HOW TO LISTEN TO MUSIC IN THE CAR FROM YOUR PHONE? BLUETOOTH, AUX, USB CABLE, TRANSMITTER

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There are many ways in which you can connect your phone to your car radio and listen to your favorite music from your phone in your car. This is convenient, because now almost everyone has all their music stored in their smartphone. In addition, many people use music services such as Apple Music, Google Play Music, Spotify, etc. to listen to music online (or via the Internet from VK, other applications and sites). It doesn't matter if you use music services, or the music is downloaded to the phone's USB flash drive, you can listen to it in the car by simply connecting the phone to the radio tape recorder via Bluetooth, using a USB cable, AUX, or in another way. In this article, we will consider all the possible ways by which you can connect a smartphone to a car radio.

There is a huge number of standard head units and universal car radios. They all differ in their capabilities and functionality. Some of them can only play music from old cassettes and receive radio, and some no longer support CDs. Modern radios most often support music playback only from USB drives, SD cards and via Bluetooth.

The newest and most advanced head units and universal radio (audio systems) have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. Of course, you can connect your Android smartphone or iPhone to such modern devices without any problems at all (and not only to access music), most often even without using wires. But even to an old car radio, you can connect a phone and use it to listen to music in the car. Even if there is no AUX. Almost all methods are equally suitable for both iPhone and Android smartphones. An ordinary push-button mobile phone can also be connected.

Ways to connect a smartphone to a car radio

Most of the solutions that I will discuss in this article I have tested on my own experience. I'll start with the most convenient and topical (in my opinion). Since the article will be large, using the menu (article content) below, you can go directly to the connection method that is right for you. If you still do not know which method to choose (based on the capabilities of your radio and smartphone), then I recommend that you familiarize yourself with all the possible options.

Bluetooth wireless connection
AUX connection
Using a USB cable
Via Bluetooth transmitter (if the radio does not have Bluetooth)
Via radio (FM transmitter)
Special emulator
Apple CarPlay or Android Auto

Via Bluetooth (no wires)

One of the most convenient and popular ways. It's very simple: the smartphone connects to the car radio via Bluetooth and plays sound through the car's speakers. And in some cases (depending on the radio), it is possible to use the car speaker system for speakerphone. The radio screen displays information about calls, network level, smartphone battery charge and other functions. And the connection process itself is practically no different from connecting a phone to wireless headphones or a speaker.

The main thing is that the radio tape recorder in your car supports Bluetooth. You can find out by looking at the instructions, or characteristics on the official website. If your car has a standard head unit, then you most likely know if Bluetooth is there or not. Also, in most cases, the device itself has a Bluetooth icon, or the corresponding item in the settings. The process of connecting your smartphone to the speaker system of your car may differ from my instructions.

How to connect:

You need to switch the radio to Bluetooth mode (BT AUDIO). This is usually done using the Mode button.
Perhaps, depending on the device, you need to activate the connection mode (if the phone does not detect the radio tape recorder via Bluetooth).
Open the Bluetooth settings on the phone and select our radio tape recorder there. In this case, it makes no difference whether an iPhone or an Android smartphone.
The radio will most likely need to confirm the connection. Pairing appeared on my screen, followed by Pair and two options NO and YES. Select YES (allow pairing) and confirm.
Everything is connected!
The network signal level and the charge level of my iPhone appeared on the screen of the radio (it also works on Android). Also, a request appeared on the phone to allow the synchronization of my contacts. To be able to make and receive calls through the speakerphone in the car.
We are interested in listening to music from the phone. All sounds from the phone are played through the car speakers. Just turn on music on your phone (in the player, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Google Play Music, YouTube, in the browser) and listen.
You can listen to audiobooks through special applications.

Tracks can be switched using the buttons on the radio or on the steering wheel. You can also control the volume, receive calls. But it depends on the functionality of the radio, or the equipment of your car.

Important! If you have a radio without Bluetooth, you can buy a special Bluetooth transmitter (receiver). It connects via AUX, and takes power from USB. Then you can output the sound from any phone. But you won't be able to switch tracks on the radio, you have to do it on your phone. I will talk about Bluetooth transmitters in more detail.

I believe that such a connection is one of the most convenient and affordable today. And if you are lucky, and you have a car with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, then after connecting, icons of the most necessary applications that can be useful in the car appear on the screen of the head unit. Including the "Music" application.

We connect the phone to the radio tape recorder via AUX

The easiest and fastest way. In addition, even in old radio tape recorders, as a rule, there is an AUX input. And the phone has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Or an adapter is included. On the AUX radio, the input looks like this:

This is an entry for a regular 3.5 mm jack. If you have a head unit, then the AUX input may be somewhere in the armrest, glove compartment, or some kind of pocket. To connect the radio with a phone via AUX, you need a 3.5 mm jack - 3.5 mm jack cable.

I had it in the kit. If you don't have it, you can buy it at almost any digital store. He's not expensive.

We make the connection:

We plug one end of the cable into the AUX input on the radio, and the other into the 3.5 mm output on the phone.
Switch the radio tape recorder to AUX mode.
We turn on music on the phone and listen to it in our car.
You can only control music playback on your phone.

The iPhone can be connected via AUX in the same way.

If you have a new iPhone that no longer has a 3.5 mm output, then use an adapter. If the adapter was not included with the phone, you will have to buy it yourself. By the way, I've already seen a Lightning cable - 3.5 mm jack on the Internet.

I myself often listen to music in the car via AUX, since there is no Bluetooth in my radio. Not as convenient as Bluetooth, but not bad either.

Via USB cable

The challenge is to simply use the phone as a storage device. That is, there is music on the flash drive (or internal memory) of the phone, we connect the phone to the radio tape recorder via USB in data transfer mode, the radio tape recorder scans the phone memory, finds audio files there and starts playing them. As if we connected a regular USB flash drive.

Note! The possibilities of this connection method strongly depend on the functionality of the radio. For example, there are radios that support connecting Android devices via USB. In this case, a special application is installed on the phone. You can control playback both from the phone and from the radio.

What is important:

The car radio must have a USB input. Again, if this is a standard system, then the USB input is most likely located in the glove compartment, or in the armrest.
The iPhone will most likely fail to connect this way. Because the iPhone cannot be used as a storage device. Unless only your car has Apple CarPlay support. Or the radio supports iPhone cable connection (see specifications). This feature is available on some models from Alpine, BOSS, JVC, Kenwood, Pioneer.
Most often you need a USB to Micro USB cable. Or USB - USB Type-C (on new, top-end smartphones). But not every cable will fit. The fact is that there are cables that were originally designed only for charging the phone. It is difficult to distinguish it. You need a USB cable for data transfer. The one that comes with the phone should work.
You can only listen to the music that is stored in the phone's memory (or on a flash drive). Music over the Internet, various music services (the same Spotify, Deezer), applications, browser, you will not be able to listen to. An exception is cars with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (I'll talk about them at the end of the article). On them, when connecting a smartphone via a USB cable, the functionality will be huge. Including access to online music services.
You can try to connect not only an Android smartphone, but also some ordinary, push-button phone. The main thing is that it is defined as a USB drive. If you connect it via USB to a computer and just transfer files, then you will most likely be able to connect it in the car.
The phone will charge immediately.

We connect the smartphone to the radio tape recorder:

We connect one end of the USB cable to the phone, and the other to the car radio.
The phone may ask in which mode to connect. Or manually in the settings, select "File transfer" (data storage device).
If the radio has not automatically switched to "USB" mode, then do it manually.
After reading the USB drive, audio files should appear and music playback from the phone should begin.
Most often, playback can only be controlled on a car radio.

Working method, you can use. But as we have already found out, it has many disadvantages and different nuances.

Via Bluetooth transmitter or receiver (receiver)

We need a special Bluetooth transmitter device, or a Bluetooth receiver (also called a Bluetooth AUX receiver). And a radio with AUX input. The bottom line is to add Bluetooth support for a radio that doesn't have it.

In a nutshell, what is the difference between a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter can work in two modes: receive sound via Bluetooth from the same phone and transmit it to speakers, headphones, radio. Or receive sound via cable and transmit it via Bluetooth to the same headphones. That is, to work on reception and transmission (TX - transmitter, RX - receiver). A bluetooth receiver can only receive audio over bluetooth and transmit it over a cable.

As you already understood, both devices are suitable for us. Since we need to receive sound from the smartphone via Bluetooth and transmit it to the car radio via AUX. I will not tell you for a long time, but rather show how it works with a real example.

We connect the Bluetooth transmitter (receiver) to the power supply from charging, or the USB port of the radio. We also connect the radio tape recorder to the transmitter using a 3.5 mm cable via AUX.
If you have a Bluetooth transmitter, then it must be switched to the receiver (RX) mode. Well, in AUX mode, if it has other modes.
We turn on the transmitter (depending on the model). Mine needs to be turned on, as it has a built-in battery. But there are models that start working immediately after connecting to power.
We activate the connection mode on the transmitter (so that our phone can see it). Perhaps it is already available for search by default immediately after connecting. Again, it all depends on the specific model.
In the Bluetooth settings on the smartphone, we select our transmitter and connect to it.
Switch the radio tape recorder to AUX mode.
Now you can play music in any application on your phone and listen to it in your car.
In the photo above, you can see that BT-B19 (my transmitter) is selected as the source for sound output.

My transmitter model is not quite suitable for use in a car. It's very large with a battery. There are more compact and simpler models, smaller in size than a flash drive.

Via FM transmitter (radio)

An FM transmitter is a separate device that receives sound from a smartphone via Bluetooth, or AUX, and transmits it to a radio tape recorder via a radio (FM tuner). The radio on the radio is tuned to the FM frequency on which the FM transmitter broadcasts sound.

If your radio tape recorder only reads cassettes or CDs and catches the radio, then you can connect your phone to it via an FM transmitter. There are a huge number of different devices. They differ in their capabilities, design, etc. In addition to transferring music from the phone via the radio, FM transmitters can read SD cards, ordinary USB flash drives, and work as a speakerphone. They are usually powered by a cigarette lighter. Or via USB from charging.

It makes sense to buy such a device only if the radio is in the car without AUX input and Bluetooth. If you have AUX, it is better to buy a Bluetooth transmitter. But this is purely my opinion. With such a connection, there may be poor sound quality, interference.

It works like this:

FM transmitter is connected to power supply.
The smartphone is connected to the transmitter via Bluetooth, or using a 3.5 mm (AUX) cable.
The radio on the radio is tuned to the FM frequency that is set on the FM transmitter.
You can control music from your phone. If the connection is via BT, then use the buttons on the transmitter itself.

In some cases, this is the only solution that allows you to listen to music in the car using your phone. We are talking about old radio tape recorders and standard head units.

Special emulator for the head unit

There are devices such as CD changer emulators for radio. This device connects to a special connector (on the back of the radio) and allows you to read music from SD cards, USB drives, receive it from your phone via AUX, or Bluetooth. And the radio "thinks" that it works with a regular CD changer. Everything connects and works beautifully, without a collective farm. Suitable for old OEM car radios.

It is connected via the input for the CD changer. Or through a special adapter.

It is usually displayed somewhere in the glove compartment, or in another convenient place. The head unit detects it as a CD changer.

Nothing complicated, just be careful when choosing this device. There are a lot of them on AliExpress. Be sure to find out if a particular model is right for your vehicle. It is necessary that certain protocols that are supported by the emulator and the head unit must match. Read reviews, ask the seller, Google information on your car model.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Well this is the best solution by far. If your car has support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, then you can not just listen to music from your iPhone or Android smartphone, but display the necessary applications on the screen of the head unit: maps, podcasts, audiobooks, instant messengers, calendar, phone. You can also use voice search.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support must be provided by the OEM head unit or car radio. Some popular manufacturers such as Gazer, Pioneer, ALPINE, Kenwood, SONY, JVC have already released radio tape recorders supporting these functions.

As for cars (standard devices), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support began to appear in cars in 2016. But it all depends on the brand, model, equipment. At the moment, more than 500 car models support this function. Many models from Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Citroen, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Skoda, Toyota and others. It's strange that there is no Mercedes on this list.

For a complete list of supported vehicles, please visit https://www.android.com/auto/ and https://www.apple.com/en/ios/carplay/. You can also learn more about these functions there.

Support from iOS devices: all iPhones starting from iPhone 5.
Support from Android devices: From Android 5 to Android 9, you need to install the Android Auto app from Google Play. Android 10 has Android Auto built into the system.

The phone is connected to the car via cable. Some devices have wireless connectivity. Well, as far as I understand, the possibility of a wireless connection also depends on the car itself (equipment). In any case, the phone will still have to be charged, as this function will drain the battery a lot. Unless there is also wireless charging in the car, then you can do without wires at all.

Afterword

It is very difficult to tell in one article about all possible solutions and all the nuances. For the reason that there are many different standard head units and radio tape recorders. Of course, they all differ greatly in their functionality and capabilities. In most cases, I have shown universal solutions that can be used with almost all devices, and listen to music from your phone in any car. I also recommend that you study the information specifically about your radio. Just type her model in the search and read the description on the sites, watch the technical specifications, videos on YouTube.

If you use, or know any other solution, be sure to share it in the comments. If something failed to connect, or does not work, then leave questions. I will try to suggest a solution.

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