iPods and the Infotainment System

[shaylarz]

Hey all! I just picked up my new-to-me 16 EX-T and I'm absolutely loving it. Like everyone else, though, I'm having a few quirks with the infotainment system.

The one thing I can't find a workaround to is having the infotainment system recognize my iPod Classic (plugged into the center console USB) under the iPod setting while my iPhone is plugged into the mobile USB for CarPlay. If I don't have the phone plugged in, it recognizes the iPod, but if they're both plugged in, it defaults to the phone.

I'm considering going back Android, which I presume would rectify this problem, but has anyone had any success having both devices plugged in at the same time? It'd be nice to be able to listen to my iPod (which has some things on it that aren't available to stream) while having maps running. Not a deal breaker, I'm just a little irritated.

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[lightthief]

Hmm. Interesting.
Been on this form a while and don’t think I’ve seen anyone post this scenario.
I don’t think it’s one Honda accounted for honestly, as it would be a pretty fringe case. I don’t think there is a workaround other than moving your music to your iPhone or to a USB thumb drive.

I doubt moving to an Android phone would solve your issue though. Having the Android Auto running would likely take priority over the iPod interface as well. I don’t think either are designed to run simulatiniously.

 

[SCOPESYS]

Hmm. Interesting.
Been on this form a while and don’t think I’ve seen anyone post this scenario.
I don’t think it’s one Honda accounted for honestly, as it would be a pretty fringe case. I don’t think there is a workaround other than moving your music to your iPhone or to a USB thumb drive.

I doubt moving to an Android phone would solve your issue though. Having the Android Auto running would likely take priority over the iPod interface as well. I don’t think either are designed to run simulatiniously.

When we 1st got the SI, and noticed it had an Ipod option, we used it for a bit, but then decided that it was less hassle to use a USB drive.. Leaving the Ipod in the car (in the heat of summer) did not seem like a good idea, and remembering to get it and install it in the car each time, became Hit & Miss.


Bottom line, we never noticed an issues using AA with the Ipod, but since we did not use it that long, and everything else was new to use, we might have missed the issue in question.
Nice sunny Sunday Afternoon.. ideal time to try it, and I'll get back to you

 

[SCOPESYS]

4 Hours later !!! - Sometimes "Ignorance is Bliss"
But not when you forget the WiFi password for the WiFI extender into the Garage, and find you cannot get back into the unit to reset it !! TP-Link documentation is "Interesting" - lets leave it at that. Finally got it working, and both our cars re-connected and able to see the Internet...

----------

Anyway, learned a lot about the Bluetooth/WiFi/USB with Android Auto and what can connect and what cannot.
Never quite understood the documentation when it said you cannot use Bluetooth with Android Auto -- understand why now -- its a massive simplification.

So, now my Understanding is this.

Without Android Audio, you phone can connect by Bluetooth to the head unit and can transfer
Contacts, Phone and Media Aufio

If You connect your Phone to the Head Unit with Android Auto (via USB), then the Bluetooth "Audio Media" turns off, and Media Audio is now passed through the USB port via Android Auto. (Contacts & Phone continue to work through Bluetooth)

Therefore when in AA, you cannot use the head Units Bluetooth Media Player, all media audio from your phone (ie Pandoram Spotify etc), passes through Android Auto.
If you have a streaming Media App on your Phone that is NOT supported by Android Auto, you will NOT be able to play that media through the Head Unit (as you do not have a Bluetooth Media Audio connection when AA is being used)

OK, with that out of the way.:-

I had Phone connected by USB (Front USB 1) running Android Auto.
I had Ipod Classic Plugged into the USB 2 port in mid-seat console.
I had Spotify and Pandora (Amazon Music, Google Music etc) installed on the Phone.

No problems switching between, AM, FM, Ipod, Sirus-XM. and Android Auto, to access any compatible player on the phone.
ON all case, the PHONE was available and worked to find Contacts, dial and receive calls.

If I tried to select Pandora as the Audio Source on the Head Unit, head unit Correctly said "NO Bluetooth, use App on Phone", which worked.. could listen to Pandora, (audio came through AA, via USB).

Note: USB connection typically give much better Audio than Bluetooth !!!
Bluetooth was originally designed for low bandwidth DATA, not HD Audio.
There are some new Bluetooth versions that do support HD audio, but not on most head units, and not on most phones... only a few very new phones support HD Audio for headphones etc.​

So, all works 100% as expected -- EXCEPT

Then you are listening to say AM, FM, Ipod, Usb Drive Muisc, you have access to the Equalizer, to set Bass, Mid , Treble and speaker Balance when LISTENING to the music.

However, When you are connected by Android Auto, there appears to be no way to select the Equalizer Menu(while listening to the music via AA) !!! (at least I could not find a way --

If there is PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME )

 

[JCH]

I don't have an iPod to test with but I do have an older iPhone,

If I plug in a secondary iPhone into the center console USB and select iPod as the audio source, then plug in my main iPhone through the main USB port, I get access to CarPlay from the main iPhone with audio coming from my secondary iPhone on the "iPod" source.

If I change the audio source to CarPlay, it works, and if I change it back to iPod it reverts back to my other iPhone successfully.

It was just the matter of plugging things in the right order for me

 

[shaylarz]

Update - the problem seems to have mostly sorted itself out. A factory reset was not done on the head unit when I bought the car, so first I did that. Then I plugged my iPod into the center console USB port (I've left my iPod in my car for the last 5ish years or so between extreme Minnesota cold and heat with zero issues to report), plugged in my iPhone (I'm still probably switching to Android because I miss it haha) and while on the iPod screen, pressed the menu button and whatever option lets you switch USB devices and it hasn't done it again. I can live with the fact that it doesn't retain the spot I was on in the song. The reset also seemed to solve the issues I've been having where regardless of the source I've chosen, it keeps reverting back to Apple Music.

So yay!

I love my iPod and have many, many years of music on there - some by artists who don't put their music on streaming platforms (insert shifty eyes at Tool) or from local musicians that disbanded before streaming was a thing so this was pretty important to me.

 

[SCOPESYS]

Update - the problem seems to have mostly sorted itself out. A factory reset was not done on the head unit when I bought the car, so first I did that. Then I plugged my iPod into the center console USB port (I've left my iPod in my car for the last 5ish years or so between extreme Minnesota cold and heat with zero issues to report), plugged in my iPhone (I'm still probably switching to Android because I miss it haha) and while on the iPod screen, pressed the menu button and whatever option lets you switch USB devices and it hasn't done it again. I can live with the fact that it doesn't retain the spot I was on in the song. The reset also seemed to solve the issues I've been having where regardless of the source I've chosen, it keeps reverting back to Apple Music.

So yay!

I love my iPod and have many, many years of music on there - some by artists who don't put their music on streaming platforms (insert shifty eyes at Tool) or from local musicians that disbanded before streaming was a thing so this was pretty important to me.

Then make sure you have a good BACKUP of the Ipod .. if it were to die, you would not want to loose all that music.

Apple is NOTORIOUS for telling customers, that if their devices don;t boot, all their data is lost. Not True .. and CBS did a bug story on that recently.

see "Louis Rossmann" on Youtube -- quite enlightening about Apple & their practices.

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