cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30700991
I still have an old ipod. So old it has no wireless ability. I want to use it in my car which doesn’t have a cassette or cd player. It plugs into the car’s usb port but the car radio “doesn’t see it”. Any tips on how to get it to work?
Sorry I don’t understand your response. This old ipod is loaded with music down loaded from itunes. If I plug head phones into it (it has not bluetooth) it works fine. If I plug it into my stereo receiver in the house it works great. But if I plug it into the usb port in my car - it is not recognized. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
There are low powered FM transmitters you can get for your car
FM transmitter plugs into cigarette lighter for power
iPod connects to FM transmitter via AUX cord
You tune your cars radio to whatever frequency the transmitter is set to, and it plays whatever your iPod is playing
Had this for old portable CD players (the kind that would skip when the car hit a bump). They don’t work all that well. Even if you find a frequency not in use, it gets interrupted from time to time as you’re driving around.
But the alternative is nothing.
I used one all the time in my last work van. Drove it over a good chunk of the US and interference was rarely a problem. You just need to pick a couple unpopular frequencies right next to eat other and set those as two of your radio station defaults. It’s slightly annoying but it rarely even happens.
[Comment removed because a better, non-tracking link was provided]
Hey, I’ve had a car as new as 2017 support an ipod through usb!
And as old as 2010 for me
2024 model here, supports ipods, wired and wireless CarPlay/ android auto, 3.5mm aux, Bluetooth. Only thing it doesn’t have is physical media (cd, dvd, cassette). If you plug in an iPhone that supports CarPlay, but turn off / disallow CarPlay from the phone settings, it just shows up as “iPod” too, so any downloaded music works fine.
Clean(er - still Amazon) link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NEUK86
There are little devices that take the “headphone” cable and transmit a tiny FM radio station just for your car.
Other people replied, but to rephrase: the USB will not work with a car, and there will never be an adapter that will allow it to.
Instead you need a way to send the audio from the ipod headphone jack into your car stereo. Something like this.
I think I can clear up your confusion.
By headphone jack there’s a transmission of simple analog audio.
By USB however there are endless possibilities.
Ipods (and other apple devices) usually spoke a different protocol than simply providing file access as your car is likely expecting. On a pc you needed to install the application for that, too.
That’s likely the reason for not working.
In this case it’s easier to just stick in a mass storage usb stick with music files on it.
Yeah, apple always hated the “(any device) is a thing with folders and files inside” paradigm - it was always “I got this app that plays music, I don’t know how”. So it would be crazy if they would just make any device show the contents of the drive.