iPod Issues?
09-28-13, 08:38 AM
#16
Here is another item which comes to mind at the moment for those trying to use third-party MP3 players and using Apple's iTunes. When you download a song from Apple it comes down not in MP3 format, but rather AAC. When you copy these files over to your MP3 player they MAY NOT PLAY unless your player also supports AAC or you convert them. Some will play AAC, some do not. However, almost none of these third-party players will play an iTunes file with Apple's DRM attached. This part phones home to make sure you are the true owner of the file.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2698?v...S&locale=en_US
What can you do? For one, buy your songs from Amazon.com. These are MP3 and do not have any DRM copyright code along for the ride. They also come in a higher quality format by default when compared to the base Apple iTunes file. The other way would be to just buy an iPod.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2698?v...S&locale=en_US
What can you do? For one, buy your songs from Amazon.com. These are MP3 and do not have any DRM copyright code along for the ride. They also come in a higher quality format by default when compared to the base Apple iTunes file. The other way would be to just buy an iPod.
06-11-14, 08:13 AM
#17
Driver School Candidate
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I have a 2013 ES350...using an up to date Classic iPod...with around 9000 songs in my library...I am able to play around 70 songs and mysteriously, my audio system turns off...when I turn it back on, the iPod doesn't show onscreen...I sometimes have to turn the car off and on multiple times to see my iPod...have taken it to the dealer at least 6 times...they replaced the stereo system and the jack in the console...still goes off...they don't know how to fix this...Lexus just has a technology problem with iPods...period! It's extremely frustrating that a car of this caliber can't properly play an iPod!
My wife is leasing a 2013 Rx350 with the standard audio system and for the most part likes it. However, the ONE thing she wanted most of all in her new vehicle was the ability to listen to playlists on her iPod. That's where the trouble starts.
Yes, the iPod is easy enough to connect. She has an iPod Classic whose software is fully up to date - as verified by the dealer. She has it connected via the 30 pin adaptor into the USB port and it displays just fine on the console. She normally leaves it connected while parked during the day and overnight. All good thus far. However, occasionally, the iPod will start up when you turn the vehicle on, and play for about 15 seconds. Then, the entire audio system will turn itself off. She can turn the audio back on and see her FM, satellite and other audio devices, but she cannot get it to re-connect to the iPod. She has even tried disconnecting the iPod from the cable after these incidents and when she plugs it back in, it still does not see the iPod on the console. The only thing she can do is turn the entire vehicle off - essentially rebooting the entire audio system which does resolve the problem.
So, being the smart guy I am, I went out and purchased an iPod Nano for her. It even has Bluetooth which was easily connected into the system. However, my observation is that the Bluetooth connection does not have the full functionality of the wired connection. She primarily listens to playlists which do not seem to come up via the Bluetooth. So, we went back to plugging it in via the new 'Lightning' connector. This works better than it did with the iPod Classic in that it hasn't crashed once it the vehicle has started. However, occasionally, when she starts the car, the audio system is off even though she left it in the on position the evening before. My question here is whether the iPod's battery drains overnight which causes the audio system to not be able to recover the iPod channel, so it just doesn't turn on. My secondary question is whether turning the car off while the iPod is playing should pause the iPod so that the iPod battery doesn't drain?
We have taken it back to the dealer and talked to the Technology specialist a couple of times and he's checked with other dealers and headquarters but no one else seems to be having this problem.
Overall, the vehicle is great. It looks sharp, drives very nicely, and all that. However, my wife is at wit's end on this. The one thing she wanted in a car, doesn't work how it should. Her feeling is that it's a $50K car - how come they can't get the stupid iPod to work? Me, being a Technology dude, fully expects little issues like this. She doesn't and is about ready to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Apologies for the novel sized post, but am curious if anyone else has had (or heard of) similar issues? Solving this could be good for the prospect of my continued marriage.
Yes, the iPod is easy enough to connect. She has an iPod Classic whose software is fully up to date - as verified by the dealer. She has it connected via the 30 pin adaptor into the USB port and it displays just fine on the console. She normally leaves it connected while parked during the day and overnight. All good thus far. However, occasionally, the iPod will start up when you turn the vehicle on, and play for about 15 seconds. Then, the entire audio system will turn itself off. She can turn the audio back on and see her FM, satellite and other audio devices, but she cannot get it to re-connect to the iPod. She has even tried disconnecting the iPod from the cable after these incidents and when she plugs it back in, it still does not see the iPod on the console. The only thing she can do is turn the entire vehicle off - essentially rebooting the entire audio system which does resolve the problem.
So, being the smart guy I am, I went out and purchased an iPod Nano for her. It even has Bluetooth which was easily connected into the system. However, my observation is that the Bluetooth connection does not have the full functionality of the wired connection. She primarily listens to playlists which do not seem to come up via the Bluetooth. So, we went back to plugging it in via the new 'Lightning' connector. This works better than it did with the iPod Classic in that it hasn't crashed once it the vehicle has started. However, occasionally, when she starts the car, the audio system is off even though she left it in the on position the evening before. My question here is whether the iPod's battery drains overnight which causes the audio system to not be able to recover the iPod channel, so it just doesn't turn on. My secondary question is whether turning the car off while the iPod is playing should pause the iPod so that the iPod battery doesn't drain?
We have taken it back to the dealer and talked to the Technology specialist a couple of times and he's checked with other dealers and headquarters but no one else seems to be having this problem.
Overall, the vehicle is great. It looks sharp, drives very nicely, and all that. However, my wife is at wit's end on this. The one thing she wanted in a car, doesn't work how it should. Her feeling is that it's a $50K car - how come they can't get the stupid iPod to work? Me, being a Technology dude, fully expects little issues like this. She doesn't and is about ready to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Apologies for the novel sized post, but am curious if anyone else has had (or heard of) similar issues? Solving this could be good for the prospect of my continued marriage.
06-11-14, 08:42 AM
#18
Moderator
I continue to have intermittent problems on my 2013 RX450h as previously reported in this thread with my iPod Classic. I have have tried two separate Classics (I keep one permanently in each car with my complete collection), and have tried two different official Apple cables. All 4 combinations of iPods and cables sometimes fail in my Lexus. Unfortuntely, in nearly a year of ownership, I've never had an iPod failure in my 2014 MBZ SLK.
I too recently went into my dealership for normal maintenance and mentioned it to my SA as something that needed to be checked for a possible firmware update as I had done before. Their new policy is all such matters have to go through the Technology Specialist before they accept it as a service issue. So be that, even though I've been through it with a different specialist previously. Fortunately, the intermittent problem DID happen with the Specialist sitting in my truck. He did some research, found a few issues from others -- all ended up being bad cables, downlevel firmware on iPods, and things I and others have suggested here that others first check. He then came out with his iPhone4 and cable, and of course it didn't fail in my 2013 RX450h, nor did my iPod Classic when tried again after that. His suggestion was to try another cable and come back if it fails again. I took a deep breath. The reality is, Apple has not updated firmware in the iPod Classic (and most other iPods) in years, so perhaps that is part of the problem -- but as I said to him, it DOES work 100% of the time in my less-than-a-year-old Benz.
Anywhoz, as much as I hate the occasional failure in my otherwise nearly perfect Lexus, I'm just living with it, since Lexus beyond the dealership does not seem to take this as a high-priority item needing resolution. Since I'm on the Lexus Advisory Council and get occasional invites for surveys, you can bet I've never missed an opportunity to mention that Lexus needs to focus more on the quality and end-user interface of the complete Infotainment (including Nav) system to bring it up to date like their competition.
I too recently went into my dealership for normal maintenance and mentioned it to my SA as something that needed to be checked for a possible firmware update as I had done before. Their new policy is all such matters have to go through the Technology Specialist before they accept it as a service issue. So be that, even though I've been through it with a different specialist previously. Fortunately, the intermittent problem DID happen with the Specialist sitting in my truck. He did some research, found a few issues from others -- all ended up being bad cables, downlevel firmware on iPods, and things I and others have suggested here that others first check. He then came out with his iPhone4 and cable, and of course it didn't fail in my 2013 RX450h, nor did my iPod Classic when tried again after that. His suggestion was to try another cable and come back if it fails again. I took a deep breath. The reality is, Apple has not updated firmware in the iPod Classic (and most other iPods) in years, so perhaps that is part of the problem -- but as I said to him, it DOES work 100% of the time in my less-than-a-year-old Benz.
Anywhoz, as much as I hate the occasional failure in my otherwise nearly perfect Lexus, I'm just living with it, since Lexus beyond the dealership does not seem to take this as a high-priority item needing resolution. Since I'm on the Lexus Advisory Council and get occasional invites for surveys, you can bet I've never missed an opportunity to mention that Lexus needs to focus more on the quality and end-user interface of the complete Infotainment (including Nav) system to bring it up to date like their competition.
06-11-14, 01:59 PM
#19
BertL, I have seen a lot of issues over the years attributed to the use of third-party cables with an Apple device. Old Apple cables as well. Used to keep a short Apple brand 30-pin cable around, amongst others, for testing purposes only.
And yes, the iPod Classic has not received a software update in a long, long time nor should you expect one before the device is discontinued.
And yes, the iPod Classic has not received a software update in a long, long time nor should you expect one before the device is discontinued.
06-11-14, 02:16 PM
#20
How's your email configured for Apple? Just last week, they sent out an upgrade. A few months back it seems, they upgraded the IOS. It comes in my email whenever they do it. Maybe you should check your Apple account at the Apple store to make sure everything is current.
BertL, I have seen a lot of issues over the years attributed to the use of third-party cables with an Apple device. Old Apple cables as well. Used to keep a short Apple brand 30-pin cable around, amongst others, for testing purposes only.
And yes, the iPod Classic has not received a software update in a long, long time nor should you expect one before the device is discontinued.
And yes, the iPod Classic has not received a software update in a long, long time nor should you expect one before the device is discontinued.
06-11-14, 03:00 PM
#21
Moderator
Hey Jim, iOS updates tend to be completely independent of iPod updates the past many years, and as RX330inFL says, the iPod Classic is doomed to be discontinued one of these days... There is no real replacement for its capacity, but sales have dropped off in favor of (more expensive) physical-disk-less and unfortunately less capacity models -- and even those will go the way of ancient memories as people use their phones more and more with integrated music. I too have music on my iPhone that is great when walking, etc., but it is only 1/5 of what I own. I love having 100% of my music collection in my cars, just like I have at home, especially on road trips, so anything that suits my fancy is at my fingertips.
...and RX, yes, I think you and I helped a couple of folks on this subject a while back where one was using a knockoff cable, and another ended-up being a no-name "lookalike" iPod, that was some odd Chinese thing in the end. I purposely bought a new Apple cable from my local Apple Store for each of my cars when they were purchased, just so I knew there were no problems with cable connections, and keep the 2 of the same models just so I can prove it's not my device that is the real root of the problem.
...for me, it comes down to Lexus isn't really trying to focus on this, even though the Classic and the firmware realse it runs is a supported device according to my owners manual. I know it can work when the competition is flawless in execution with the same devices and cables. My hope remains that Lexus will start focusing more on improving Infotainment and Nav interfaces -- Lexus is really behind the times in capability, the look, and feel compared to what folks have for less money with standalone devices and this German (and even some US) competition have been delivering for years. I maintain high expectations for my favorite brand, but as I put it in one of the last Lexus surveys, this Infotainment thing is easily solved by a few programmers in an office, opposed to design, manufacturing, and all that... And just think how many less complaints we'd see here on CL if they really did improve on this sort of thing... :-)
Any who's, as usual, we seem to all be in agreement here. My best.
...and RX, yes, I think you and I helped a couple of folks on this subject a while back where one was using a knockoff cable, and another ended-up being a no-name "lookalike" iPod, that was some odd Chinese thing in the end. I purposely bought a new Apple cable from my local Apple Store for each of my cars when they were purchased, just so I knew there were no problems with cable connections, and keep the 2 of the same models just so I can prove it's not my device that is the real root of the problem.
...for me, it comes down to Lexus isn't really trying to focus on this, even though the Classic and the firmware realse it runs is a supported device according to my owners manual. I know it can work when the competition is flawless in execution with the same devices and cables. My hope remains that Lexus will start focusing more on improving Infotainment and Nav interfaces -- Lexus is really behind the times in capability, the look, and feel compared to what folks have for less money with standalone devices and this German (and even some US) competition have been delivering for years. I maintain high expectations for my favorite brand, but as I put it in one of the last Lexus surveys, this Infotainment thing is easily solved by a few programmers in an office, opposed to design, manufacturing, and all that... And just think how many less complaints we'd see here on CL if they really did improve on this sort of thing... :-)
Any who's, as usual, we seem to all be in agreement here. My best.
06-11-14, 04:16 PM
#22
Believe the last update for any iPod Classic was 2.0.5. My 160GB 7th Generation model maxed out at 2.0.4, just checked, and that firmware edition dates back to late 2009. Not sure where 2.0.5 was deployed, for which models or what it fixed. Just know it exists. These firmware versions are much different than iOS releases you might see for an iPod Touch, for example. No real apps to deal with. They have been talking about killing the iPod Classic now for four years from what I remember. Still, it soldiers on.
BertL, yes I agree with the deficiencies in the Lexus infotainment systems over the years. Apple, in many ways, is also to blame for some problems as well when it comes to their deployment of some standards. Beyond the cable problem previously discussed and making sure your firmware was up-to-date, it could be how Lexus implemented the USB port. Sufficient for 90% of the products on the market and working with the current product line from Apple, however, not really tested with the older stuff. Perhaps your MB was designed to be more tolerant in their design spec when it comes to the USB connection. Could also be as simple as a timing or other signaling matter on the bus. If the infotainment system sees the device and does not handshake in the allotted time it may act as you have described.
Try starting a song playing on the iPod and then connecting it to your Lexus to see if that helps. Thinking the hard drive spin up time might be coming into play based on my comments above.
BertL, yes I agree with the deficiencies in the Lexus infotainment systems over the years. Apple, in many ways, is also to blame for some problems as well when it comes to their deployment of some standards. Beyond the cable problem previously discussed and making sure your firmware was up-to-date, it could be how Lexus implemented the USB port. Sufficient for 90% of the products on the market and working with the current product line from Apple, however, not really tested with the older stuff. Perhaps your MB was designed to be more tolerant in their design spec when it comes to the USB connection. Could also be as simple as a timing or other signaling matter on the bus. If the infotainment system sees the device and does not handshake in the allotted time it may act as you have described.
Try starting a song playing on the iPod and then connecting it to your Lexus to see if that helps. Thinking the hard drive spin up time might be coming into play based on my comments above.
06-11-14, 04:45 PM
#23
Moderator
Thx for the feedback!
06-12-14, 05:06 AM
#25
Moderator
06-12-14, 09:35 AM
#26
You might find this even funnier:
http://www.cultofmac.com/126338/why-...-license-plate
I have been to the mothership on several occasions.
http://www.cultofmac.com/126338/why-...-license-plate
I have been to the mothership on several occasions.
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