Using Pixel as a media/music source via USB

[itinj6]

Just curious if this is possible out of the box or with a third party app.

So I connected my Pixel to my car using the car manufacturer approved cable and an Anker USB-C adapter. I selected USB as the source for the music through the car but the car says that the phone has no playable files and then shades out the selection. BT works fine but I want to be able to see my playlists and such on the car's display. I'm guessing this is somehow possible since Android Auto works using a USB cable and an app. Also using Google Play Music as my player but it didn't work with others when I tried.

Not really savvy in this area so any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[benhaube]

Just curious if this is possible out of the box or with a third party app.

So I connected my Pixel to my car using the car manufacturer approved cable and an Anker USB-C adapter. I selected USB as the source for the music through the car but the car says that the phone has no playable files and then shades out the selection. BT works fine but I want to be able to see my playlists and such on the car's display. I'm guessing this is somehow possible since Android Auto works using a USB cable and an app. Also using Google Play Music as my player but it didn't work with others when I tried.

Not really savvy in this area so any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Most car radios use the iPod protocol over the USB port. Android doesn't support this, so you will need to rely on BT or AUX.

 

[itinj6]

Thanks for the reply. Kind of odd since Android Auto works through USB.

 

[Ry]

Thanks for the reply. Kind of odd since Android Auto works through USB.

Not really odd. You'll need an Android Auto head unit/car stereo for it to work the way you want it to work.

 

[benhaube]

Thanks for the reply. Kind of odd since Android Auto works through USB.

It's not that the USB port on the phone isn't capable of doing what you want it to do. Your car's stereo just doesn't support it. Apple uses proprietary protocols to operate with car stereos, and Android phones don't support those protocols.

 

[itinj6]

It's not that the USB port on the phone isn't capable of doing what you want it to do. Your car's stereo just doesn't support it. Apple uses proprietary protocols to operate with car stereos, and Android phones don't support those protocols.

That makes sense now. Thanks

 

[itinj6]

Not really odd. You'll need an Android Auto head unit/car stereo for it to work the way you want it to work.

My car does support Android Auto, but I'm not too happy with it for one reason. Doesn't let you scroll through playlists indefinitely. I was thinking that if you can get your music library via a USB cable through Android Auto, why couldn't it work without Android Auto. It's still using the same cable.

 

[Ry]

My car does support Android Auto, but I'm not too happy with it for one reason. Doesn't let you scroll through playlists indefinitely. I was thinking that if you can get your music library via a USB cable through Android Auto, why couldn't it work without Android Auto. It's still using the same cable.

But the files aren't open - they're protected.

 

[itinj6]

But the files aren't open - they're protected.

Ok thanks for clearing that up. So it's a combination of the phone and car preventing it.

 

[Ry]

Ok thanks for clearing that up. So it's a combination of the phone and car preventing it.

It's not that the phone and car are preventing it.

It's simply not supported.

 

[N4Newbie]

At the end of the day, I found that the easiest way to listen to my music in the car is to have a 64GB MicroSD card with all my music on it and just leave it plugged into the headunit's card slot.

Every now and then I update the SD card with my latest music downloads and then just plug it back into the headunit.

Seriously, what could be easier??

 

[itinj6]

At the end of the day, I found that the easiest way to listen to my music in the car is to have a 64GB MicroSD card with all my music on it and just leave it plugged into the headunit's card slot.

Every now and then I update the SD card with my latest music downloads and then just plug it back into the headunit.

Seriously, what could be easier??

I would love to do this and my car conveniently has two SD card slots plus 10 GB Internal memory. I use Google Play Music All Access and the Pixel doesn't have a SD card slot. How do I get my music from my phone to an SD card? Possible? I tried researching all last night but fell short. Maybe I'm missing something. Thanks

 

[Ry]

I would love to do this and my car conveniently has two SD card slots plus 10 GB Internal memory. I use Google Play Music All Access and the Pixel doesn't have a SD card slot. How do I get my music from my phone to an SD card? Possible? I tried researching all last night but fell short. Maybe I'm missing something. Thanks

Will probably be easier to do it from a computer.

Note: the music will have to be in an open format - MP3, AAC, whatever your car's stereo supports. It can't be songs from a Google Play Music subscription.

 

[itinj6]

Will probably be easier to do it from a computer.

Note: the music will have to be in an open format - MP3, AAC, whatever your car's stereo supports. It can't be songs from a Google Play Music subscription.

Yeah that's what I figured. Thanks . Maybe I'll just dump the service and buy my songs/albums.

 

[Ry]

Yeah that's what I figured. Thanks . Maybe I'll just dump the service and buy my songs/albums.

My car does support Android Auto, but I'm not too happy with it for one reason. Doesn't let you scroll through playlists indefinitely.

Are you really going to let this issue be the reason you get rid of your Google Play Music subscription?

 

[itinj6]

Are you really going to let this issue be the reason you get rid of your Google Play Music subscription?

Umm, yeah. That's a serious crutch in the system. Suppose I'm listening to a playlist with 500 songs and Android Auto only allows me to scroll through the first 20 before it gives me a warning that too much scrolling is unsafe and now I need to unplug and replug in my phone. How will I ever find song 257?

For the record, I only listen to music in my car so I don't really have a serious need for All Access

 

[Ry]

At the end of the day, I found that the easiest way to listen to my music in the car is to have a 64GB MicroSD card with all my music on it and just leave it plugged into the headunit's card slot.

Every now and then I update the SD card with my latest music downloads and then just plug it back into the headunit.

Seriously, what could be easier??

Do you have playlists on the SD card?

 

[Ry]

Umm, yeah. That's a serious crutch in the system. Suppose I'm listening to a playlist with 500 songs and Android Auto only allows me to scroll through the first 20 before it gives me a warning that too much scrolling is unsafe and now I need to unplug and replug in my phone. How will I ever find song 257?

For the record, I only listen to music in my car so I don't really have a serious need for All Access

I hope the card slots on your headunit support the functionality you're looking for.

 

[itinj6]

I hope the card slots on your headunit support the functionality you're looking for.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere in the vehicle's manual that it is supported somehow. That's what prompted me to ask the question. I'll have to look again where I saw it and how it works.

 

[gone down south]

If you're scrolling through that many screens while driving,...