How do I play music from my phone to my radio using a USB cable?

ByJael Lawler

What You’ll Need

To play music from your phone to your car radio using a USB cable, you will need the following:

  • A smartphone – Most newer model smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, support connecting to car radios via USB.
  • A car radio with a USB input – Many cars built within the last 5-10 years have USB ports built into the radio/infotainment system.
  • A USB cable compatible with both devices – You need a cable that has the proper connectors to plug into your specific phone model on one end, and into the USB port on your car radio on the other end. The cable must support both charging and data transfer.

Make sure your smartphone and car radio are compatible and that you have the right USB cable before trying to connect them. The USB connection on both devices needs to support playing audio files and media transfer for this to work properly.

Connect Your Devices

The first step is to physically connect your phone to your car’s radio using a USB cable. Make sure to use a high-quality USB cable designed for audio rather than charging, as the thinner charging cables can result in reduced sound quality.[1] With some vehicles, you may need to purchase an adapter or auxiliary cable to allow your phone to connect if there is no built-in USB input.[2]

Plug one end of the USB cable into the USB port on your phone. For iPhones, this will generally be a Lightning port, while most Android phones use a USB-C port. Then locate the USB input on your car’s radio faceplate. This is generally located on the front panel but check your owner’s manual if you’re unsure. Carefully plug the other end of the cable into the car’s USB port, making sure it’s fully inserted.[3]

Once the USB cable is securely connected between the two devices, your phone and car stereo will be able to communicate and you’ll be ready to start playing music.

[1] https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/best-car-aux-adapter-for-music-player.html
[2] https://www.fluxmagazine.com/different-ways-to-play-music-in-your-car/
[3] https://www.audicable.com/guide/play-streaming-music-offline-in-the-car.html

Allow Access on Your Phone

Before you can play music from your phone through a USB cable, you need to enable USB file transfer mode in your phone settings. This allows your phone to interface with other devices like your car radio over the USB connection. Here are the steps:

  1. Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
  2. Scroll down and tap “Connected Devices.”
  3. Under “Connection preferences,” tap “USB.”
  4. Select “File Transfer” mode. This will allow your phone to transfer media files over USB.

Now when you connect your phone to your car radio using a USB cable, your phone will be in file transfer mode. This permits playing media like music from your phone through the car speakers. Just make sure you have music files saved locally on your Android device to play them over USB.

Source: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9064445

Open The Music App

The next step is to launch the music or audio app on your phone that contains the songs or content you want to play. Some common options include:

Spotify: One of the most popular music streaming services, with over 82 million songs and 406 million users worldwide (Source). Spotify allows you to access your personal library, curated playlists, podcasts, and more.

Apple Music: Pre-installed on iPhones, Apple Music grants access to over 90 million songs ad-free, creates personalized playlists, and offers music videos and livestreams (Source). Apple Music has over 90 million subscribers globally.

YouTube Music: This app from YouTube allows you to play official songs, albums, thousands of playlists, and music videos. It has over 50 million songs and is available for both Android and iOS (Source).

Open your preferred music app and browse to find the song, playlist, album or other content you want to play through your car stereo. This content will now be accessible on your car dashboard for playback.

Select The Music

After your phone and car stereo are connected via USB, you will need to choose the specific music you want to play. Open the music app on your phone and browse your music library. You can play entire playlists, albums, artists, or select individual songs to play.

Most people have between 1,500-3,000 songs on their phones according to polls on Reddit and Quora (https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/2m92t2/how_many_songs_do_you_have_in_your_library/). With Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services, your options are nearly limitless. Take some time to queue up your favorite playlists or cherry pick your preferred tracks.

If you want to listen to albums in their entirety, you can also simply select the album and play it from start to finish. Some cars even display album artwork and song titles right on the dashboard when playing music from your phone.

The key is taking a moment before driving to get your music queued up. Once you are on the road, you won’t be able to safely browse long music libraries to find the perfect song for the moment. So make your selections before shifting into drive.

Play The Music

Once you have connected your phone to your car stereo via USB and allowed access to your media files, open the music app on your phone and select a song, playlist, album or other audio you want to listen to. When ready, simply tap the play button on your phone’s music app screen and the audio will start streaming from your phone to your car stereo speakers via the USB connection.

The USB connection allows you to play music with better quality than Bluetooth according to sources like Auris (https://theauris.com/blogs/blog/aux-vs-bluetooth). When you hit play on the music app, the digital audio data is transmitted over the USB cable to your car stereo which decodes it and amplifies the signal to play through your speakers.

Make sure the volume on your car stereo is turned up, and adjust as needed once the music starts playing. The volume can be controlled from either your phone’s music app or the car stereo’s interface. The audio should play clearly through your car speakers as if you were listening to music directly from a USB drive.

Adjust The Volume

Use your radio’s volume controls to adjust the level. Most car stereos have volume levels ranging from 0 to 40. While there is no universally accepted “optimal” volume, a good target is keeping music below 85 decibels (Source). At this level, you can enjoy your music while still maintaining situational awareness and protecting your hearing.

Turn the volume up slowly to find a comfortable level without distortion. The perceived loudness will depend on your speakers, the acoustics of your car cabin, and your personal preferences. If you have amplifiers or subwoofers, take care not to overdrive them. It’s better to keep volumes moderate and avoid sound quality issues.

Change Tracks

Once your phone is connected and playing music, you can easily change tracks using your phone’s interface. Here are a few ways to switch to a new song or playlist:

  • Open the music app on your phone and select a new playlist or album to play. This will change the music playing through your car stereo.
  • Tap on a new song in a playlist to skip to that track. The song will begin playing through the car stereo.
  • Use the previous or next buttons in your music app to skip forward or back to other songs.
  • Activate shuffle mode on your phone if you want a random mix of songs to play.

The key is using your phone’s music app interface to choose new content, just like you normally would for headphones. This gives you full control over which tracks play through the car stereo while remaining focused on driving.

Troubleshooting

If you are unable to hear music through your car stereo, there are a few things you can try:

First, make sure USB mode is enabled on your phone. You may need to go into your phone’s settings and enable USB audio output or USB debugging. Consult your phone’s user manual for exact instructions.

If USB mode is already enabled, try using a different USB cable. Not all USB cables are capable of transmitting audio, so switching to a different cable may resolve the issue. Make sure to use a cable specifically designed for audio transmission rather than a regular charging cable [1].

Inspect the connections at both ends of the cable for any debris, damage, or bent pins. Clean the connectors with compressed air and reconnect firmly. A loose connection can prevent proper audio transmission.

If different cables and connections don’t help, you may need to reset your stereo system. Consult your owner’s manual for instructions on how to reset the stereo to factory default settings.

As a last resort, you may need service for a faulty audio jack or USB port if no audio plays after trying the above steps. Schedule a service appointment with an authorized technician to inspect your stereo’s components.

Enjoy Your Music

Now that everything is connected and set up properly, you can start enjoying listening to music from your phone through your car radio. With your music app open and songs selected on your phone, the audio should come right through your car speakers via the USB connection.[1](#ref1)

Listening to your favorite music while driving can make your commute more enjoyable and even provide some benefits like reducing stress and improving focus on the road.[2](#ref2)[3](#ref3) Just remember to keep the volume at a reasonable level so you can still hear important sounds like horns and sirens. Changing tracks and controlling your music app can wait until you are stopped. Most importantly, stay alert to traffic and road conditions. Now sit back, and let the music liven up your drive!

[1] https://www.onstar.com/stories/music-driving
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22176481/

[3] https://elmodrive.com/blog/does-music-affect-driving/

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