Here's what I posted on the ********** board...
Guys this is my first post on this board. I'll make this short and sweet. I work on vehicle telematics for a living. We actually build the software that runs on the headunits and mobile phones. I know a thing or two about how this actually works. Not to mention I tested this on my car.
Issue 1:
Why does phonebook transfer not work?
First delete pairing history on both HU and HS. Once this is complete pair the two devices again. When downloading contacts (VCF) you must ensure that they do not contain anything other than text only. Mazda HU phonebook does not support anything outside of a text format.
WTH does that mean?
It means it will fail if you have images e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, etc... attached to contact.
So what now?
Create contacts only using name and number. You can easily do this on Android by creating contacts in your Google account and re-sync to phone.
How do you know this?
I work on this stuff everyday unfortunately. Lastly I verified this by testing it out on my own car. 2014 Mazda 6 manual Touring (no nav). My wife has her FB info linked in VCF file which causes hers to fail. I simply created a new contact for her and only used name and number.
Issue 2:
The messaging feature doesn't work?
It actually does. If you are using Android, you need to check a few things. Namely your OS version. Android OS 4.1 or newer does not support MAP protocol.
Who's fault is this?
Google
How do I make this work?
Use a phone that's certified on the Mazda manual. Or use a phone with an OS that supports MAP protocol.
Why is the Mazda supported list so small?
From a business perspective it's very expensive to test and certify handsets to work in parallel with head units. Therefore a business decision is made on market saturation e.g. user base of handset. OEMs are more likely to certify handsets with the largest user base. This covers a larger pool of customers. This is why everyone unfortunately loves iPhone. There are very few differences between iPhone models other than the obvious, hardware.
What does this mean to me?
Just because it's not certified does not mean it won't work. You'll have to simply try your luck. For Android users if your phone is on OS 4.1 or newer you will need to wait for Google to fix this. It might be rolled out in the 4.3 release if you are lucky enough to get it. Or they may never fix it and you will be SOL.
What other options other than buying a new phone or head unit do I have?
You can try your luck with modified custom ROMs/Kernels/Radios. Do this at your own risk. For some Android users this appears to work at the cost of stability of the overall OS. I have not verified this, nor do I want to try. I have personal experience using custom ROMs and they are extremely problematic in my opinion.
I hope this helps... feel free to PM me for an additional questions. Don't waste your time with Mazda customer service. They won't have a clue what you're talking about. You're going to get a response and they will only validate and support you if you phone is on the list. Even in that case all they will do is file a ticket with the head unit manf. This is not a fix on Mazda's end FYI.
