Does anyone know how to make it so the radio doesn’t start playing audio when you start the vehicle? For me it does it sometimes and not others. And I can’t figure out the pattern to repeat it every time.

I just want the vehicle to be silent when it’s started.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Maybe turn the volume all the way down, then turn the radio off AFTER putting it into park but BEFORE turning the key to the off position ?

Just a guess, but it works on my 011 EL

 

[rpw2021]

I have found in my case that this is a CarPlay "feature" — when your phone connects, it starts playing audio through the car's audio system. I find this incredibly annoying, and the only reliable way I have found to disable it is to create a iOS shortcut on my phone that stops audio, trigged by a CarPlay connection.

 

[Fizzy]

Maybe turn the volume all the way down, then turn the radio off AFTER putting it into park but BEFORE turning the key to the off position ?

Just a guess, but it works on my 011 EL

Nope - the gen 4 Sync 3 defaults to a set volume. So even if you leave it loud when you shut it off last, it starts at a set low volume.

The flip side is if you leave it all the way on 0 it defaults back up to 8 or whatever.

 

[Fizzy]

I have found in my case that this is a CarPlay "feature" — when your phone connects, it starts playing audio through the car's audio system. I find this incredibly annoying, and the only reliable way I have found to disable it is to create a iOS shortcut on my phone that stops audio, trigged by a CarPlay connection.

That’s an iPhone thing. Mine does the same. This is happening before even CarPlay starts up. Defaults to a radio station. Sometimes a frequency with no station there so it’s just static. It’s so annoying.

 

[LG_123]

I hate this also, especially because it’s intermittent. It seems most common when I had CarPlay playing audio, turned off the car, then unplugged my phone. If I turn off the audio while the car is still on, it’s far less likely to happen

 

[jjscsix]

We hated that too. It finally stopped doing it after an over the air update a couple of months ago. BTW, ours was not a Car Play or iPhone issue as we never Car Play.

 

[Fizzy]

I'll check for updates later and see if I'm missing something. Incidentally, I added a wireless Carplay adapter a while ago which connects my phone pretty much instantly, and it still does it with that too - definitely not a purely Carplay or delay starting thing.

 

[jjscsix]

Nope - the gen 4 Sync 3 defaults to a set volume. So even if you leave it loud when you shut it off last, it starts at a set low volume.

The flip side is if you leave it all the way on 0 it defaults back up to 8 or whatever.

Ours always came on at what it was when we turned it off. I think what you are referring to is a setting that can be changed. Mine is not with me now but I will check later.

 

[jjscsix]

Ours always came on at what it was when we turned it off. I think what you are referring to is a setting that can be changed. Mine is not with me now but I will check later.

Found out there is not a setting for the volume when you start. But I can confirm it comes in at the same level as when you shut the vehicle off.

 

[Fizzy]

Found out there is not a setting for the volume when you start. But I can confirm it comes in at the same level as when you shut the vehicle off.

With a 2023, you have a very different head unit - yours is Sync 4, versus the 2020s with Sync 3. I would be surprised if they behaved exactly alike or had all the same settings.

In the Sync 3, volume defaults to a set number on start up regardless of the volume you left it at last time. There maybe a setting for that now that you mention it though. Will check later.

 

[Greg Woodart]

Does anyone know how to make it so the radio doesn’t start playing audio when you start the vehicle? For me it does it sometimes and not others. And I can’t figure out the pattern to repeat it every time.

I just want the vehicle to be silent when it’s started.

I have a 2021 with the sync 4 radio and all I have to do to turn off the radio is press the volume button to turn it on or off. I make it a habit of turning it off when I park and it stays off until I press the rotary dial control again..

 

[Fizzy]

I have a 2021 with the sync 4 radio and all I have to do to turn off the radio is press the volume button to turn it on or off. I make it a habit of turning it off when I park and it stays off until I press the rotary dial control again..

That doesn't happen with the Sync 3.

 

[sixstring]

i have a 2020 platinum and have never had the radio come on after starting when it was off at shut down or the other way. If you are using carplay it has to be that. I am running the latest sync 3 SW. It never misbehaved of the previous versions of sync either. It is the iphone and carplay that is the problem.

 

[AJ82]

I have a 2021 with the sync 4 radio and all I have to do to turn off the radio is press the volume button to turn it on or off. I make it a habit of turning it off when I park and it stays off until I press the rotary dial control again..

Sync 4 didn't come until the 22 model year. If you have a 21 it is sync 3

 

[Mr Big]

Unplug the wireless CarPlay adapter, turn off the radio and shut the vehicle off. Start the vehicle and see if it still does it. Then perform the same thing with the adapter plugged in. Also check your Apple CarPlay settings on your phone, as I had the same issue with my Android Auto adapter. I had my phone set to not only auto sync, but start playing music immediately after connection.

 

[Mr Big]

In the Sync 3, volume defaults to a set number on start up regardless of the volume you left it at last time. There maybe a setting for that now that you mention it though. Will check later.

My Sync3 firmware is the latest 3.4.23188. Hopefully it is available for your vehicle through Ford. If not, there is a way to update your firmware to the latest version for your vehicle. When I start my vehicle, my volume setting is the last used, not a default setting.

 

[Fizzy]

i have a 2020 platinum and have never had the radio come on after starting when it was off at shut down or the other way. If you are using carplay it has to be that. I am running the latest sync 3 SW. It never misbehaved of the previous versions of sync either. It is the iphone and carplay that is the problem.

Unplug the wireless CarPlay adapter, turn off the radio and shut the vehicle off. Start the vehicle and see if it still does it. Then perform the same thing with the adapter plugged in. Also check your Apple CarPlay settings on your phone, as I had the same issue with my Android Auto adapter. I had my phone set to not only auto sync, but start playing music immediately after connection.

If you look at jjscsix post, it was happening to them and they never used CarPlay.

We hated that too. It finally stopped doing it after an over the air update a couple of months ago. BTW, ours was not a Car Play or iPhone issue as we never Car Play.

Anyway - for now I found a workaround. I disconnected CarPlay, set the radio to XFM (we don't subscribe to that garbage so all the stations are silent), and restarted. Now when the car starts, it's silent and shows the XFM station in the corner of the home screen. Silence. Then when the wireless CarPlay connects it either switches to the last thing played on the phone, or remains silent.

Bliss.

 

[apex96]

In the Sync 3, volume defaults to a set number on start up regardless of the volume you left it at last time. There maybe a setting for that now that you mention it though. Will check later.

I’ve had three different ford vehicles with sync 3 and what you’re describing isn’t how they operate from the factory. They keep the last set volume level when restarted. It can be quite the jolt in the morning when you find you were rocking out at level 13 the night before…

There may be a way to set it so that it defaults to a set volume upon startup in forscan but someone would have to investigate that as it’s not how they’re setup from the factory.

 

[wakeboarder]

If you look at jjscsix post, it was happening to them and they never used CarPlay.


Anyway - for now I found a workaround. I disconnected CarPlay, set the radio to XFM (we don't subscribe to that garbage so all the stations are silent), and restarted. Now when the car starts, it's silent and shows the XFM station in the corner of the home screen. Silence. Then when the wireless CarPlay connects it either switches to the last thing played on the phone, or remains silent.

Bliss.

I just re-enabled SiriusXM via Forscan on mine today. I’m hoping this workaround is successful.