cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30700991
I still have an old ipod. So old it has no wireless ability. I want to use it in my car which doesn't have a cassette or cd player. It plugs into the car's usb port but the car radio "doesn't see it". Any tips on how to get it to work?
It is likely the car USB port is looking through directories for MP3 files, and thats not now those iPods present themselves when hooked up via USB. You might be able to find an audio-to-bluetooth adapter, but it is likely you will not be able to control the device through the car's interface, so you would have to press play manually.
(Side note: older cars with USB might have a very low-level relationship with the USB sticks, where they read files in the order they were written to the device, without regard to what folders you put them in. There are utilities that can reorder the files' physical position on the stick so that albums play in order)
I use a Bluetooth to aux for my phone, which is only slightly annoying at times, but I blame the apps. I can play, play, pause, skip forward with my Bluetooth receiver, and OP will miss out on that, except they can PROBABLY use the dial blindly for just that.
There are also bluetooth adapters that plug directly into those older iPods' accessory port (the slot on the bottom) instead of the headphone jack.
The main benefit of the one I used was being compact, with no wires. The main drawback was having to remove the adapter to charge the iPod. I guess a model with a USB charging cable might exist.