I pulled up to a traffic light yesterday and stopped. Windows closed, fresh air on. Music via I-phone on AUX. As I waited for the light to change, I heard a cell phone ringing from what sounded like inside the spare tire space. There was a car behind me, but the driver was on her phone as the phone was ringing behind me. I got home & searched the car, but found no cell phone in the back. Does Prius get upgrades via some cellular signal, and I head it making contact with the car?
The Prius (unfortunately?) doesn't get any updates via cellular. I have often heard phones ringing via the hands-free units of cars sitting next to me at traffic lights as the drivers would keep the volume super high and being the Prius silent and not well insulated from outside noises, you can hear a lot more than in a regular car with either an engine idling at said traffic light, or better insulated from outside noise.
The Prius v Five with the Advanced Technology Package gets Entune app updates via cellular if the Entune app has been installed on a smart phone and has been configured and linked to the in-dash Entune system. The Entune app updates are received over the phone's data connection but the phone does not ring during updates. A message telling you there are updates available displays on the in-dash screen. Also, the Safety Connect system in the Prius v Five Advanced Technology Package includes a digital cellular transceiver. I have never looked for it in our Prius but it is usually installed behind a trim panel near the right rear wheel in other Toyota models. The Safety Connect transceiver in our Sienna can been seen when the access panel that covers the jack storage area is removed. Safety Connect is a two-way communication system. You can call the safety connect emergency center by pressing the SOS button on the upper console. An emergency center operator can also call you through the Safety Connect system but I've never had that happen and I don't know if there will be a ringing sound. Normally, an emergency center operator will call you only when an air bag has deployed, a roll-over has been detected or when the vehicle has been struck in the rear with enough force to trigger a sensor.
Since someone recently "liked" this post and it's no longer possible to edit it, I'll correct it here. The Safety Connect transceiver in the Prius v Five and in other Toyota models that have one is located inside the dashboard instead of near the right rear wheel where the Lexus Link transceiver was located in Lexus vehicles from 2001 to around 2006. The component that I thought was the transceiver in our Sienna appears to be part of its rear HVAC system. I apologize.
