
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
162 Infotainment System
Infotainment
System
Introduction
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . 163
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Home Page (Radio withTouchscreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Radio
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Backglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Multi-Band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 175
Audio Players
Avoiding Untrusted Media Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview) . . . . . . . . . 182
Bluetooth (Infotainment Controls Radio without
Touchscreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Bluetooth (Infotainment
Controls Radio with
Touchscreen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Hands-Free Phone . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Trademarks and License
Agreements
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Introduction
Infotainment
Base radio information is included in
this manual. See the infotainment
manual for information on other
available infotainment systems.
Read the following pages to
become familiar with the features.
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road for
too long or too often while using
any infotainment feature can
cause a crash. You or others
could be injured or killed. Do not
give extended attention to
infotainment tasks while driving.
Limit your glances at the vehicle
displays and focus your attention
on driving. Use voice commands
whenever possible.
The infotainment system has built-in
features intended to help avoid
distraction by disabling some
functions when driving. These

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
Infotainment System 163
functions may gray out when they
are unavailable. Many infotainment
features are also available through
the instrument cluster and steering
wheel controls.
Before driving:
.Become familiar with the
operation, center stack controls,
and infotainment display
controls.
. Set up the audio by presetting
favorite stations, setting the
tone, and adjusting the
speakers.
. Set up phone numbers in
advance so they can be called
easily by pressing a single
control or by using a single voice
command if equipped with
Bluetooth phone capability.
See Defensive Driving 0207.
To play the infotainment system with
the ignition off, see Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) 0221.Theft-Deterrent Feature
The infotainment system has an
electronic security system installed
to prevent theft.
The infotainment system only works
in the vehicle in which it was first
installed, and cannot be used in
another vehicle.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Infotainment System 167
Settings :Touch to access the
Personalization menu. See Vehicle
Personalization 0138.
Climate : If equipped, touch to
access the Climate menu.
See Climate Control Systems 0196
or Dual Automatic Climate Control
System 0199.
OnStar : If equipped, touch to
access the OnStar menu. See
OnStar Overview 0389.
Energy : If equipped, touch to
access the Energy menu.
Drive Mode : If equipped, touch to
access the Drive Mode menu.
Operation
Radio Controls without
Touchscreen
The infotainment system is operated
by using the pushbuttons,
multifunction knobs, and menus
shown on the display.
Turning the System On or Off
O: Press and hold to turn the
system on and off.
Automatic Switch-Off
If the infotainment system has been
turned on after the ignition is turned
off, the system will turn off
automatically after 10 minutes.
Volume Control
O: Turn to adjust the volume or to
cancel mute when the audio system
is muted.
PHONE : Press to activate OnStar.
See OnStar Overview 0389.
Press to mute the audio system.
Press again to cancel mute.
Menu System
Controls
The MENU knob and BACK button
are used to navigate the menu
system.
MENU Knob:
Turn to:
. Highlight a menu option.
. Select a value.
. Manually select radio stations. Press to:
.
Enter the menu system.
. Select or activate the highlighted
menu option.
. Confirm a set value.
. Turn a system setting on or off.
BACK:
Press to:
. Exit a menu.
. Go back to the previous menu
screen.
. Delete the last character in a
sequence.
Press and hold to delete the entire
character sequence.
Submenus
A bar on the right-hand edge of the
menu indicates that it has a
submenu with other options.
Tone Settings
The tone settings can be set for
each radio band and each audio
player source.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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168 Infotainment System
Adjusting the Bass, Midrange,
Treble, Fader, and Balance1. Press MENU.
2. Turn MENU to Settings.
3. Press MENU.
4. Turn MENU to Tone Settings.
5. Press MENU.
6. Turn MENU to the desired tone.
7. Press MENU to select the desired tone.
8. Turn MENU to adjust the desired tone.
9. Press MENU to save the setting.
10. Press BACK to go back to the Tone Settings menu.
Adjusting the EQ (Equalizer) 1. Press MENU.
2. Turn MENU to Settings.
3. Press MENU.
4. Turn MENU to Tone Settings.
5. Press MENU. 6. Turn MENU to EQ.
7. Press MENU.
8. Turn MENU to the desired
setting, then press MENU to
select it.
9. Continue pressing BACK to go back to the Tone
Settings menu.
System Settings
Configuring the Number of
Favorite Pages
Up to six favorite pages can be
saved, and each page can store up
to four radio stations.
To configure the number of available
favorite pages:
1. Press MENU.
2. Turn MENU to Set Number of Favorites Pages.
3. Press MENU.
4. Turn MENU to the desired number of pages.
5. Press MENU to select the desired number of pages.
6. Press BACK to exit. Auto Volume Control
This feature automatically adjusts
the radio volume to compensate for
road and wind noise.
The level of volume compensation
can be selected, or the feature can
be turned off.
1. Press MENU.
2. Turn MENU to Settings.
3. Press MENU.
4. Turn MENU to Auto Volume Control.
5. Press MENU.
6. Select the desired setting.
7. Press BACK to exit.
Radio Controls with
Touchscreen
The infotainment system is operated
by using the pushbuttons, menus
shown on the display, and steering
wheel controls.
Turning the System On or Off
O: Press to turn the radio on.
Press and hold to turn the radio off.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Favorites List
There are two ways to select a
station from the Favorites List:
.Press FAV repeatedly, until the
desired FAV page is displayed,
then press the preset button of
the desired FAV station.
. Press FAV, turn MENU until the
desired FAV station is
highlighted, then press MENU to
select the desired FAV station.
Stations List 1. From AM or FM, turn MENU to select Stations List, then press
to select.
2. Turn MENU to move to the desired station from the
Stations List, then press to
receive the station.
Category List
Most stations that broadcast an
RDS program type code specify the
type of programming transmitted.
Some stations change the program
type code depending on the content. The system stores the RDS
stations sorted by program type in
the FM category list.
To search for a programming type
determined by station:
1. From the FM menu, turn MENU to select FM Category List,
then press MENU.
2. Turn MENU to move to the desired station, then press
MENU to receive the selected
broadcasting channel.
Update Stations List
From AM or FM, press MENU, turn
MENU to Update Stations List, then
press MENU.
During the AM or FM broadcasting
list update, press the preset button
under Cancel or BACK to stop the
updates.
Storing a Station as a Favorite
Stations from all bands can be
stored in any order in the favorite
pages.
Up to four stations can be stored in
each favorite page. Storing Stations
Press FAV to select the desired
page of saved favorites.
To store the station to a position in
the list, press and hold the
corresponding preset button 1−4
until a beep is heard.
Playing the Radio with
Touchscreen
Audio Source Menu
{:
Press to go to the Home Page.
O:Press to turn on, mute,
or unmute the system. Press and
hold to turn off the system.
Selecting a Band
1. Press{.
2. Touch AUDIO.
3. Touch Source.
4. Select AM, FM, or SXM, if equipped.
The last station that was playing
starts playing again.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
Infotainment System 173
Satellite Radio
If equipped, vehicles with a
SiriusXM Satellite Radio tuner and a
valid SiriusXM Satellite Radio
subscription can receive SiriusXM
programming.
SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Service
SiriusXM is a satellite radio service
based in the 48 contiguous United
States and 10 Canadian provinces.
SiriusXM Satellite Radio has a wide
variety of programming and
commercial-free music, coast to
coast, and in digital-quality sound.
During your trial or when you
subscribe, you will get unlimited
access to SiriusXM Radio Online for
when you are not in the vehicle.
A service fee is required to receive
the SiriusXM service. If SiriusXM
service needs to be reactivated, the
radio will display "No Subscription
Please Renew" on channel SXM1.
For more information, contact
SiriusXM at www.siriusxm.com or
1-888-601-6296 (U.S.), and
www.siriusxm.ca or 1-877-438-9677
(Canada).
Listening to SiriusXM Radio
1. Press{.
2. Touch AUDIO.
3. Touch Source.
4. Touch SXM and the most recent listened to SiriusXM
channel will display.
Selecting a Category
From Menu, touch Categories, then
touch the desired category or from
Categories, touch
QorRto find the
desired channel. Touch the channel
to select it.
Selecting a Channel
Pressgordto seek the previous
or next channel.
Using the Presets
Up to five favorites pages can be
saved, and each page can store up
to five channels.
To change a preset, tune to the new
desired channel then touch and hold
the preset. Listening to Preset Channels
1. Touch
SorTrepeatedly to
select the desired
favorites page.
2. Touch the preset to listen to the channel.
Using the SiriusXM Menu
Operation
1. Touch MENU on the SXM radio screen.
2. Touch the menu to select the desired item or to display the
detail menu item.
3. Touch Back on the infotainment display to return to the
previous menu.
Channel List 1. Touch Channel List from the SXM menu. The channel list is
displayed.
2. Touch
QorRto find the
desired channel. Touch the
channel to select it.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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174 Infotainment System
Tone Settings1. Touch Tone Settings. See “Tone Settings” under
Operation 0167.
2. Touch Back on the infotainment display.
Auto Volume 1. Touch Auto Volume. See “Auto
Volume” underOperation
0 167.
2. Touch Back on the infotainment display.
Categories 1. Touch Categories.
2. Touch
QorRto find the
desired category. Touch the
category to select it.
Explicit Content Filter
When on, only a filtered list of
channels will be received. When off,
all regular SXM programming
subscribed to will be received. 1. Touch SXM Explicit Filter.
2. Select to enable or disable.
Radio Reception
Frequency interference and static
can occur during normal radio
reception if items such as cell phone
chargers, vehicle convenience
accessories, and external electronic
devices are plugged into the
accessory power outlet. If there is
interference or static, unplug the
item from the accessory power
outlet.
FM
FM signals only reach about 16 to
65 km (10 to 40 mi). Although the
radio has a built-in electronic circuit
that automatically works to reduce
interference, some static can occur,
especially around tall buildings or
hills, causing the sound to fade in
and out.
AM
The range for most AM stations is
greater than for FM, especially at
night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with
each other. Static can occur when
things like storms and power lines interfere with radio reception. When
this happens, try reducing the treble
on the radio.
SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Service
If equipped, SiriusXM Satellite
Radio Service provides digital radio
reception. Tall buildings or hills can
interfere with satellite radio signals,
causing the sound to fade in and
out. In addition, traveling or standing
under heavy foliage, bridges,
garages, or tunnels may cause loss
of the SiriusXM signal for a period
of time.
Cell Phone Usage
Cell phone usage, such as making
or receiving phone calls, charging,
or just having the phone on may
cause static interference with the
radio. Unplug the phone or turn it off
if this happens.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Infotainment System 177
For more information on USB
usage, see“Audio System
Information” following.
Audio System Information
The infotainment system can play
the music files contained in the USB
storage device or iPod/iPhone
products.
Using MP3/WMA/OGG/WAV Files
.
Music files with .mp3, .wma,
.ogg, and .wav file name
extensions can be played.
. MP3 files that can be played: Bit
rate: 8 kbps to 320 kbps.
Sampling frequency: 48 kHz,
44.1 kHz, 32 kHz, 24 kHz, 22.05
kHz, and 16 kHz.
. Files with a bit rate above
128 kbps will result in higher
quality sound.
. ID3 Tag information for MP3
files, such as the album name
and the artist, can be played.
. To display album title, track title,
and artist information, the file
should be compatible with the
ID3 Tag V1 and V2 formats. Using USB Storage Devices or
iPod/iPhone
.
Use a USB or flash memory type
storage device. Do not connect
using a USB adaptor.
. Do not connect and reconnect
the USB device repeatedly in a
short time, as this may cause
static electricity and problems
using the device.
. Use a USB device with a metal
connecting terminal.
. Connection with i-Stick Type
USB storage devices may be
faulty due to vehicle vibration.
. Do not touch the USB
connecting terminal.
. Only USB storage devices
formatted in FAT16/32 or exFAT
file systems are recognized.
NTFS and other file systems are
not recognized.
. The time it takes to process files
will depend on the USB storage
device type and capacity, and
the type of files stored. .
Some USB storage device files
may not be compatible.
. Up to two USB devices and one
iPod can be played through a
USB hub. All devices may not be
supported, depending on the
performance of the USB hub.
If there is not enough power
supply, it may not operate
normally.
. Do not disconnect the USB
storage device while it is playing.
This may cause damage to the
product or affect the
performance of the USB device.
. Disconnect the USB storage
device when the ignition is
turned off. If the ignition is turned
on while the USB device is
connected, the USB device may
be damaged or may not operate
normally.
. USB storage devices can only
be connected for playing music,
viewing photo files,
or upgrading.