iPod out functionality

[VOLS34]

When I bought my car stereo head unit I still had my 3GS & everything worked fine. It would detect my phone as an iPod & I could use the unit controls to shuffle through songs etc. I upgraded to the 4S & it still worked fine. At some point though it lost the iPod out functionality. I can put the stereo on iPod but I have to control everything with my phone. I have no clue what happened. I have the iPhone 5 now & purchased an adapter & it's the same. Anybody have a clue or had similar issues? Did a software update change something?

 

[fury]

On the one thing I've tried that does iPod out, it still seems to work on a 3GS and iPod touch 4 that are on 6.0. I also tried my iPhone 4S on 6.0, but I think it could not communicate with the iPhone with the LifeProof adapter on. And I don't want to take the phone out of the case to check yet..

You will definitely not be able to get iPod out on an iPhone 5 using the $29 or $39 Apple adapters, though. The Lightning adapter doesn't support analog video, which is required for iPod out.

 

[Europa]

On the one thing I've tried that does iPod out, it still seems to work on a 3GS and iPod touch 4 that are on 6.0. I also tried my iPhone 4S on 6.0, but I think it could not communicate with the iPhone with the LifeProof adapter on. And I don't want to take the phone out of the case to check yet..

You will definitely not be able to get iPod out on an iPhone 5 using the $29 or $39 Apple adapters, though. The Lightning adapter doesn't support analog video, which is required for iPod out.

I have iPod out with the Lightning adapter on my iPhone 5 when it's connected to my Sony head unit.

 

[fury]

I have iPod out with the Lightning adapter on my iPhone 5 when it's connected to my Sony head unit. It uses a digital signal.

Is it iPod out, or is it just the head unit displaying the database and track info in its own user interface? Unless it's a full on video screen, it's probably the latter, which is remote user interface, which does work with the Lightning adapters.

iPod out is the video feature where the iPod/iPhone generates the UI and sends it as a video signal. It looks sort of like an Apple TV theme, or a dark themed iPod classic screen, and it would take over the whole screen while in use.

Here is an Apple article on troubleshooting connections to car stereos that refers to remote user interface vs. iPod out.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3581

 

[Europa]

Wait, wasn't the OP asking about the loss of audio controls on the head unit?

I can control the music through the head unit with and without the adapter. I haven't tested it with video.

 

[VOLS34]

My unit worked fine & it stopped working at some point after I had my 4S for awhile & before iOS 6. All the other functions work fine. It would display artist, title, etc on head unit & I could navigate music through the head unit. Also when I clicked on the music app on my phone it would say iPod connected to device or something like that. Now I have to use the music app to change music & such. Maybe the cable that came with my head unit went bad or something.

 

[fury]

That sounds like a bad cable, yeah.

Here's an example of remote user interface, which does still work with Lightning:

And here's an example of iPod out, which doesn't:

 

[Europa]

My unit worked fine & it stopped working at some point after I had my 4S for awhile & before iOS 6. All the other functions work fine. It would display artist, title, etc on head unit & I could navigate music through the head unit. Also when I clicked on the music app on my phone it would say iPod connected to device or something like that. Now I have to use the music app to change music & such. Maybe the cable that came with my head unit went bad or something.

Some head units are not capable of this. Since yours used to work, I think it's related to the phone/firmware. Updating the firmware on the head unit might work, but I don't know how you would go about doing that. A new stereo with full iPod compatibility on 6.x would also do the trick, but that's not an economical fix.

But I know it is possible since mine has continued to work with every new iPhone model and firmware version and with the adapter.