iTunes automatically starts playing when I get in my car

Question

Level 1

5 points

iTunes automatically starts playing when I get in my car

I drive a Ford with Sync. I have my iPhone 3GS set to automatically connect to the bluetooth in the car when the car is started. In the past few weeks, I noticed my iTunes was automatically starting when it connected with the Bluetooth. It doesn't play through the car, so I don't know its happening unless I look at the phone and see iTunes playing music.

Is there a way to stop it from doing that? Its draining my battery.

Posted on Oct 21, 2010 11:43 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 7, 2017 3:45 PM in response to maerts

Sam I AM, I have this problem with my iphone 5, with my 6s, in my BMW, in a rental Ford, in a rental GM. Sam I AM it happens all the time! Begging the Dr. Seuss' pardon....

Thanks for all who posted fixes through various blue tooth set ups in their car. Now will Apple PLEASE make a true fix

so my phone never never does this distracting, dangerous, annoying behavior!

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Answer 2

bossfan

Level 1

10 points

Dec 15, 2010 10:33 AM in response to maerts

I have an iPhone 4 and am having the same problem. Any thoughts?

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Answer 3

Dec 16, 2010 11:15 AM in response to maerts

I am having some bluetooth issues in my car as well. More specifically, with a new stereo head unit that I installed, but along similar lines. I have a bluetooth enabled head unit that is set to autoconnect to my iphone 4 whenever i power the unit on. then it switches to my music and starts playing music from whatever it was i had last playing. very annoying, but i am living with it. I called clarion and they said this has been an issue since the release of iOS4. Apple, come on, lets get this together.

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Answer 4

alryder

Level 2

220 points

Dec 16, 2010 11:19 AM in response to maerts

I've had this happen with my iPhone 4 and two BlackBerry phones I used to have. The only way I was able to stop it was to set the media source to something other than bluetooth before I shut off my car. Example, my media source choices are USB, line-in and bluetooth. If I set the source to line-in then my iPhone does not auto play.It worked for the BlackBerry phones also.

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Answer 5

Dec 17, 2010 5:05 AM in response to alryder

I tried this with my stereo unit and it doesn't work. Music starts playing as soon as bluetooth connects with my iPhone. BUT, I had an idea last night about this. I am wondering if it is doing this because everytime i switch sources on my stereo, the iPhone is still playing a song. I wonder if i pause the song FIRST before i switch sources if that will make a difference? My thinking behind this is that when the stereo autoconnects with my phone, it detected that the last song was still being played, and therefore switches sources and picks up where the last song was? I will try it later today and post back with my findings! Wish me luck.

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Answer 6

chris32

Level 1

10 points

Dec 17, 2010 5:13 AM in response to maerts

I also have the exact same problem. Iphone 3gs in a 2007 ford edge with sync. I rarely use the bluetooth to play music from my iphone, but it always seems to initiate an autoplay on my iphone when I start the car in the am. then during the day, I check my phone and find out it's playing music, killing the battery.
Nowhere on the phone can I find an auto play setting in either bluetooth or ipod. Same with sync in the car.

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Answer 7

Dec 17, 2010 5:39 AM in response to chris32

It really is kind of annoying. I just installed a brand new stereo in my Honda Accord. For the most part, I love it. Gives me everything I wanted without having to go out and buy a BRAND new car to have the features i wanted with this stereo! If it wasn't for my music starting to play on its own over bluetooth, I would be 100% happy. now, I am only 99.9% happy, but I can live with it.

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Answer 8

chris32

Level 1

10 points

Dec 17, 2010 5:47 AM in response to TrinDawg38

my main complaint is that my ipod starts playing all by itself. It's not even playing over the bluetooth, I could be listening to am radio when the car starts and during my entire drive. But the ipod feature of my phone starts playing and plays all day long, then I look at my phone and see battery life at 50% all because its playing music that I am not even listening to.

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Answer 9

bossfan

Level 1

10 points

Dec 17, 2010 6:13 AM in response to chris32

Same as Chris32: I have a Ford Fusion with Sync and I finally did what others suggested and set the Sync to Line In rather than Bluetooth Audio. This seems to have worked and I still have my Bluetooth phone connection. The only annoying part of that is if I want to listen to voice mail in the car I'll have to remember to change it back to Bluetooth Audio.

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Answer 10

Mar 1, 2011 8:43 PM in response to maerts

Anyone was able to figure out how to ensure iPhone iTunes doesn't automatically switch on when starting the car with 'sync'? The battery really drains out by the time one finishes the ride (not knowing that iTunes is continuosly playing in background). Urgent!!

Help.

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Answer 11

Nov 4, 2011 1:39 PM in response to maerts

Yeah, I completely hate this feature. Sometimes I want to listen to music via bluetooth. I do NOT want it automatically starting every time. This happens even with the car stereo completely turned off! Blah! Please make it stop!

Thanks

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Answer 12

ohioric

Level 1

0 points

Jan 5, 2013 6:47 AM in response to maerts

I have this same problem with an iPhone 5 and Ford SYNC navigation. When my phone connects to the car bluetooth iTunes starts playing the last played song. It doesn't matter what input is selected on the nav, the phone is "playing", which runs down the phone battery. From reading the iPhone manual, I should have to initiate the Music icon and push the Start button. This is bad and I may have to uninstall my phone music and go back to my USB iPod. Please help. Thank you.

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Answer 13

RDoddsJr

Level 1

0 points

Jul 15, 2013 5:24 AM in response to maerts

I too have this problem, though not with bluetooth. For me the auto-play starts as soon as I connect my iPhone 4S to the radio with a cable I connect to the AV 1/8" port in the center console of my 2007 Honda Accord. Not only does it start auto-playing as soon as I connect the cable, it also immediately starts playing the first music file in my phone as soon as whatever podcast I am listening to has ended

Like others, I find this really annoying, but also a little dangerous. Because some engineer thought that auto-playing the first music file on a device was what most people would want to have happen, I now have to either (1) think ahead to select and pause my podcast or song prior to connecting the cable, or (2) scramble around to stop the auto-playing file while I am driving. This is hampered by the fact that the auto=play does not instantiate Music when it auto-plays, so I have to locate and start up Music and go to Now Playing before I can stop the file from playing.

I do not believe, however, that this is Apple's fault. On no other device anywhere does this auto-play occur except in my Accord. On the other hand, I see people in this thread with the same problem driving cars other than the Accord. This could just be something I need to work around. A bummer, but definitely a First World problem.

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Answer 14

Jul 15, 2013 5:50 AM in response to maerts

have you tried a Reset all settings on your 3gs ? 😝

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Answer 15

Aug 7, 2013 9:12 PM in response to ohioric

I have the same issue as ohioric. Ford Sync vs. iPhone 5. I rarely play music on Sync via my iPhone, but definitely want it to remain connected via Bluetooth for the hands-free phone function. Extremely frustrating.

So far, I've seen a lot of people ******** about this, but no answers or resolution. Come on nerds, where you at?!?

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