How can I play the iPod shuffle 4th gen in my car? The car is not eqipped with an auxillary outlet, just a USB. When I try to plug the device in, it charges but won't play. Is there anything special I can but to make this happen? Thanks!
iPod shuffle, iOS 7.0.3
i am sorry to tell you that you won't be able to do anything about this. there is no special equipment you can buy to make this happen as the sound of the ipod is coming out of the auxilary input and not the usb port. Your best bet would be to buy a portable speaker
Also, make sure you check settings on the car audio system. There may be a setting that specifies that you are connecting an iPod, and not something generic like a USB flash drive with song files on it. You should review the documentation for the system, if available online, to see what devices are supported, as well as song file types (MP3, AAC, etc.).
An alternative is to buy a cheap USB flash drive. You may already have one. Here's one that barely sticks out of the USB port, and has four times the capacity of a shuffle
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/SanDisk/SDCZ33008G/
You can just leave it connected to the car audio system, except when you want to change songs on it. Unlike an iPod, you don't have to constantly disconnect it to take with you, or worry about extreme heat or cold that may damage an iPod (and being a target for theft).
Problem is, I download a lot of material from Audible, and all of their stuff is DRM-protected in .aa and .aax formats. A standard USB flash drive won't recognize these formats (unless there's something out there I don't know about), and the only way to legally remove the DRM is by doing a real-time dub. Since some of my audiobooks run 20+ hours, you can imagine what a time-consuming process that is. I bought the shuffle because I have a Sony car stereo that has played other iPods through the USB port with no problem, so I assumed it was friendly to all models. However, when I plug the shuffle into the USB port, the stereo tries to read it for a few seconds and comes back with a "not supported" message. My flash drives play through the USB with no problem, as long as the stereo can recognize the file formats. I'm stumped as to why it won't recognize the shuffle. I have an aux in, so I can run the audio through a line-in cable, but I'd prefer to be able to control the shuffle through my stereo's controls instead of the controls on the shuffle. Is there a way to possibly reformat the shuffle so the stereo talks to it through the USB?
A shuffle is a greatly simplified version of an iPod, so it may not do things the "big" iPods can do. You should review the documentations for the Sony car audio system, and check the list of supported devices.
When you previously used "other iPods through the USB port" with that Sony system, you were able to play DRM'd audiobook files?
Playing an iPod Shuffle in a Car (no Aux, only USB)
