How to connect Apple iPhone devices to your Lexus NX

Whether it be for safe use of the phone while you’re on the go or simply to enjoy your favourite music streamed from your Apple device, connecting your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth to the Lexus NX‘s multimedia system only takes a couple of minutes. Watch the video below or read on for a step-by-step guide.

  1. Begin by enabling Bluetooth on your iOS device.
  2. In your Lexus NX, and with your feet off the pedals and the gearstick in ‘PARK’, press the ‘POWER’ button once to switch on the audio and multimedia system.
  3. When the system is active, press the ‘MENU’ button on the centre console to bring up the menu display.
  4. Using the Remote Touch controller, select ‘SETUP’ > ‘BLUETOOTH’ > ‘ADD DEVICE’ and select your device from the available list.
  5. On your iPhone or iPad, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the registration. You may be asked to enter a code to confirm your phone’s identity, or it may connect automatically.
  6. With your device registered, return to the ‘BLUETOOTH’ setup menu and choose to connect it as a phone (iPhone only), an audio player, or both.
  7. Once your device has been paired with the Lexus NX, it will automatically be recognised by your car – simply turn on Bluetooth on your Apple iOS device to establish the connection.
  8. With the iPhone connected, calls can be made easily and in safety, and you can also stream audio content from an iPhone or iPad by accessing the ‘AUDIO’ menu of the onboard multimedia system.

To read more Lexus ‘how to’ posts, see the links below:
How to connect a Bluetooth device to your Lexus NX
How to tune DAB radio on your Lexus
How to disable Adaptive Front Lighting on your Lexus RX
How to update maps on your Lexus Navigation system
How to update maps on your Lexus Premium Navigation System

39 comments

    1. Hi Ian,
      Thank you for getting in touch. We would advise disconnecting and pairing your device again. If the issue persists then try another device with a personal hotspot. Hope this helps.

  1. The apple iPhone is different device from the other normal one that it can connect with the vehicle in the appropriate way like the apple device need to connect to the lexus nx which is going to taker the advantage s of the device and can be more useful for the system .

    1. Am I right to conclude that the connectivity for my iPhone with my NX is still very limited
      Is Apple carplay ever going to work on Lexus?

      1. Hi Thomas,

        Thanks for getting in touch. Apple Carplay is not currently on offer with Lexus models. However, we appreciate your feedback and will be passing your comments on to our product team. In the mean time, please keep an eye on our blog and social channels for updates on our Multimedia systems.

        Thanks.

  2. I cannot connect my new iphone XR to my LexusNX. It only seems to recognize my previous phone. The “add” device option, never seems to display.

      1. Hello, it’s been well over a month and iphone XR is in the hands of many Lexus owners including my wife and I. Are there immediate plans to support it? If not I’m going to have to return them as the feature is necessary for us. It’s a shame this wasn’t figure out before the release, Apple is quite popular you know.

        1. Hi Matt,

          Thanks for getting in touch. Unfortunately, we currently don’t have any updates available on this. Please keep an eye on our blogs and social channels for any future updates on our vehicles.

          Thanks.

  3. My 2019 Lexus NX300h will not display incoming call contact names (only numbers) from my iPhone 8. It connects OK via bluetooth and all contacts and numbers transfer OK, but when an there is an incoming call only the number is displayed so I need to check the phone to identify the caller, which is not ideal. Any suggestions on how to resolve this issue.

    1. Hi Adrian,

      Thanks for getting in touch.

      We have spoken with our multimedia team who recommend entering the contact numbers with their respective area code, for example, if it is a UK number then it should be entered as ‘+44……’ instead of the ‘ 07…..’.

      To try this solution, we advise deleting the pairing from the phone and multimedia, then make the alterations within your contact list on the phone before re-pairing your phone to the multimedia system again.

      If this does not work, we would recommend contacting our multimedia team who will be able to assist you further. You can find the contact details here: http://fal.cn/id92.

      Thanks.

      1. OK thanks, I did a complete overhaul on my contacts list, but the incoming call problem still persists, I will try your multimedia team.

    2. Adrian, how did you get your contacts to transfer? I’ve tried so many times and it wouldn’t work. But could be that I have a different version phone than you. iPhone 6s.

  4. Is there a list of iPhones that are compatible with Lexus Bluetooth? Unfortunately I now have to return my iPhone XR and have no idea what phone to get in it’s place because Bluetooth compatibility is extremely important. I would have hoped for better technology in a Lexus.

    1. Hello Bree,

      Thank you for getting in touch. If you could please tell us which Lexus model you have and provide a registration or VIN number, we will be able to assist you further.

      Thanks.

    1. Hi Jerry,

      Thanks for getting in touch and for your patience while we’ve looked into this for you. While more than one device can be paired in the NX, only one device can be paired at a time.

      Thanks.

  5. Hi,

    I was wondering when Lexus would release the CarPlay update to their 2018 model nx with satnav. I believe there is an update in the pipeline that is due to release sometime this year. Do you know the timeline for this release?

    Thanks

  6. I tried to play music from my iPhone via Bluetooth but it doesn’t. nx 2017 . Even though Bluetooth is connected to my phone

    1. Hello Samuel, we’re sorry to hear this.

      If your iPhone is an older model, it may not be compatible. There are further instructions in the multimedia manual for your vehicle which can be found here: https://fal.cn/3juAB

      Thanks.

  7. Hi, I have a 2019 NX 300 when I call or receive a call I can hear the caller but they can’t hear me. Can you please tell me how to fix this. Not sure if it mattered or not I have a iPhone 11
    Thank you

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