Whats your iPhone and iPod setups?

People with an iPhone and iPod, what is your setup? How do you have things connected?

Seems like you can not use voice commands ("play artist xxx") to control an iPod Touch connected via bluetooth. Looks like the device has to be plugged in via USB to be able to control your music with voice commands. I tried using the siri hands free and the toyota voice button on the steering wheel. When trying to use the siri hands free it uses the siri on my iphone (also connected with bluetooth) rather than the siri thats on the ipod. What im looking to do is have my iphone AND ipod touch connected via bluetooth and be able to control the music on the ipod touch with voice commands and also be able to use voice commands to make calls on the phone. I figured i would have to use the toyota voice command button to make calls and the siri hands free to control the ipod, but its not really working. Also, when you "browse" a device connected with bluetooth the functionality is very limited. Example, when searching for artist you have to scroll your entire artist list to find the artist, but when connected with USB it gives you letters of the alphabet to use jump around.

 

I have my 5th generation iPod (the Late 2006 one) plugged directly into the USB port 24/7 in my case. It lets you browse with a keypad and use the tune knob as a way to scroll quickly. It's nice that I can navigate playlists and such using the HU but it does take over the iPod's interface which my previous Alpine unit did not. I also use it with an iPod Classic but it was a lot buggier with the newer model for some dumb reason and would display the wrong song that was playing until you changed it forward then back and it would play the right song. So I ditched it for my 2006 model that works just fine. Very strange issue to have. It's loaded with 10,000 songs and works just fine.

I don't use Siri though, since it has no voice control and I just use the HU for finding songs. Haven't tried it with my iPhone yet though it is paired and does play music and phone calls work great on it as well. Most of the time I just use my Apple Watch and "hey Siri" if I'm doing something quick or replying to a text. But I don't use much since I'm driving . DJ duties go to the passenger if I have one. Otherwise it's on Shuffle 90% of the time.

So in short, iPod on USB, iPhone on BT for calls. Works fine, though occasionally the HU will get hung up for a minute switching songs while it is "waiting" on the iPod. Never happened on my Alpine and the iPod isn't super slow, though the HDD does have to spin up every few songs so I'll chock it up to that.

 

I'm still using the GTA car kit. When I upgraded my phone to one with a lightning connector, I had to get a 32 pin to lightning adapter.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. GTA is now making a bluetooth accessory for my kit for around $45, but I'm not really interested right now, maybe when the weather get better.

I use a mountek groove in my CD slot to hold the phone

 

Cool, thanks for the info. I have also had some strange issues playing songs properly like you said. I usually have my phone plugged in to charge via the USB in the dash and keep the ipod touch in the center console plugged into the charge port there. Ideally i want my ipod touch connected with USB all the time but i want it either hidden in the glove box or center console. dont want cables running all over the cab. I am wondering if i can somehow get a USB splitter or something, hide it behind the dash and run it into the glove box? I wish they put a USB in the center console or glove box. On my old 2006 tacoma I had phone connected via bluetooth with the HU and then also a USB aux that ran behind the HU into the glove box connected to my ipod. Worked perfectly and i want the same type of setup in the new truck.

Also, an ipod touch CAN use siri without wifi connection. In the settings turn siri OFF. That way it uses some basic built in commands to play songs and such.

 

Whats this Kit and what exactly does it do?

 

I have a 4th gen ipod touch and an htc one m8...I keep the ipod wired through USB and the Android bluetooth. I believe you can only have one paired device at a time. this was my solution

 

So just plugged in my 6th gen ipod touch again via usb and used voice commands to try to play a song, it plays the wrong song every time. It seems to work way telling it to play an specific artist, but fails when you tell it to play a specific song. This sucks. There better be an update to entune soon.

 

I use my 64 gig iPad connected via Bluetooth and don't use voice commands. If I don't have the iPad with me, I have a 32 gig memory stick with 3500 songs and just plug it in.

G.

 

The GTA car kit is a module that plugs into the stock Toyo stereo's CD changer port in the back of the head unit. It makes the stereo think it has a CD changer attached. The kit comes with the module, wiring harness and two connection cables. One is the apple 32 pin cable (requires adapter for iphone 5 and up) the other is a standard audio cable for use with non apple headphone jacks. When used with iphone, the steering wheel controls work to advance songs, playlists. The basic kit (w/o bluetooth) is $89
It works well with my 64gb iPhone 5s. I keep about 3000 songs on it.

http://www.gtacarkits.com/product/toyota-tacoma-2005-2014-iphone-aux-kit/

 

When using the memory stick what is the interface like, can you select artists, songs, playlist?

 

Yes. Just like using an "i" device. I think it can detect anything up to 8 folders deep. I just transferred the folders from my iTunes library directly to the stick. All the album, artist, etc. info is intact. Even the album art. No playlist function. That's an iTunes thing. You probably could "invent" an album folder and use it like a playlist.

G.

 

Didn't you have to convert the music from the iTunes format first before you added it to the stick?

The other thing I noticed with the Toyota interface is for text messages ther are no canned responses you can select to send a reply like in other vehicles.

 

Good to know, I will buy this low profile usb drive and just leave it plugged in! Better than buying an iPod for, charging and theft! Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra...C_UL160_SR90,160_&refRID=1JT862Y7HC33GRCAJSPR

 

No. I just copied the folders I wanted from my iTunes "Media" folder to the stick. The truck read everything fine.

G.

 

Be careful of leaving it plugged in. If you reach down for something, you could "smack" it and break it off. Just sayin'.

G.

 

Just ordered one. That's the way to go!

G.

 

I've got a 64gb version of that tiny usb in all of my cars. Works great. I also took the little door off that normally covers the usb slot so it wouldn't stick out.

 

Maybe I'm understanding wrong, but in my Tacoma there are preset text messages to use as relies... Stuff like I'm driving I'll call you back, I'm running late... That type stuff.

I have the 4cyl 2wd version so I figure it's a standard thing?

I wish I had navigation in my head unit though. I tried googling but couldn't even find if it was possible to add navi to the head unit I got. It is the entune, but the base model I guess..


I run my mp3 player by a little headphone type cord plugged right in under the USB... But now I'll order one of the small USB things. No more battery dying on the mp3 player.

 

Greetings Tacoma owners...first time owner and poster here (my Dad has a '97 Tacoma that I've been driving since his purchase).

Anyway, I'm very interested in this thread. I already purchased the SanDisk Ultra Fit 128GB version and got it setup with my music...but I cannot use voice commands to find artists. Additionally, I might have over the 9,999 songs which I thought I read might be a limit. Any thoughts on how to get verbal commands to work?

And I have a subset of my music on my iPhone that I connect over Bluetooth...I could trying plugging it in directly if you think that might help.

Thanks!

 

i can't seem to get my 32GB sandisk (one linked in this thread) to read in the tacoma. I googled and found out entune can only read FAT32. On my mac i formatted the usb stick as MSDOS/FAT (which is what the internet says is FAT32 equivalent) and it still doesn't recognize the stick. Any help?