2021 GMC SIERRA Radio control

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
148 Infotainment System
Infotainment System
Introduction
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Using the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Radio
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
HD Radio Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Radio Data System (RDS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Multi-Band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Audio Players
Avoiding Untrusted Media Devices . . . . . 158
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Auxiliary Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Bluetooth Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
OnStar System
OnStar System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Navigation
Using the Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . 163
Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Navigation Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
OnStar System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Global Positioning System (GPS) . . . . . . . 173
Vehicle Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Problems with Route Guidance . . . . . . . . 174
If the System Needs Service . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Map Data Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Database Coverage Explanations . . . . . . . 175
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Bluetooth (Pairing and Using a
Phone) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto . . . . . . . 185
Settings
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Teen Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Trademarks and License Agreements
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Introduction
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 features when driving.
These features 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, steering wheel
controls, and infotainment display.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
Infotainment System 149
.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.
See Distracted Driving 0212.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
If equipped, ANC reduces engine noise in the
vehicle’s interior. ANC requires the
factory-installed audio system, radio,
speakers, amplifier (if equipped), induction
system, and exhaust system to work
properly. Deactivation is required by your
dealer if related aftermarket equipment is
installed.
Overview
Infotainment System
The infotainment system is controlled by
using the infotainment display, controls on
the center stack, steering wheel controls,
and voice recognition.
Uplevel Radio
1.O(Power)
.Press to turn the power on.
.Press and hold to turn the
power off.
.Press to mute/unmute the system
when on.
.When the power is on and the
system is not muted, a quick
status pane will display when
Ois
pressed. Pressing
Owill mute the
system and trigger this pane to
show a long press is required to
actually power down the system.
.Turn to decrease or increase the
volume.
2.7
.Radio: Press and release to go to
the previous station or channel.
Press and hold to fast seek the
next strongest previous station or
channel. See AM-FM Radio 0155.
.USB/Bluetooth: Press to seek to
the beginning of the current or
previous track. Press and hold to
quickly reverse through a track.
Release to return to playing speed.
See USB Port 0158 or
Bluetooth Audio 0162.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
Infotainment System 151
.When the power is on and the
system is not muted, a quick
status pane will display when
Ois
pressed. Pressing
Owill mute the
system and trigger this pane to
show a long press is required to
actually power down the system.
.Turn to decrease or increase the
volume.
4.6
.Radio: Press and release to go to
the next station or channel. Press
and hold to fast seek the next
strongest station or channel.
.USB/Bluetooth: Press to seek the
next track. Press and hold to fast
forward through a track. Release to
return to playing speed. See USB
Port 0158 or
Bluetooth Audio 0162.
5.v
.Press and release to access the
phone display or answer an
incoming call. Home Page
The Home Page is where vehicle application
icons are accessed. Some applications are
disabled when the vehicle is moving.
The Home Page can be set up to have up to
four pages with eight icons per page.
Swipe left or right across the display to
access the pages of icons.
Managing Home Page Icons
1. Touch and hold any of the Home Page icons to enter edit mode.
2. Continue holding the icon and drag it to the desired position.
3. Release your finger to drop the icon in the desired position.
4. To move an application to another page, drag the icon to the edge of the display
toward the desired page.
5. Continue dragging and dropping application icons as desired.
Steering Wheel Controls
If equipped, some audio controls can be
adjusted at the steering wheel.
g:Press to answer an incoming call or
start voice recognition. See Bluetooth
(Pairing and Using a Phone) 0181 or
Bluetooth (Overview) 0180.
c:Press to decline an incoming call or
end a current call. Press to mute or unmute
the infotainment system when not on a call.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
Infotainment System 155
Software Updates
Over-the-Air Software Updates
If equipped, see“Updates”underSettings
0 186 for details on software updates.
Radio
AM-FM Radio
Playing the Radio
From the Home Page, touch the Audio icon
to display the active audio source page.
Choose from the three most recently used
sources listed at the left side of the display
or touch the More option to display a list of
available sources. Examples of available
sources may include AM, FM, SXM (if
equipped), USB, AUX (if equipped), and
Bluetooth.
Infotainment System Sound Menu
From any of the audio source main pages,
touch Sound to display the following:
Equalizer : Touch to adjust Bass, Midrange,
Treble, and Surround (if equipped) using the
options on the infotainment display. Fade/Balance :
Touch to adjust by using the
controls on the infotainment display or by
tapping/dragging the crosshair.
Finding a Station
Seeking a Station
From the AM, FM, or SXM (if equipped)
option, press
6or7on the center stack
to search for the previous or next strong
station or channel.
Browsing Stations
Touch the Browse option to list all available
stations or channels. Navigate up and down
through all stations by scrolling the list.
Touch the station or channel you want to
listen to. Touch
Hto save the station or
channel as a favorite. If equipped, touch Update Station List to
update the active stations in your area.
Direct Tune
Access Direct Tune by touching the Tune
icon on the infotainment display to bring up
the keypad. Navigate through all frequencies
using the arrows on the right side of the
Direct Tune display. Directly enter a station
or channel using the keypad. When a new
station or channel is entered, the
information about that station or channel
displays on the right side. This information
will update with each new valid frequency.
Touch
Hto save the station or channel as
a favorite.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
Infotainment System 161
When a list of songs, albums, artists,
or other types of media display, a vertical
keyboard appears on one side of the list and
a scroll bar on the other side. When using
the vertical keyboard, touch the beginning
character of the desired name to display the
zoom bubble of that character. Release the
finger from the infotainment display and
the zoom bubble disappears.
Touch the scroll bar to move the list up
and down.
File System and Naming
The songs, artists, albums, and genres are
taken from the file’s song information and
are only displayed if present. The radio
displays the file name as the track name if
the song information is not available.Supported Apple Devices
To view supported devices in USA, see
my.gmc.com\learned.
Loss of Audio
If a phone currently paired over Bluetooth is
plugged in with a USB cable, the system will
automatically mute the phone audio.
Playback can be resumed by changing the
audio source from Bluetooth to USB cable.
Source USB from the Media icon on the
infotainment display to resume playback.
Other phones such as Android phones may
have a similar reaction.
Bluetooth Streaming Audio and Voice
Recognition
See
Bluetooth Audio 0162 for information
using voice recognition with Bluetooth
streaming audio.
Make sure all devices have the latest
software downloaded.
Auxiliary Jack
If equipped, this vehicle may have an
auxiliary input jack. This may be located in
the center stack or center console under the
armrest. Possible auxiliary audio sources
include:
.Laptop computer
.Audio music player
This jack is not an audio output. Do not
plug headphones into the auxiliary input
jack. Set up an auxiliary device while the
vehicle is in P (Park).
Connect a 3.5 mm (1/8 in) cable from the
auxiliary device to the auxiliary input jack.
When a device is connected, the system can
play audio from the device over the vehicle
speakers.
If an auxiliary device has already been
connected, but a different source is currently
active, press MEDIA on the center stack or
touch the Media icon on the infotainment
display to scroll through audio source
menus, until the AUX Input source appears.
Playing from the AUX Port
An auxiliary device is played through the
audio system and controlled through the
device itself.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
162 Infotainment System
AUX Menu
Press MENU on the center stack to display
the AUX Input menu and the following may
display:
Tone Settings :Touch to adjust Bass,
Midrange, Treble, Balance, Fade, and EQ
(Equalizer). See AM-FM Radio0155.
Auto Volume (If Equipped) : This feature
adjusts the volume based on the vehicle
speed. See AM-FM Radio 0155.
Bose AudioPilot Noise Compensation
Technology (If Equipped) : This feature
adjusts the volume based on the noise in
the vehicle and speed. See “Bose AudioPilot”
in AM-FM Radio 0155.
Bluetooth Audio
Music may be played from a paired
Bluetooth device. See Bluetooth (Pairing and
Using a Phone) 0181 or
Bluetooth (Overview) 0180 for help pairing
a device.
Volume and song selection may be
controlled by using the infotainment
controls or the mobile device. If Bluetooth is
selected and no volume is present, check the
volume setting on the infotainment system. Music can be launched by touching
Bluetooth from the recent sources list on
the left of the display or by touching the
More option and then touching the
Bluetooth device.
To play music via Bluetooth:
1. Power on the device, and pair to connect the device.
2. Once paired, touch Audio from the Home Page, then touch Bluetooth from the
recent sources list on the left of the
display.
Bluetooth Sound Menu
See “Infotainment System Sound Menu”
under AM-FM Radio 0155.
Manage Bluetooth Devices
From the Home Page: 1. Touch Audio.
2. Touch More.
3. Touch Bluetooth.
4. Touch Devices to add or delete devices.
When touching Bluetooth, the radio may
not be able to launch the audio player on
the connected device to start playing. When
the vehicle is not moving, use the mobile
device to begin playback. All devices launch audio differently. When
selecting Bluetooth as a source, the radio
may show as paused on the display. Press
play on the device or touch
pon the
display to begin playback.
Browse functionality will be provided where
supported by the Bluetooth device. This
media content will not be part of the
MyMedia source mode.
Some smartphones support sending
Bluetooth music information to display on
the radio. When the radio receives this
information, it will check to see if any is
available and display it. For more
information about supported Bluetooth
features, see my.gmc.com/learn.
OnStar System
4G LTE
If equipped with 4G LTE, up to seven
devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and
laptops, can be connected to high-speed
Internet through the vehicle’s built-in Wi-Fi
hotspot.
Call 1-888-4ONSTAR (1-888-466-7827) to
connect to an OnStar Advisor for assistance.
See www.onstar.com for vehicle availability,

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
180 Infotainment System
“Address”:Begin a dialog to enter a
specific destination address, which includes
the entire address consisting of the house
number, street name, city, state/province,
and country. Do not include the ZIP code.
“Place of Interest” :Begin a dialog to enter
a destination Place of Interest category or
major brand name.
The name must be precisely spoken.
Nicknames or short names for the
businesses will not likely be found. Lesser
known businesses might have to be located
by category, such as fast food, hotels,
or banks.
“Navigate to Contact” :Begin a dialog to
enter a specific destination contact name.
“Cancel Route” :End route guidance.
“Take Me Home” :Create a route to a
stored home location.
Voice Recognition for the Phone
“Call ” :Initiate a call to a
stored contact. The command may include
location if the contact has location numbers
stored. “Call At Home,” “At Work,” “On
Mobile,”
or“On Other” :Initiate a call to a
stored contact and location at home, at
work, on mobile device, or on another
phone.
“Call ” :Initiate a call
to a cell phone number of seven digits, 10
digits, or three digit emergency numbers.
“Pair Phone” :Begin the Bluetooth pairing
process. Follow the instructions on the
infotainment display.
“Redial” :Initiate a call to the last dialed
number.
“Switch Phone” :Select a different
connected cell phone for outgoing calls.
“Voice Keypad” :Begin a dialog to enter
special numbers like international numbers.
The numbers can be entered in groups of
digits with each group of digits being
repeated back by the system. If the group
of digits is not correct, the command
“Delete” will remove the last group of digits
and allow them to be re-entered. Once the
entire number has been entered, the
command “Call”will start dialing the
number.
Phone Assistant Voice Recognition
Press and holdgon the steering wheel
controls to pass through and launch Google
phone assistant or Siri.
For the low radio, whether connected by
Bluetooth or phone projection, the only
available voice recognition is either Siri
(iPhone) or the Google Assistant (Android).
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview)
The Bluetooth-capable system can interact
with many mobile devices, allowing:
.Placement and receipt of calls in a
hands-free mode.
.Sharing of the device’s address book or
contact list with the vehicle.
To minimize driver distraction, before
driving, and with the vehicle parked:
.Become familiar with the features of the
mobile device. Organize the phone book
and contact lists clearly and delete
duplicate or rarely used entries.
If possible, program speed dial or other
shortcuts.

GMC Sierra/Sierra Denali 1500 Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./
Canada/Mexico-14632426) - 2021 - CRC - 11/5/20
188 Infotainment System
recognition system. Touch Off to prevent
the sharing and possible recording of your
voice commands with this system. This
may limit the system’s ability to
understand your voice commands and
may disable some features.
.Types: This setting lists all
Android-defined as dangerous permissions
currently used by the infotainment
system, the number of applications that
have requested this permission, and the
number of applications that are allowed
to use this permission.
.Used By Applications: This setting lists all
applications that are requested or are
using Android-defined as dangerous
permissions. Only requested and active
permissions are shown.
Display
Touch and the following may display:
.Mode: This adjusts the appearance of the
navigation map view and any
downloaded apps optimized for day or
night time conditions. Set to Auto for the
display to automatically adjust based on
bright/dark conditions.
Touch Auto, Day, or Night to adjust the
display.
.Calibrate Touchscreen: Touch to calibrate
the infotainment display and follow the
prompts.
.Turn Display Off: Touch to turn the
display off. Touch anywhere on the
infotainment display or press any
infotainment control on the center stack
again to turn the display on.
Sounds
Touch and the following may display:
.Maximum Startup Volume: This feature
adjusts the maximum volume of the
infotainment system when you start your
vehicle. To set the maximum startup
volume, touch the controls on the
infotainment display to increase or
decrease.
.Audio Cues: This feature determines if
sounds play when the infotainment
system starts up and shuts down. This
feature can be turned off or on.
.Set Audio Cue Volume: This setting
controls the volume of Audio Cues played
on startup and shut down. Touch the
controls on the infotainment display to
increase or decrease.
.Audible Touch Feedback: This setting
determines if a sound plays when
touching the infotainment display or
radio controls. This feature can be turned
off or on.
Voice
Touch and the following may display:
.Confirm More/Less: This setting specifies
how often the voice recognition system
confirms commands. Touch Confirm More
to have the system check with you more
often before acting on your commands.
.Prompt Length: This setting specifies the
amount of detail the voice recognition
system provides when giving you
feedback. Touch Auto to have the system
automatically adjust to your speech
habits. Touch Informative, Short, or Auto.
.Audio Feedback Speed: Touch Slow,
Medium, or Fast to adjust how quickly
the voice recognition system speaks.
.Friendly Prompts: This setting adjusts the
formality of voice prompts. Touch Off for
shorter prompts. Touch On to hear
prompts with more personality. Touch
Auto to have the prompt match your
command style.