Adding Aux/3.5mm Audio Support to 3rd Gen Tacoma (2020–2023)

Hey y'all,

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. I wanted to create a write-up and share my experience for anyone who has a similar, albeit niche, question that I had a few months ago.

Pretty recently, I got into the hobby of downloading and listening to my music library through an old iPod 4G that I had laying around, to which I have began to prefer over stream-based alternatives like Spotify. I took my iPod into my 2023 Tacoma to listen to some tunes on the road, when—to my surprise—I learned that my truck does not come with a stock aux port anywhere in the vehicle.

"Well, no problem", I thought. "I'll just plug it in using the 30-pin to USB cable instead."

Nope. After receiving a compatibility error message on my screen, I read through my manuals and discovered that the Entune system no longer supports tech that old.

I scoured this and other Tacoma forums, but I only stumbled across a few others who had similar questions regarding MP3/iPod or aux connections in their newer 3rd gen Tacomas. Most of the replies and suggestions did not work, including buying a USB-aux adaptor, swapping an older aux/USB hybrid port for my newer USB-only port in the dash, checking the head unit itself for a 3.5mm connection, and exchanging one of the cables from the harness with an older one from a previous generation of Tacoma.

Some suggested a bluetooth transmitter that I could plug into my device, which should theoretically work, but my library includes high-quality audio files that I would enjoy much more in an uncompressed manner via a physical connection. I could also likely have purchased an aftermarket head unit, but I am limited with my budget, so that was not something I was looking to do.

I genuinely thought that there was truly no solution to my problem and lost hope on multiple occasions.

It wasn't until I stumbled upon u/Fallingdamage's comment on the "2023 Taco- Aux cord?" Reddit thread saying "Check out [the] Naviks upgrade. [I'm] about to install it in my 2021 so I can have an aux port." that I made any real progress. As far as I can tell, this is the only mention of this product in the Tacoma forums, and boy, am I lucky that I stumbled upon it.

I eventually found the user's post titled "2021 SR5 - Decided to add an AUX input. Sounds better than bluetooth!!", which helped me install the piece properly. It seems as though we have the only 2020–2023 Tacomas in the world with a stock head unit and aux support!

I am not sure if I am allowed to post the link to the product, so instead I will share the part name: 2020 - 2023 Toyota Tacoma (Entune 3) AUX Audio Input Interface [SKU: NAXK-EnTune3] from naviks(dot)com.

I would like to extend a tremendous thank you to u/Fallingdamage for helping me add a mod that means so much to me! Hopefully this post (and theirs) can help any of y'all who are wanting that old-school connection in their newer Tacomas.

P.S. I have yet to fully finish this upgrade; the adaptor works perfectly in a plug-and-play manner (no software meddling required), but I do not have a spare dash port to route the aux line through. I am currently using an aux/USB dual port in place for the stock aux outlet, but it does not fit flush, so I do not recommend it for others. The other user was able to route the jack through their dash, so I may do something similar in the future.

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This is exactly what I'm looking to do!
Got a few questions. Were you able to get an AUX plate to have the 3.5mm input mounted on the dash?
Do you still retain Apple CarPlay/Android Auto functionality while listening through the AUX input?
Thanks for sharing!

 

Hey! I'm glad this may be helpful to you.

I have not gotten a plate in the dash myself yet, but the Reddit user I mentioned in the thread did. Here's the

$7 ICESPRING 3.5mm Male to Female Car Truck Dashboard Flush Mount 1/8" AUX Audio Jack Extension Cable with Mounting Panel for Car Boat and Motorcycle (3 Feet)

link to the product they used.

In case that link doesn't work, the product is called 3.5mm Male to 3.5mm Female Car Truck Dashboard Flush Mount 3.5mm 1/8" AUX Audio Jack Extension Cable with Mounting Panel for Car Boat and Motorcycle (3 Feet), and it is currently listed by ICESPRING on Amazon (idk why this is creating a link; I can't remove it, sorry).

The user also posted photos on this Reddit thread, called "2021 SR5 - Decided to add an AUX input. Sounds better than bluetooth!!". You can see in the fourth image what their install looked like. They actually have spare dash inputs (like next to the USB-in) but I do not, so I will likely add the same mod they did in the near future.

And yes, CarPlay functionality does still work while listening through the aux input. I often display my map while listening via the aux connection.

Lmk if you have any other questions, and good luck!

 

Oh nice! yes that thing looks like it should do the trick.
I had considered just mounting it behind the cigarette lighter flap but this looks like it could be done more easily with this part.
Thanks!

 

Gonna try one of these for the plate!

 

Hopefully that works for you...AFAIK, it will depend on what generation Tacoma you have.

I ordered a couple different models of that same part as a solution, but they didn't work in my truck. Popping out the existing cover is simple, and the replacement would be easy, except the cable that connects to that cover was modified for the newer generations. It is almost the same, but the connections were flipped/inverted in mine.

I attempted to order the older cable that would fit with that part and plug that into the head unit, but I could not find that singular cable anywhere (if you can, please let me know lol). There are some part numbers and identifiers, but yielded no search results when I tried. The only solution I could think of to go this route would be to visit a junkyard and tear open the head unit on a salvaged Tacoma.

Keep me updated with what you do and how it goes!