iPod connection problems

My Itouch 64 (3rd gen) was working perfectly since day one until today. I could not get it to work despite trying all sorts of stuff (recycling the power on/off, disconnect/reconnect the cord, etc.). I remembered that i was downloading a bunch of stuff on my Itouch today. So, i went inside and re-sync my Itouch...went back out, and my USB works perfectly now. Coincidence?

 

Ok, the problem happened again today. This time, i was prepared. My wife's car is the TSX with USB connection. My Itouch64 did not work in my wife's TSX either. So, the problem is NOT the Prius nor TSX USB connections. I even tried different USB cables, no go.

THEN, i remembered that i downloaded a song via my Itouch (via wireless internet) before i left home. I did NOT sync it with my computer after downloading the song. So, i went back into the house and sync it with my computer. Voila! My Itouch now works again in my Prius and TSX!!

So, IN MY CASE, it looks like the Prius (and TSX) USB connections are fine. The problem is that my Itouch did not work correctly with the USB connections in my cars without first syncing with my computer, esp. after downloading stuff on my Itouch. Toyota USB works as advertised...problem was with my Itouch (and my incompetence!).

 

Interesting. I'm not having that problem. I have 2010 Prius IV+nav and my iphone 4 works well with the USB interface.
However I prefer to use the bluetooth music streaming feature since I don't have to plug in the iphone and I can control the songs directly from the iphone.
When using the USB port I can only control the songs from the nav system. I does bring in all my library and playlkists like a charm. Havent tried the voice commands via navi to play music yet. I just bought the car last week.

 

I tried the BT streaming, but it was so limiting and required me to take my eyes off the road. The USB is the way to go for me...it allows me to use the steering wheel controls...and charges my Itouch at the same time. And with the NAVI, i can select songs easier too than looking at the 3.5" screen on the Itouch.

 

Just bought a 2010 Prius 3 and experiencing the same problems described; we tested with 2 ipods & an iphone 4, all were occasionally "failed to recognize", some required hard resets or car/audio restart, on one there were sometimes just certain songs or artists that wouldn't play. It's not just annoying, it can be very distracting to fiddle with it when it freezes while driving!

It's too bad I just spent $30K on a new Prius and my ipod worked better in my 97 Taurus (my husband to be is a hybrid cert. tech and hates that I say this out loud; I complained, he said to google it & be patient) :croc:

 

I am using the workaround posted above (turn on the iPod before I turn on the car) and it works every time so there seems to be a timing issue where the car queries the iPod for song information and the iPod is not ready for the query so it causes a lock up of the connection. This is just my theory.

So how do we get Toyota or Apple to fix this? It seems that this would require a firmware update of the Audio system in the Prius rather than a firmware update by Apple. I am a little concerned that this issue has existed for months now without a fix. I don't want to have to remember to turn on my iPod everytime I get in the car.

 

I am also not a fan of bluetooth for listening to music. It's barely good enough for phone calls, I think it degrades the quality too much and it sucks a lot of power form my phone. I just want a USB-iPod interface that works reliably. Seems like a firmware update would cure all of this.

 

No wonder all you folks have trouble with your Ipods and the USB jack. You forget to turn them on!

I just leave mine hooked up to the USB all the time, hidden in the little tray under the armrest. It turns on by itself, no issues at all.

 

Yes! I use an iphone 4 the same way (audiobooks). Same problem, although at first it didn't select the beginning of the audiobook, but just several chapters earlier than where we were listening. Many times we unplugged, navigated to the desired place and replugged the USB, only to have the Prius reselect the same bogus place in the book. But then I made the mistake of trying the up-down arrows on the steering wheel. Not good! Now it always starts from the beginning of the book. I can't use the usb for audiobooks anymore. At least the bluetooth works for the iphone. I wonder how the Prius jams in the location, overriding the one I set, and if there's any way to change it!

Chuck

 

well, I'm not actually turning the iPod on, it's more like I have to remember to wake up the iPod from sleep mode. If i do not wake up the iPod before I turn on the Prius, the iPod cannot be accessed at all. If I wake up the iPod before I turn on the car then I have no problems accessing the iPod.

This is with a 5g iPod nano. I ordered a 6g nano, hope it works differently.

 

Yes, this exact thing happens to me. So annoying -- and there's no scrolling to the right place. Any solutions out there?

 

I apologize for contributing to a different thread about the same topic which had more recent replies, but I'm also one of the iPhone users with frequent USB connection issues. Restarting the phone has been my only reliable fix, but a jailbroken iPhone doesn't reliably restart.

I noticed CARLRE's earlier post with the list of supported devices, but my problem is that the car was sold to us by an otherwise satisfactory salesman who proudly claimed that my iPhone was fully compatible, and I'm sure we're not alone. My fault for not bringing a USB cable and testing it repeatedly before purchase?

 

I'm having the exact same problem with my new 2010 Prius IV. I have tried multiple things to stop this from occuring but found that it is happening only so often as long as I keep the ipod connected. If I disconnect and then reconnect, it restarts the book most times. Unfortunately, I'm also have the connection problem. So I have to disconnect and reconnect, start and stop the car sometimes to get the ipod to recognize again. Very frustrating. Like you, I use the ipod for books 99% of the time!!!!

 

I thought I was going crazy. Same problem here with iPod classic

SPH-P100 ?

 

iPhone 3GS here. My problem is when using USB I can select playlists and podcasts but then have to switch to BT to hear it. Then I cannot control anything but play/pause and volume. One time the sound worked on USB but it was too low I had to max out the volume to hear it well enough.

On my old car the aftermarket JVC head unit was pretty picky as well, I had to start the podcast I wanted to hear then plug it in when the head unit was in iPod mode. I could access playlists but not podcasts...

It would be nice if a software upgrade would fix it but I doubt they will ever get versions of software between Apple and any stereo manufacturer in synch for long. Of course the saleslady told me they were "completely compatible." At least the USB will charge the phone.

 

Do this: When you turn the car on, make sure you always plug the phone into USB AFTER the Nav tells you "Bluetooth Connection Successful". Then make sure you switch directly to USB by pressing the AUDIO button and choosing the USB tab.

If at any time you hit the BT source (like cycling thruough by pressing AUX or MODE on the steering wheel) the iPhone will switch back to BT output. This is due to the way the iPhone handles BT Audio. If a connected BT device sends the play command, the phone will switch to BT.

However, the iPhone will switch back to USB (the "Dock Connector" in Apple terms) whenever USB is connected. So, what you do is let the phone switch to BT, then plug in the connector to make it switch it back.

If you accidentally switch the phone to BT, you can either unplug/replug the cable, or use the little icon in the multitasking bar or at the bottom of the iPod app's "Accessory Connected" lock-out screen. This requires fiddling with the phone, so please don't do it while driving!

BTW, I'm assuming you have iOS 4.2 or higher on your iPhone 3GS. If you don't, none of this will work. If you are up to date you should be able to do prev/next track using the steering wheel controls in both BT and USB modes.

Also, if you never use BT audio, you can just remove your iPhone as a Portable Player. The BT Handsfree should still work. Unfortunately, selecting "Manual Connect" for BT Audio won't work with the iPhone... if the BT Audio source isn't already connected, you won't see the car as an option on the phone.

Turning Auto Connect off works until you connect once... The problem is (according to the Nav manual) if the car is turned off while a BT Audio device is connected, it will default back to auto connect... and the only way to make the iPhone disconnect without turning the car off is to turn the iPhone off, turn BT off, or set Airplane Mode.

Odd that the level is so low thru USB. It should be up to the audio system to set the volume. Still, try using the volume buttons on the phone.

 

Thanks Coyote, I tried waiting for the bt to connect first and then connect the iPhone and it's worked like a charm so far. 3 times today and it worked each time.

I will continue to wait and hopefully that'll work each time. Sucks you have to do that though....

 

Hello. I recently purchased a 2013 Prius 3 Persona Series. I have a 5th Gen iPod Nano connected to the USB port & an iPhone 4S connected to the BT. When playing music while driving, using the iPod, the song will freeze. I tried turning-off the console and switching to other sources but when I go back to USB source, the screen shows "Loading..." indefinitely. When I switch to BT, I get the same message on the screen. I tried replacing the USB cable. The only way I can fix the problem is to restart the car. Not much of a problem solver when you're driving on the freeway.

I'd like to check if anyone experienced the same problem and if they have an alternate fix to the issue. It doesn't happen very frequently to me - once a week. It's also difficult to replicate the problem to show it to the dealer especially when the solution I know is to restart the car. Thank you for reading.

 

Have you tried restarting only the Nano and not the car?

 

Yes, I tried rebooting the nano (while the car is On) and it didn't resolve the issue. I also tried turning off the Navigation & Entertainment System but nothing happen. Thanks for the reply.