Music has become essential in every car owner’s lifestyle.
Having the same playlist on your cassette or CD during a road trip could be very dull. That is why nowadays most people use their phones to play music in their cars.
Playing music from your car while driving should be possible whether driving an old or new car model.
However, while using auxiliary cords, Bluetooth and ports are the significant ways of doing so, they are not the only methods
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Methods of connecting your phone to your car’s stereo
Whether using an android or IOS phone, there are several ways to connect your phone to the car.
They include:
- FM transmitter.
- Bluetooth hands-free phone app.
- USB stereo jack.
- Cassette tape adaptor.
- Android Auto and Apple Car Play.
- 30 pin connector.
The above list will enable you to connect your phones to the radio and car speakers in your cars that don’t need a further speaker or stereo modifications.
In this article, we will major our focus on other ways of connecting your phone to your car speakers without using aux or Bluetooth.
So, now what is used to play music from your phone to car stereo apart from aux and Bluetooth?
Ways of Playing Music from Phone to Car without Aux or Bluetooth
1. FM transmitter
Many modern car models have an FM radio and a cigarette lighter.
This is one available option for drivers.
An FM transmitter is also affordable when compared to other methods and is easy to configure. This is made possible by the use of FM transmitter. Handsfree Call Car Charger,Wireless Bluetooth FM Transmitter Radio Receiver is the best FM transmitter and is readily available on amazon.
How to connect:
- Connect the transmitter to the cigarette lighter port to offer a power source to the transmitter.
- Tune in the audio system and select the FM mode.
- Select an FM radio frequency that is not used by radio stations in your locality and then match it with your FM transmitter.
- From your smartphone, find Bluetooth and pair your phone with the transmitter
- Once completed, you can now play your music.
When using an FM transmitter, audio quality largely depends on the quality of the adapter, as it is usually influenced by interference.
Moreover, the audio quality will also be affected by the number of FM stations within your location and your phone model.
2. Cassette tape Adapter
You can also connect your phone to your car’s stereo using a cassette tape adapter if your car’s audio system has a cassette tape player.
How to connect:
- Connect the cassette tape adapter’s 3.55mm audio cable to the phone’s headphone slot.
- Next, put the adapter into the cassette slot.
- On the audio system, on the menu, look for the “tape” mode and press play.
- The music will begin playing, and you can adjust the volume to your liking.
This method is efficient if you can’t use a cigarette lighter, the power port has malfunctioned, or the FM transmitter has a poor signal.
3. Download an app on your phone
Old car models feature hands-free Bluetooth calling but do not permit users to play music.
The solution for this feature is to use a sound routing app that tricks the hands-free Bluetooth to think you are making a call.
How to do it:
- Pair your phone with the car to make a hands-free call. Make a call to make sure that the call is received.
- Next, on your phone, download and install a sound routing app like the Mono Bluetooth Router. This enables you to divert music via the hands-free calling system.
- Go to the sound routing app and open the app you want to play the music from.
This method is cheap and does not need an FM Bluetooth Adapter.
In addition, the sound quality from this will be mono (one signal channel) and not stereo. Therefore car models manufactured between 2000 and 2013 can use this method.
4. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
Currently, many car models feature Android Auto apps and Apple CarPlay.
The two apps allow drivers to connect their phones with the dash of the car. You can play music from your phone screen, view navigation maps, and even send messages through this method.
In addition to that, you can also integrate your voice through Siri and Google Assistant into your car’s audio system.
However, you can apply Android Auto by connecting it to your phone using a USB cable for cars that don’t allow this. Apple phones don’t let this feature currently.
5. USB Input
Most contemporary car models feature a USB port, which can be used as a data connection port or a charging outlet.
In this method, all you need is a compatible USB cable that you can easily access.
A USB cable is usually present when buying a smartphone, but I would advise that you have a spare one in your car not to forget to bring it on your road trip. Also, it would be vital to note that the USB input depends on the kind of phone you have.
For android users, you can get a USB-C cable or a micro-USB cord, and iPhone users have an Apple Lightning Cable.
How to use:
- Locate the USB port of your car’s stereo. In subject to your car model, the port could be at the front of your audio system head unit, dashboard, center compartment, glove compartment, or center armrest.
- Connect one end of the USB cable to the port and the other to your phone.
- When your phone establishes the connection, you will be required to continue with the other steps to allow the audio system to access the music in your phone.
- Set the car’s stereo to USB mode. It will be done automatically in some vehicles, although sometimes you will be required to go through the audio system’s menu and set it.
- Now you can play your phone’s music in the car.
In addition, in some cars, the audio system can mirror your phone’s screen onto its screen, and you can monitor all the processes from there.
USB connection is among the best options for playing music from your phone to the car because it provides good audio quality and a reliable connection. Furthermore, your phone stays charged, and you can pick calls hands-free when driving.
6. 30 Pin iPod Adapter
Some cars give you the option of connecting to your phone using a pre-installed 30 pin adapter.
This allows you to link your iPad and iPhone directly to the stereo.
It is crucial to note that an iPod adapter will always provide you with better sound quality than an FM transmitter.
7. Will I lose Sound Quality by using these methods?
Some people could be worried if not using Bluetooth or aux can affect the overall audio quality.
In summary, from the above methods, using a USB input, hands-free Bluetooth phone app, 30 pin connector, Android Auto, and Apple Car Play will offer you the best sound with minimal interference.
However, using an FM transmitter is the option that will probably give you interference. This is because the audio quality mainly depends on how good your signal is to the radio stations in your location.
Moreover, the quality of the FM transmitter you are using could affect the audio quality. More interference is possible on lesser quality transmitters.
Conclusion
Even if some methods, such as FM transmitter, don’t deliver the best audio quality, most people are still happy to play their music while driving.
From this article, we find various ways we can play music on our stereo from our phones.
Thankfully, we have various options to choose from in these modern times, depending on your car setup and budget.