How can I disable/delete the radio?

[Bikespace]

Short version:

In all scenarios, I want the car's default to be "I couldn't find a way to make sound that you enjoy, so here is silence instead". I never use the radio, but the car defaults to it when I would prefer silence. I want to trick the car into thinking there is no radio so it stops doing that.

Long version: I only listen to Amazon Music (a service I pay for), music from a USB stick, and occasionally BT audio from my phone. I have no need or desire to ever listen to the radio (since it's probably tuned to a station in a different city anyway), nor pay for XM. However, as some of you have noticed, the car will pull up the radio by default, even before anything else in the car has booted up.

Restart the car? Loud radio static.
USB read fault? Loud radio static.
Amazon Music selection ends (usually because I ask Alexa for a specific song)? Loud radio static.
Vehicle loses data connection? Loud radio static.

Not only do I get blasted by loud radio static often (or a station I don't care to listen to), the car will shift focus away from the map. It will also dump a radio icon in the tray, which may bump out the energy monitor icon (3.0 mi/kWh, or whatever). To get rid of that, I have to swipe it away. Half the time, I end up maximizing it again.

So, I want to disable the radio. I searched the Forum, the closest I got was this thread, which suggest muting the radio when it plays, but does not fix the problem.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/disable-sirius-xm-popup.25510/

Further, I want to trick the vehicle into thinking that there is no radio, making silence the default, but keeping all of my audio settings (especially currently set volume) the same, so when I do play the music that I select, I don't have to do anything else.

Ideally, this would be a vehicle setting (ha!). I'll settle for a Forscan setting, if someone knows how to do it. I'd even disconnect something, but I don't want to have to cut any wires.

Can anyone suggest a solution?

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[Neil4Real]

It isn't possible unless you turn down the volume or press the power/mute button when you get out, but that doesn't fulfill your requirements . Find a station that is somewhat decent and put that as the default, not sure why you'd still have left it on a random station that just gives you static this long.

Your scenarios where it goes back to the radio are odd though. Have you tried using CarPlay or Android Auto? I use CarPlay and have never had it switch back to the radio when I've lost data connection or the music selection ends. It just stays silent. It also auto connects when I get in the car, so the radio never even has a chance to start playing.

 

[RickMachE]

Two points.

1) Turn off the "radio" before turning off the car. No static. Doesn't solve your other issues though.

2) There is no "radio". There is a Sync system that includes radio stations. Therefore, it's not a simple solution.

 

[Bikespace]

It isn't possible unless you turn down the volume or press the power/mute button when you get out, but that doesn't fulfill your requirements . Find a station that is somewhat decent and put that as the default, not sure why you'd still have left it on a random station that just gives you static this long.

Your scenarios where it goes back to the radio are odd though. Have you tried using CarPlay or Android Auto? I use CarPlay and have never had it switch back to the radio when I've lost data connection or the music selection ends. It just stays silent. It also auto connects when I get in the car, so the radio never even has a chance to start playing.

I'll try the turn off the radio trick. While there may be a single frequency that has something acceptable everywhere I go, I doubt it, and haven't tried to find it.

The last time I tried Android Auto, my car tried to melt my phone. That was before the charging pad update. Now I doubt it would keep my phone charged. I don't use PAAK, and use BT sparingly.

You'd think the default could be to play music from the USB stick, and sometimes that persists a while and solves 99% of my problem. But, alas, it still defaults to the radio eventually.

 

[Bikespace]

Two points.

1) Turn off the "radio" before turning off the car. No static. Doesn't solve your other issues though.

2) There is no "radio". There is a Sync system that includes radio stations. Therefore, it's not a simple solution.

1. Thanks, I'll try that!

2. I didn't expect a simple solution. I fully expect to need to change things with Forscan or FDRS. But unlike adding the GT energy display bar to a Premium, I may be the only person bothered enough to try.

 

[Mach1E]

I don’t have a solution that wasn’t already suggested, but it’s kinda crazy that the car can turn on “apps” without you wanting it to.

The way the interface is designed, we should be able to pick exactly what we want to default to……..but we can’t.

Maybe make all your presets and empty XM station?

 

[Blue highway]

1. Thanks, I'll try that!

2. I didn't expect a simple solution. I fully expect to need to change things with Forscan or FDRS. But unlike adding the GT energy display bar to a Premium, I may be the only person bothered enough to try.

a much simpler solution is to just buy one of those FM radio transmitters that plug into a USB or cigarette port. Set the car radio preset to the FM transmitter frequency... and whenever the car switches to radio, you have silence.

 

[geftsnowball]

Have you tried using CarPlay or Android Auto? I use CarPlay and have never had it switch back to the radio when I've lost data connection or the music selection ends. It just stays silent. It also auto connects when I get in the car, so the radio never even has a chance to start playing.

Doesn't make a difference. I've had this happen with AA running when I (rarely) decide to not play audio on a drive. The "solution" for this scenario is to quickly press play, then pause in AA to reset the audio source.

With that said, perhaps there have been software updates that directly affect this? It has been a while since I've had this happen. It's absolutely not isolated to the Mach E, I had it happen on previous Sync 3 vehicles and it was always annoying.

I think what's worse than it randomly happening is that the audio level is not the same across sources... 100% of the time (in my case) the radio it defaults to is at least 5-6 volume levels too high compared to USB or Bluetooth sources and this results in painful audio blasts occasionally and without warning.

 

[Bikespace]

a much simpler solution is to just buy one of those FM radio transmitters that plug into a USB or cigarette port. Set the car radio preset to the FM transmitter frequency... and whenever the car switches to radio, you have silence.

That is a good fix. I implemented that as well, and it solves the audio issue. It does not solve the map focus/adding a tile issue, which still requires looking at and touching the screen, or talking to Alexa.

I am amused by the irony that a partial solution to not wanting to listen to the radio is to operate my own radio station.

 

[Motomax]

I exclusively use CarPlay but I’ve had this happen a few times. It usually pulls up some random AM frequency and plays static. Pretty annoying but it hasn’t happens in a while.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

There are module settings that can probably accommodate you if you're willing to muck about with forscan. Search for the forscan spreadsheet thread on this forum. Look for the APIM and 7D0 settings. Changing those settings is totally at your own risk.

 

[jay1122]

I thought the car pulls up the selected source by default. What happens if you choose phone bluetooth as source and not play anything? Does it change automatically to radio? It reminds me of the annoy bug I had where my music USB fails to load in time occasionally, the source automatically changes to radio. I have to manually change it back to USB. Really glad the bug has disappeared after one OTA update.

 

[kkmoon]

There are module settings that can probably accommodate you if you're willing to muck about with forscan. Search for the forscan spreadsheet thread on this forum. Look for the APIM and 7D0 settings. Changing those settings is totally at your own risk.

I wonder what FMT Not Available would do?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I wonder what FMT Not Available would do?

I have zero clue...but would certainly be interested to hear what peoples' experiences are with making adjustments...if anyone is brave enough to mess with it.

Just be sure to learn from the very long forscan thread on how to use it first...Making backups is always important.

 

[Bikespace]

I thought the car pulls up the selected source by default. What happens if you choose phone bluetooth as source and not play anything? Does it change automatically to radio? It reminds me of the annoy bug I had where my music USB fails to load in time occasionally, the source automatically changes to radio. I have to manually change it back to USB. Really glad the bug has disappeared after one OTA update.

Yes. It will always default to the radio eventually, at least for me. It may be triggered by charging, or some other thing, but it does not stay in USB mode. And I can't disable or delete the radio "app" from the screen. It's as if Verizon runs the infotainment software.

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