How to stop iTunes from auto start playing music at USB car plug?

Question

How to stop iTunes from auto start playing music at USB car plug?

When I plug my iPhone 7+ into the dashboard USB plug (on my Mercedes Sprinter van,) iTunes starts playing, even though I didn’t ask for the app to start. If I go into the app and hit Pause, then do almost anything else on the iPhone - use Messages or Maps, etc., the music starts again, even though I did not go back into iTunes and hit play. This happens even if I completely close the app (swipe up.) As far as I can see, there’s no “Stop” button for the iTunes app, only Pause and Play.

An earlier 2013 post about this says “From the iTunes menu at the top go to iTunes>Preferences>Devices>Prevent iPods, iPhones and iPads from syncing automatically. Check the box at the bottom of that window. Click OK, quit iTunes,” but I cannot find said menu in the app. Maybe this is visible on the desktop iTunes, but not in the iPhone. I’m on the road, cannot access my desktop iMac. I could simply mute the volume on my Sprinter audio system, but that would also mute phone calls, Google maps instructions, etc, all of which I want to continue to come through the Sprinter speakers.

Why is this automatic, Apple, and how do we shut it off!

iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 10.1

Posted on Jul 30, 2018 9:06 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 6, 2018 4:41 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

Rhythm Earthsong wrote:

An earlier 2013 post about this says “From the iTunes menu at the top go to iTunes>Preferences>Devices>Prevent iPods, iPhones and iPads from syncing automatically. Check the box at the bottom of that window. Click OK, quit iTunes,” but I cannot find said menu in the app. Maybe this is visible on the desktop iTunes, but not in the iPhone.

Yes, that's in reference to iTunes (which is the program on your computer, not your iPhone ... the app on your iPhone is simply "Music", not iTunes).

This sounds to me like a function of your stereo sending out a "play" instruction over USB (which is actually pretty common, and not limited to Apple devices on the other end of the USB cable). Unless there's a firmware update for the stereo to change that behavior, is it possible to use Bluetooth rather than USB? If the stereo does not support Bluetooth, there are relatively inexpensive Bluetooth receivers that plug into a cigarette lighter with a cable running to the AUX input of the stereo.

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Answer 2

Aug 8, 2018 11:54 PM in response to KiltedTim

Hmm...I called Mercedes and they said the AR-15 head unit in their Sprinter models has no “auto play” feature, and no way in its own Settings to access a way to choose, one way or another, whether it signals the iPhone to start any app when connected.

They recommended I go into Settings>General>Restrictions and individually switch off the CarPlay option.

As previously mentioned, this auto start of the Music app doesn’t just occur for me alone, or only in my Mercedes. We travel frequently and rent a variety of different brands & models of cars at different locations. Virtually every car we rent, no matter the model, does the same thing - the minute we plug in our Lightning-to-USB, the Music app starts coming throught the speakers. Does that mean virtually all late-model head units in cars force this? And if it’s in the head unit and not the phone, how come the only app on forced-start is iTunes Music? How come it doesn’t start to play Spotify or Pandora, or open any other app on my phone?

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Answer 3

KiltedTim

Level 10

225,786 points

Aug 8, 2018 12:32 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

The "auto play" you describe is NOT a feature of the phone. It is a feature of the head unit in the car. The phone is simply responding to commands received from the head unit.

Some other phones have a setting like you describe, but the iPhone does not.

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Answer 4

Aug 8, 2018 12:01 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

Thanks, plimsoul,

I plug my iPhone into USB for charging, which of course, will not charge over Bluetooth. When I plug into my Sprinter’s dashboard USB plug, all audio comes through the speakers - the vocal directions from Google Maps, any callers voice in phone conversations - which is very useful for hands-free driving and routing while traveling. These audios would come through the stereo speakers from a Bluetooth connection also, but without the phone staying charged. I could run the USB cable to a “cigarette lighter” plug closer to the console’s floor, which somehow does not trigger auto-music-play, AND go on Bluetooth for the calls and Google directions thru the speakers, but the cable would get in the way of many dashboard items. I just can’t believe this “pretty common” auto-play instruction doesn’t come with a pretty common “do NOT auto play” setting - either within iPhone’s settings or the stereo’s. Having your music start up should be a choice, not compulsory, and a simple, easily accessible choice at that!

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Answer 5

Aug 6, 2018 4:30 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

No help from the community?? Is this a really odd question? I can’t believe I’m the only person whose iTunes Library starts playing, unasked, the instant they hook their iPhone up to the dashboard USB port, in my van (Mercedes) or any other car. It’s a real issue, and a serious driving distraction when the music starts blaring and you have to fumble with the phone screen to stop it. Please help, thx.

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Answer 6

Aug 9, 2018 2:33 PM in response to rockmyplimsoul

Very clear. Thanks. And I agree that there’s seems to be no phone that has an “off” setting for this, which is odd since it’s ubiquitous across most cars & head units.

But what’s truly odd is that this auto-play exists at all?! Whose brilliant idea was it, within the car stereo head unit design community, that everybody

wants music to start playing immediately the moment they plug into USB, so let’s include a forced “on” command in the USB node??

Of course, the workaround is to skip the USB plug and use Bluetooth, but then...no charging for the phone. And they say these code & connection designers are supposed to be the logical, “ergonomic” dudes...go figure!

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Answer 7

Aug 9, 2018 4:09 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

Beware that even Bluetooth might auto-play, it depends on the system.

One alternate solution might be what I use in my old Tacoma. It doesn't support Bluetooth audio so I use a Griffin Bluetrip, which is a small Bluetooth module that plugs into the cigarette port (for power) and has an audio cable to run to the stereo's AUX input. In this arrangement, the iPhone never auto-plays. I also run a Lightning cable from my 2nd cigarette port for charging the iPhone. Griffin also has the iTrip which has a built-in Lightning cable (in addition to the audio output cable). I think these behave differently since they use the same Bluetooth protocol as headphones, unlike car audio systems which use a different Bluetooth protocol.

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Answer 8

Aug 9, 2018 7:48 AM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

I suspect the Mercedes representative is not grasping what you're asking about, as CarPlay has nothing to do with this (that's a separate protocol), unless your Mercedes specifically supports CarPlay. If you'll notice, the autoplay will (usually) resume the last audio source that was playing on your iPhone (e.g. Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, etc.) so it is not limited to the Music app.

In my Jeep Wrangler I normally use Bluetooth but if I use the USB connection it will autoplay the last audio source as long as the stereo was left in AUX mode (i.e. not radio), I've even had it initiate voicemail playback since that was the last thing "playing" on my iPhone. Same goes for the Lexus we used to have, USB always triggered autoplay, and even the Android-based phones I had years ago did this. So I think you're chasing a problem that can't be resolved unless you find a phone that has a disable feature (never seen or heard of one that has that).

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How to stop iTunes from auto start playing music at USB car plug?

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