ITU announced it has published a ‘whitelist’ of smartphones that are compatible with Bluetooth-enabled hands-free telephone systems in vehicles. The list is designed to help consumers and automakers to determine which mobile phones are optimized for high-quality voice conversations in the hands-free environment of vehicles. Smartphone makers included in the whitelist include Sony, Motorola, Blackberry, Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung. Apple iPhones are not included in the list. iPhones using iOS 8 or higher have many Bluetooth issues with in-car systems.
ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies.
The phones listed are proven to achieve the desired quality of voice conversation by meeting the requirements of the ‘Chapter 12 tests’ of Recommendations ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) and/or P.1110 (wideband), standards for communications involving motor vehicles.
The mobile phones currently listed were found to be in compliance with Recommendations ITU-T P.1100 and/or ITU-T P.1110 following an ITU test event held in May 2014.
In order to be tested the smartphone maker had to submit their devices and pay a fee that starts at starts at 6000 €.
The whitelist was produced at the request of automakers to address the great variance observed in the behavior of phones when operating within hands-free terminals (HFTs) installed in vehicles. This variance has resulted in automakers dedicating a significant amount of time and money to the testing of mobile phones, producing results that remain valid only until the new software for mobile phones or the next generation of mobile devices come to market.
| Mobile phone | Vendor | Software | Compliant with | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xperia Z1 | Sony | 14.3.A.0.757 | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) ITU-T P.1110 (wideband) |
|
| W880i | Sony Ericsson | R8BA024 | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) | |
| Z30 | Blackberry | 10.2.0.429 | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) ITU-T P.1110 (wideband) |
|
| Q10 | Blackberry | 10.2.0.424 | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) | |
| Z10 | Blackberry | 10.2.0.690 | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) | |
| Z10 | Blackberry | 10.2.1.2102 | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) | |
| Moto G | Motorola | KLB20.9-1.10-1.9 | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) | |
| Moto G | Motorola | KLB20.9-1.10-1.24-1.1 | ITU-T P.1110 (wideband) |
|
| G2 | LG | D80210a-EUR-XX | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) ITU-T P.1110 (wideband) |
|
| S5 | Samsung | K0T49H.G900FXXU1ANC9 | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) | |
| One M8 | HTC | 1.12.1540.17 CL318414 release-keys | ITU-T P.1100 (narrowband) ITU-T P.1110 (wideband) |
Companies interested in adding their mobile phones to the ‘whitelist’ are invited to participate in future ITU testing events. Secure your participation in the next event by sending a request to conformity[at]itu.int