Connecting audio through USB - IPhone

[BmorePilotguy]

When I connect my USB I should be able to listen to streaming through my phone, whether being Pandora or a Internet Radio Station. However, it automatically starts my Itunes and plays my IPOD music. I can not make it stop where I would get options to play anything else.

ANyone know how to make my Itunes music not automatically start when hooking through USB?

[rocky]

Best answers likely to come if you can post year and model of your Pilot.

[jl_ss]

A quick skim through the manual shows that the USB interface actually plays the files on your ipod rather than just streaming the ipod audio through the system. To play other ipod music through the system (pandora etc), it looks like you need to use the mp3/aux input.

[LChisum]

Not knowing your model and year, I can only relate to my current Honda. The CD/Aux button will cycle through CD, USB, and Aux (IPOD), I note that when I plug in my IPOD with the USB playing the IPOD will override the USB. So from a cold start ( which I haven't tried with both in ) the IPOD may have the priority.

Larry

[BmorePilotguy]

I have a '11 Pilot Touring. It does appear that the Itunes music is the default. If I stream and hook it to the USB, I can hear it for a second, but then it switches to Itunes music.

Let me clarify also - I do not have anythign connected except for my Iphone which has my music on it. I have it connected by the USB. I could be streaming pandora through my Iphone and hook it to the car and it will automatically overide the pandora and make my Itunes music start playing through my iPhone. It does not override the car audio if I am listening to XM or any of the other radio options, just the Aux.

[jl_ss]

Originally Posted by BmorePilotguy

I have a '11 Pilot Touring. It does appear that the Itunes music is the default. If I stream and hook it to the USB, I can hear it for a second, but then it switches to Itunes music.

Let me clarify also - I do not have anythign connected except for my Iphone which has my music on it. I have it connected by the USB. I could be streaming pandora through my Iphone and hook it to the car and it will automatically overide the pandora and make my Itunes music start playing through my iPhone. It does not override the car audio if I am listening to XM or any of the other radio options, just the Aux.

Read my post above and break out the manual. The USB connection appears to seek out a music file system rather than just stream whatever is connected.

[BmorePilotguy]

OK, I figured it out (from reading another post on this board). When you connect the IPhone, and click on USB it will automatically start playing Itunes music. But if you then switch to something else on your phone to stream, it will fade out and go to the stream, then if you stop the stream it goes back to Itunes.

[busbyje]

I just received my wife's 2010 Pilot Touring since she got an Odyssey and I can't in any way get to play Pandora from my iPhone through the USB. The sound quality through the Aux is AWFUL. I don't have any music on iTunes on my iPhone since I have always listened to Pandora since I got it. I have rebooted the phone, tried every permutation I can think of to connect, disconnect, blah, blah and No luck. Any advice will greatly improve my liking this car. BTW, I'm running OS 4.3.2.

[jl_ss]

Originally Posted by busbyje

I just received my wife's 2010 Pilot Touring since she got an Odyssey and I can't in any way get to play Pandora from my iPhone through the USB. The sound quality through the Aux is AWFUL. I don't have any music on iTunes on my iPhone since I have always listened to Pandora since I got it. I have rebooted the phone, tried every permutation I can think of to connect, disconnect, blah, blah and No luck. Any advice will greatly improve my liking this car. BTW, I'm running OS 4.3.2.

As noted, BmoreP'guy discovered that it plays AAC encoded tunes (itunes) first. Then when you switch to another streaming application, it will fade out and go to that app. Since you have no itunes tunes, maybe it sees that as an error (missing or damaged file system). I'd try downloading a few songs from itunes to see if that help it recognize it as a normal functioning iphone.

[jguditis]

After some trial and error I was able to get my wife's Iphone 4 (Verizon) to work with her '11 Touring to play Pandora. The audio comes through the USB link so it is much better quality than the aux input. Sounds way better than XM.

Also the phone gets power this way, which is a good thing because Pandora is a major battery drain.

First, start with the Iphone unplugged from the car. Start up Pandora. Wait until it starts playing the first song, you should be able to hear it from the internal speaker on the Iphone.

Next, press Aux/CD on the stereo to get to the USB mode. You should see USB, No Data on the screeen.

Plug in the car's USB cable into the Iphone. Pandora will go to pause mode. The car system will go into the Ipod's directory and continue playing the most recent song out of your stored music playlist, through the speakers of the car. The Iphone screen will still be showing the Pandora application.

Now press the Play icon on the Pandora toolbar, and it should stop playing the song from your playlist, and go back to the song it had started playing from Pandora.

Note that the LCDs will continue to show the song info from the playlist song that it started to play when you connected the Iphone. It does not display the song information from Pandora like the way it does for XM or regular radio. If we're not using the navigation, we normally just hit the little button on the bottom of the navigation control panel to blank the LCD.

When leaving the car, just pull the plug and exit out of Pandora.

[dbouchon]

along the same lines: I understand I can play iTunes music via USB in a 2011 Pilot (touring).

Is it possible to play iTunes podcasts as well? How to access them?

On the owners manual's screenshots, I only see:
Playlists
Artists
Albums
Songs

Would Podcasts also appear in the menu if I have iTunes podcasts in my iPhone?

(asking as I do not have my Pilot yet and the dealer has no clue).

Thanks.

[jguditis]

I just went out to her car and did a little testing. She doesn't have any podcasts on her iPod 4, but I do have them on my iPod Touch (gen2), so I just tried this with my iPod.

When you plug the iPod/iPhone into the system it locks down the front panel of your iPod (or the iPod app on the iPhone) and turns all control over to the Pilot's system.

There is no choice for "podcasts" on the vehicle screen, just like you saw in the manual.

The backdoor procedure similar to what I outlined above works for podcasts. If you get the podcast playing and then plug in the cord it will let you resume the podcast by pushing play.

Unfortunately you have to hit play quickly before the system locks down the interface on the iPod. Also once you start the podcast there is no way to pause it since the iPod is locked out, and there is no hardware pause button on the stereo controls.

Again this is on an older iPod Touch gen2 that does not support multitasking. Newer iPod Touches (gen4) and iPhone 4's support multitasking so they might behave differently.

From what I have read on other forums, the OEM iPod integration on Hondas is not good. I have to agree. It works but it is definitely not smooth. The three systems (audio, navigation, HandsFreeLink) are not well integrated and seem to have been thrown together without much thought as to their interaction.

Also note that while you do get Bluetooth phone support on the Touring, it does not support A2DP (music streaming), only the standard phone applications. It basically emulates an earpiece to the phone, and you get the caller id info in the instrument cluster LCD for an incoming call, and you can do voice dialing.

[amkolat]

I know this is ridiculous, but yesterday I bought a 2011 Touring. I cannot "hook" the usb to anything in the mid seat compartment. I have the ipod, hooked to the usb, hooked to the cable and i cannot figure out what it's supposed to connect to. Help.

[jharp01]

So it's not possible to send music via bluetooth? If correct, that's pathetic. I have friends from work with lower class cars that are able to bluetooth music. Is this accurate or am I missing something here? Thanks for any help or info on Bluetoothing music. I have a 2011 Touring model.

[Bill4shorts]

I have both a Pilot and a Civic. I am actually having the same problem in my 2010 civic. The exception being that once I updated my iPhone to iOS5 it will play the iPod app over incoming phone calls. According to all the apple forums I read there is no way to disable this from the iPhone. I only found one way around this problem so far and I hope this helps some of you. If I plug the aux cable in also it allows me to use the iPhone in both the AUX and USB mode. I have found that music (Pandora, iPOD, Audible) plays best through the USB, so when I receive a call, I just hit the mode button on my steering wheel to switch it to aux and answer the call. Now the call plays over the stereo speakers and all music is automatically paused.

Hope this help,

Bill