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ipod touch 1st gen and car stereo

I am wondering if I can connect my ipod touch 1st generation to my car stereo to listen to music?

Posted on Apr 21, 2019 12:27 PM

Reply
Question marked as Apple recommended
Bigbrother1 wrote:

... I was told and read that the touch 1st gen would not work on your car stereo due to software on it not being able to get the proper software upgrade.

That sounds like a misinterpretation of the facts. Let's examine this in detail.


The software on the 1st generation iPod Touch will be iOS 3.1.3 an although it cannot be updated to a higher version, that does not affect the way the iPod plays music. The music will be fed out to the headphone socket, as it always has been. I have suggested that you use an audio cable from the headphone out socket, which means that the iPod's software is irrelevant. All that is coming out of the iPod (to the cable) is audio.


The other end of that cable goes into the AUX socket of the car's stereo and once again, since it's only audio going into the AUX socket, the software on the car's stereo is also irrelevant.


All this depends upon your car's stereo having an AUX socket that allows you to connect a 3.5mm jack-plug cable to the car. This is what you need to focus on and by now you should have confirmed this for yourself. If you haven't found the AUX socket yet, make sure you look in the glove-box and under the dashboard, possibly on the passenger side. Still not found it? Try checking the source controls of the car's stereo by switching from radio to the other sources. Does AUX appear as an option? (Or read the car manual.)


Of course, one thing you will not be able to do (when using an audio cable into the AUX socket) is control the iPod from the car's head unit or steering wheel controls (if your car has those). Consequently, in order to avoid trying to change anything on the iPod while driving, the best solution is simply to start is playing a long list of songs before you start driving. In the UK, the police would take a very dim view of a driver using an iPod directly, while driving.


-----------------------------------


So - what about the "software" issues? Let's consider the other methods.


  • First of all, if your car has a USB connection in it, that may enable you to use the iPod's own cable to connect between the 30-pin connector on the iPod to the car stereo's USB socket. However - and this is a big however, that will be dependant upon software - both that on the iPod and the software in the car's stereo and I do not know whether this method would work or not. There's only one way to find out and that's to try it - if your car has a USB connection in it.


Bluetooth: this is a digital connection between devices, that offers a good sound path between them, and sometimes limited control of the iPod from the receiving device (car stereos and headphones). However:


  • The 1st generation iPod Touch does not have Bluetooth (BT), so even if your car's stereo has Bluetooth, you cannot use it to connect with the iPod. I suppose this could be described as a "software issue".


  • Although it is possible to buy Bluetooth adaptors, to give the iPod Bluetooth capabilities, the ones (currently available) that work through the 30-pin dock connector of the iPod may not recognise the iPod's software. So in this situation, there would be a software problem, hence the reason I have not suggested it. Also, they usually take the power to run the BT device from the iPod, which means that iPod's power will run down more quickly.


  • There are also Bluetooth adaptors that take the audio headphone output from the iPod and turn that into a Bluetooth signal. However, the ones I've seen didn't work too well. Furthermore, if you're going to use the output from the headphone socket, you might as well use the audio cable method I have suggested. It will be cheaper.


  • Then there are FM transmitter devices. These take the audio from the headphone socket on the iPod and turn that into a radio signal. You then tune your car's radio the same frequency and you then hear the iPod audio. However, although that would not have software issues, the sound quality of those devices are far from ideal, so I would not recommend them.

Posted on Apr 22, 2019 7:51 AM

3 replies

Apr 22, 2019 3:10 AM in response to Bigbrother1

If your car stereo has a 3.5mm input socket (usually marked as AUX), then all you would need to a 3.5mm plug to 3.5mm plug cable, to connect from the headphone outlet of the iPod to that AUX socket. Note that in this situation, both the volume control on the iPod and the car stereo would affect how loud it would be through the car stereo. Such cables should be widely available, possibly in car accessory shops or even just supermarkets. That depends on where you live.


If your car does not have an AUX socket (check to make sure it's not hidden somewhere), there are alternative methods, but they're a bit more involved and may not work too well. We can look at those if you need to.

Apr 22, 2019 6:17 AM in response to the fiend

Thank you for the reply back. I am aware of the methods of how to hook up the ipod but I was told and read that the touch 1st gen would not work on your car stereo due to software on it not being able to get the proper software upgrade. I have already purchased one of the ipods and will be getting it sometime soon in the mail. I just hope that I didn't waiste any money on something that I won't be able to use is all. again thank you for your help.

Question marked as Apple recommended

Apr 22, 2019 7:51 AM in response to Bigbrother1

Bigbrother1 wrote:

... I was told and read that the touch 1st gen would not work on your car stereo due to software on it not being able to get the proper software upgrade.

That sounds like a misinterpretation of the facts. Let's examine this in detail.


The software on the 1st generation iPod Touch will be iOS 3.1.3 an although it cannot be updated to a higher version, that does not affect the way the iPod plays music. The music will be fed out to the headphone socket, as it always has been. I have suggested that you use an audio cable from the headphone out socket, which means that the iPod's software is irrelevant. All that is coming out of the iPod (to the cable) is audio.


The other end of that cable goes into the AUX socket of the car's stereo and once again, since it's only audio going into the AUX socket, the software on the car's stereo is also irrelevant.


All this depends upon your car's stereo having an AUX socket that allows you to connect a 3.5mm jack-plug cable to the car. This is what you need to focus on and by now you should have confirmed this for yourself. If you haven't found the AUX socket yet, make sure you look in the glove-box and under the dashboard, possibly on the passenger side. Still not found it? Try checking the source controls of the car's stereo by switching from radio to the other sources. Does AUX appear as an option? (Or read the car manual.)


Of course, one thing you will not be able to do (when using an audio cable into the AUX socket) is control the iPod from the car's head unit or steering wheel controls (if your car has those). Consequently, in order to avoid trying to change anything on the iPod while driving, the best solution is simply to start is playing a long list of songs before you start driving. In the UK, the police would take a very dim view of a driver using an iPod directly, while driving.


-----------------------------------


So - what about the "software" issues? Let's consider the other methods.


  • First of all, if your car has a USB connection in it, that may enable you to use the iPod's own cable to connect between the 30-pin connector on the iPod to the car stereo's USB socket. However - and this is a big however, that will be dependant upon software - both that on the iPod and the software in the car's stereo and I do not know whether this method would work or not. There's only one way to find out and that's to try it - if your car has a USB connection in it.


Bluetooth: this is a digital connection between devices, that offers a good sound path between them, and sometimes limited control of the iPod from the receiving device (car stereos and headphones). However:


  • The 1st generation iPod Touch does not have Bluetooth (BT), so even if your car's stereo has Bluetooth, you cannot use it to connect with the iPod. I suppose this could be described as a "software issue".


  • Although it is possible to buy Bluetooth adaptors, to give the iPod Bluetooth capabilities, the ones (currently available) that work through the 30-pin dock connector of the iPod may not recognise the iPod's software. So in this situation, there would be a software problem, hence the reason I have not suggested it. Also, they usually take the power to run the BT device from the iPod, which means that iPod's power will run down more quickly.


  • There are also Bluetooth adaptors that take the audio headphone output from the iPod and turn that into a Bluetooth signal. However, the ones I've seen didn't work too well. Furthermore, if you're going to use the output from the headphone socket, you might as well use the audio cable method I have suggested. It will be cheaper.


  • Then there are FM transmitter devices. These take the audio from the headphone socket on the iPod and turn that into a radio signal. You then tune your car's radio the same frequency and you then hear the iPod audio. However, although that would not have software issues, the sound quality of those devices are far from ideal, so I would not recommend them.

ipod touch 1st gen and car stereo

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