2015 GS 350 F-Sport - iPod error.
 

When I try to play music from my iPhone 6 Plus (iOS 8.1.3) via Bluetooth, everything works great. However, if I attempt to plug the phone in with a lightning cable, I keep getting "iPod error."

If I re-select the iPhone, it works again. No need to disconnect and reconnect.

I am using iTunes Match, so most of the songs are streaming. I suspect that iTunes Match might actually be the issue, but the car should certainly be able to handle this IMHO.

It's very frustrating and distracting.

Is there a solution?

Wolfsnap, in order to look into this concern we would have to duplicate it through inspection. If you know how to get the error to show consistently please take your vehicle to a Lexus dealership so we can look into this for you. We thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention.

Try using the iPhone cable only to charge, get the 12v plug and use the outlet. Let the phone use Bluetooth for both phone calls and music. It will switch back and forth seamlessly, use the USB ports for non phone sources, flashdrives and iPods. The charging current from the USB's is milliamps anyway, use the 12v!

While I'm sure this would work, it defeats the point of the USB/iPhone input and shouldn't be necessary. Also, Bluetooth-streamed music is highly compressed and doesn't have the same quality as music streamed through the USB port.

Has the dealer been contacted about this?

I contacted the dealer... Lexus of Riverside. Their response was (slightly more nicely worded than what I'm writing here), "Don't do it that way".

Basically, they told me to use a 12v charger vs. plugging in via Lightning port. However, Bluetooth music doesn't sound nearly as good as digitally transferred music via the lightning connector. And, since I paid a premium for the Mark Levingson sound system, it would be nice to be able to listen to music in an uncompressed state.

I can duplicate this ad nauseum. Plug in phone, find new song, let it play. When it goes to the next song, I get an iPod error.

I've tried on the newer iOS 8.2 -- does the same thing. Fails after almost every song.

Plugging in via a charger does solve the issue, but at the expense of quality.

BTW, I'd be happy to provide the VIN # and/or my contact details if you'd like. I just want the car to work properly...

Just in case it helps.. The software version of the car's operating system is: 15.8410 -- Navigation V15A8840. Model ID 13LWENNA-AB01

I use bluetooth to stream music from my iPhone to the car. I also put these same MP3 to the USB and play the same songs. The quality are essentially the same. You do not lose much if any on the music quality. If there is any, it is probably due to your perception.

For full disclosure, I expect very high sound quality system and my car is also upgraded with JL Audio subwoofer and amplifier. I also have Mark Levinson sound system on another car.

iPhone disconnecting
 

I have this same exact trouble.. for every release of iOS 8. I'm pretty sure I didn't have this problem in iOS 7. I have an iPhone 5S, btw.

I noticed my car (2015 IS350 F-Sport) disconnects from my phone when any of the phone's other connections change state. If I'm streaming bluetooth, and my cell signal drops, audio stops and i see "iPod Error". Same if I plug my phone in. I can play audio via USB and turn my phone on airplane mode and audio stops. It feels like a horrible iOS bug.

Does your phone/car exhibit this same behavior?

I'm pretty much fed up with it and ready to find an alternative music player.. at least for the car.

I'm also having the same problem with my iPhone 6 running iOS 8.2 . I joined the forums today looking for a solution, but it seems it is still unresolved. I'm really hoping Lexus responds to this and provides some solution or software update to it. I have a 2015 Lexus GS 350 F-Sport I bought a week ago and I'm pretty disappointed that something as basic as playing music from my phone using the USB cable doesn't work properly. While bluetooth streaming seems to work better most of the time, I agree that the audio quality is not the same so I would prefer to use the USB connection.

I haven't figured out a way to reproduce this problem every time, but I've found that it happens whether I'm listening to music through the USB cable or bluetooth (with the phone still connected to the USB port). In either case the music just stops and I have to switch back to the audio source. It is very distracting while I'm driving since it happens fairly frequently. Today it disconnected about 4-5 times during 30 minutes of driving.

I did share this problem with my dealer yesterday, but they didn't provide a real solution. They even mentioned that the system is designed to only work with an iPod, which doesn't seem right to me and I hope it's not true. I was also told that Lexus never provides software updates to fix bugs which again I hope it's not true.

If anyone has a solution, please share. Thank you!

The firmware located in a vehicle is updated anytime the firmware in the phone is updated. When you connect the vehicle to the phone typically when there is an update, it will state that it is updating. We are aware of the concerns that some customer's have been facing with the iOS 8 updates.

Anytime an update is made to the phone we suggest turning off the phone to allow it to reboot. This fixes the issues for some customers but not all.

We have made notations regarding your concerns so that we may provide the information to our engineers. However, the problem is with apple and the software they are using. These are "bugs" relating to the iOS system and not the vehicle.

It seems you're implying that whenever there is an iOS update, Lexus might also update the vehicle's firmware. How can customers check for updates to the vehicle's firmware? Has there been an update based on iOS 8?

I rebooted the phone but it did not fix the issues.

Is Lexus working with Apple to resolve these iOS bugs? Do you know if Apple has committed to fixing them?

By the way, I should also mention I really appreciate that Lexus customer care is in these forums responding to customer concerns. It really says a lot for the company, not many will do that. Thanks!

FYI, this issue happened in my 2015 GS350 and in my 2015 IS350 loaner car.

I rebooted the phone but it did not fix the issues.



Is Lexus working with Apple to resolve these iOS bugs? Do you know if Apple has committed to fixing them?

By the way, I should also mention I really appreciate that Lexus customer care is in these forums responding to customer concerns. It really says a lot for the company, not many will do that. Thanks![/QUOTE]

We have Apple of the issues that we are facing with their updates. This is also occurring with other manufacturers as well so we hope that Apple will address the issues soon.

We are also happy to be here for our customers and look forward to being here when you need us.

same issue with my RC350F

I have the same issue with my 2015 IS350 F-Sport. I have gotten this error with two different iPhone 6. The problem seems like it has been around for a year without a solution. (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...pod-error.html). The iPhone 6 works perfectly fine via lightning cable on my friend's 2012 G37S, and on various older/cheaper cars. I have a 12v charger for my phone in the car to charge the phone and play on bluetooth, but that defeats the purpose of the iPod interface. It's quite ridiculous how a $50k car in 2015 generates this error, and the manufacturer has failed to release a fix.

Wonder if this would be a lemon law issue? It definitely interferes with the enjoyment and use of the vehicle.....