Kia UVO infotainment system - Things you have never thought of

Kia Motors isn’t a leading choice by Filipinos, but it has certainly made a name for itself. Its primary products are luxury vehicles, automobiles, and commercial vehicles.

But Kia also invested in their UVO eServices. This is the company’s own OEM telematics and infotainment system. Unlike some systems, the UVO eServices is subscription-free.

It allows the user or users to stream music and make hands-free calls. It can also be used to help you navigate to a particular location.

As a bonus, it can also conduct vehicle diagnostics with voice control. The system was initially released in January 2011. It is also available in three languages which are French, English, and Spanish.

Curious to know more? Philkotse.com prepared the detailed features of the Microsoft-powered infotainment system from Kia:

The Kia UVO infotainment system operates on “your voice”

Compared to its competitors, Kia seems late when it comes to the matter of infotainment systems. This can be seen in the CES last 2012, where Kia Motors America unveiled an Optima Hybrid. This particular vehicle was covered with UVO branding everywhere.

The Kia UVO was designed primarily to be a media controller. The system was made possible with the help of Microsoft technology.

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The Kia UVO was designed primarily to be a media controller

The UVO system can control the CD player, the built-in digital jukebox, and even the radio. The system is also able to interface with cellular devices with Bluetooth capability.

The main feature that the UVO boasts is voice control. This can be activated by simply pressing on a button.

Unlike most of the infotainment systems out there, Kia’s UVO does not include the typical navigation system. But it does come with a built-in cam that works as a backup camera.

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The Kia UVO’s system controls

The UVO is mainly designed around the touchscreen that you can use to work the system. But as stated earlier, the system’s focus is directed towards the main feature, which is voice command.

With the help of Microsoft voice recognition tech, the UVO is able to let users access its features using one’s voice.

The UVO is mainly designed around the touchscreen that you can use to work the system

This smart technology is capable of recognizing the voice of multiple users which can be activated by pressing the button that you can find right on the steering wheel.

The way that the button is located prevents the UVO system from picking up background noises and conversations accidentally.

>>> To have better ideas about it, check out all Kia Philippines reviews right now!

The Kia UVO’s jukebox and radio

Kia didn’t fail to focus their entertainment system on entertainment. It comes with FM and AM tuners as well as a built-in satellite radio functionality for Sirius. These three mentioned entertainment options all come with corresponding buttons.

This makes switching between the different options way easier. UVO also has a snazzy-looking built-in hard drive and a music jukebox feature.

The older version of the UVO from the year 2012 comes with a storage of 700 megabytes. That capacity, however, is no longer upgradable.

Kia didn’t fail to focus their entertainment system on entertainment

The music can be switched to and from the hard drive using a USB memory stick. This makes your song library bigger because you can also copy your fave tracks from CDs.

The system, however, isn’t capable of encoding and burning songs from commercially-acquired discs. You will need to get this done using a computer.

As for the procedure, simply burn your MP3 files to your chosen blank CD. Once you’re done with that, you can just transfer your new songs directly to the UVO system.

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The Kia UVO’s Bluetooth capability

Asides from the music jukebox function, the UVO system can also pair with Bluetooth-capable devices. Kia’s system comes with a dedicated physical button that will let you instantly access your phone options.

But if you’re not so keen about this, you can still take advantage of the voice command capability. Once your phone is paired with the UVO system, you can now access your contacts and recent calls. You can also place calls and send text messages.

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The Kia UVO’s phone control

Your phone can make calls with the use of voice command. But if you’re not a fan of the feature, you can still make use of the numerical dial pad.

The UVO can also give you mute functions as well as privacy. You may also be glad to know that the UVO systems can actually let you pair multiple devices.

If done so and there are two devices in the area at a given time, the connectivity will be won over the priority device. This will also give you the capability to toggle from one device to another.

You may also be glad to know that the UVO systems can actually let you pair multiple devices

The Kia UVO’s USB interface

The initial method used in interfacing with Kia’s UVO is with the USB port. The built-in port is meant for transferring different audio files to your choice of the embedded hard drive.

When the UVO was first introduced, the company said that it is possible to update its system firmware.

The initial method used in interfacing with Kia’s UVO is with the USB port

This can be achieved by the user with the help of the USB interface. Users are advised to create their own MyKia account to download the upcoming firmware updates in the future.

After that, MyKia became MyUVO, and all references to the firmware updates were removed.

No navigation but there’s a backup camera

The third feature of the UVO that it boasts is the backup cam. The video that this backup cam captures is displayed on the UVO touchscreen itself. 

This feature is actually useful when you’re backing out of a parking lot or any tight spot at all. The system, however, lacks the presence of navigation options.

>>> Make sure you know: Things you might not know about back-up sensors and cameras

But Kia invested in their UVO eServices

If you need a navigation system for your Kia vehicle, you need to choose a navigation package over the UVO system.