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      04-06-2021, 06:04 AM   #1
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iPod via car connection

I have connected my iPod, set in shuffle mode, and it works as expected using the iPod lead supplied with it. However, I cannot change shuffle mode to artist, albums, etc on the car display. I even tried changing the iPod setting to artist but still the car display only allowed shuffle mode the other modes greyed out. Can anyone assist?
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      04-06-2021, 06:19 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by X1 new owner View Post
I have connected my iPod, set in shuffle mode, and it works as expected using the iPod lead supplied with it. However, I cannot change shuffle mode to artist, albums, etc on the car display. I even tried changing the iPod setting to artist but still the car display only allowed shuffle mode the other modes greyed out. Can anyone assist?
Hmmm. Perhaps it does not see it properly as a USB storage device. There are many quirks like this. I have dumped all the music I need in the car onto a 64Gb Kingston USB3 drive and it is lightning fast. I have the option of USB-C in my 2020 M Sport as well as the standard USB female connector and using that with the same Kingston drive and an adaptor it is equally as fast.
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      04-06-2021, 06:27 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter_R View Post
Hmmm. Perhaps it does not see it properly as a USB storage device
It is never seen as a USB storage device, the head unit uses ipod/iphone protocols for Apple devices and media.
Because of that, ipods and iphones have notoriously needed to have shuffle settings changed on the device itself because they rarely respond properly to shuffle mode changes on the head unit.
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      04-06-2021, 06:33 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dianebrat View Post
It is never seen as a USB storage device, the head unit uses ipod/iphone protocols for Apple devices and media.
Because of that, ipods and iphones have notoriously needed to have shuffle settings changed on the device itself because they rarely respond properly to shuffle mode changes on the head unit.
Well, there you go. Another good reason to stop using Apple in the car, and use a standard USB 3 storage device. I would suggest the UK owner gets the appropriate size USB 3 stick 64/128/256 GB (they are cheap enough) and that becomes a problem solved. The car sees and logs the complete directory structure almost immediately it is inserted.
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      04-06-2021, 10:41 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter_R View Post
Well, there you go. Another good reason to stop using Apple in the car, and use a standard USB 3 storage device. I would suggest the UK owner gets the appropriate size USB 3 stick 64/128/256 GB (they are cheap enough) and that becomes a problem solved. The car sees and logs the complete directory structure almost immediately it is inserted.
There are a few small issues with that approach, one is that if you're keeping track of number of plays, or using iTunes playlists and/or smart playlists, those will not be reflected on the storage device.

For a non-savvy user keeping an iTunes library synced to a USB device isn't that simple, so that's 2 big cons. If one is using iTunes for music management, and many people are, it's not easily transferred to USB drives.

I can also attest that with 15,000 songs it takes 5-10 minutes minimum to index and give you the ability to search the USB stick
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      04-06-2021, 10:55 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dianebrat View Post
There are a few small issues with that approach, one is that if you're keeping track of number of plays, or using iTunes playlists and/or smart playlists, those will not be reflected on the storage device.

For a non-savvy user keeping an iTunes library synced to a USB device isn't that simple, so that's 2 big cons. If one is using iTunes for music management, and many people are, it's not easily transferred to USB drives.

I can also attest that with 15,000 songs it takes 5-10 minutes minimum to index and give you the ability to search the USB stick
So what is the answer to the poster's question then (repeated below)?


Quote:
Originally Posted by X1 new owner View Post
I have connected my iPod, set in shuffle mode, and it works as expected using the iPod lead supplied with it. However, I cannot change shuffle mode to artist, albums, etc on the car display. I even tried changing the iPod setting to artist but still the car display only allowed shuffle mode the other modes greyed out. Can anyone assist?
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Last edited by Peter_R; 04-06-2021 at 11:09 AM..
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      04-06-2021, 11:26 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter_R View Post
So what is the answer to the poster's question then?
As I mentioned, the issue is usually resolved by having the shuffle settings set on the device not the head unit.
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      04-06-2021, 11:33 AM   #8
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As I mentioned, the issue is usually resolved by having the shuffle settings set on the device not the head unit.
Thanks..but he knows this, hence the question. So my answer still stands and is a practical alternative solution to him.
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      04-07-2021, 06:04 AM   #9
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Quote:
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Thanks..but he knows this, hence the question. So my answer still stands and is a practical alternative solution to him.
I'm just confirming it for the OP, and mentioning the default and common ipod behavior where it should be adjusted on the ipod.

Just having that kind of confirmation should help the OP troubleshoot.
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      04-07-2021, 11:39 AM   #10
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Thanks for all the responses. I’ve tried setting the iPod to artists and even selected one. However, when played in the car it’s still in shuffle mode and Artist is still greyed out. Is the solution to purchase the BMW connector, pricey though it is?
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      04-07-2021, 12:08 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by X1 new owner View Post
Thanks for all the responses. I’ve tried setting the iPod to artists and even selected one. However, when played in the car it’s still in shuffle mode and Artist is still greyed out. Is the solution to purchase the BMW connector, pricey though it is?
What "BMW Connector" are you referring to? the ipod connects via USB and that doesn't change.
It sounds like you're not going to be able to use it the way you want in regards to shuffle. Is it a new enough ipod that you could use BT for it?

I wonder if you could create an artist based playlist and shuffle that?

The ipod based shuffle switch has always been troublesome when controlled by another device, it's not a unique BMW issue.
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      04-08-2021, 12:36 AM   #12
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The bmw connector, as far as I can tell called a “Y cable”, connects the iPod to both the usb and headphone socket.
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      04-08-2021, 06:21 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by X1 new owner View Post
The bmw connector, as far as I can tell called a “Y cable”, connects the iPod to both the usb and headphone socket.
You don't want or need that cable, the head unit will still use USB to control the ipod.
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      04-08-2021, 08:10 AM   #14
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Which it does and keeps the iPod charged. But I cannot change mode in car from shuffle, despite what’s set on the iPod.
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      04-08-2021, 06:24 PM   #15
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Which iPod is being used here?

IME, only the most recent iPod Touch or iPhone models work as expected; there have been no updates to older iPod system software since 2017
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      04-09-2021, 03:48 AM   #16
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It’s old so If that’s the case I won’t pursue it any further. I’ll have to live with shuffle mode. Thanks for all the comments. Case closed!
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      04-09-2021, 10:44 AM   #17
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It’s old so If that’s the case I won’t pursue it any further. I’ll have to live with shuffle mode. Thanks for all the comments. Case closed!
I have several old ipods, including 2 Classics with the 30-pin connector, if you let us know the model I can see how mine behave after I dig them out from the archives

Also what's your preferred goal, no shuffle? or a specific shuffle mode?
The more info you give the more testing I can do.
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      04-10-2021, 02:59 AM   #18
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It’s a 4th gen Nano iPod. My goal is to be able to select “Artists” on the bmw screen, which is current greyed out.
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      04-10-2021, 08:06 AM   #19
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It’s a 4th gen Nano iPod. My goal is to be able to select “Artists” on the bmw screen, which is current greyed out.
It may take a few days but I'll give it a try on some of my units.
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      04-10-2021, 09:22 AM   #20
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You’re a star. Cheers
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      04-19-2021, 12:19 PM   #21
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So I did some testing at lunch and as I suspected, shuffle by Artist is a bit of a hack because it was not in the original ipod commands, older ipods like the Classic allow you to flip shuffle only between song vs album, so in those very old models it's not possible as far as I can tell. I suspect the 4th gen nano is in this legacy group, I may test more on my classic later since I was having indexing problems with it having about 120GB of songs on it and it's very slow to index on head units.

In a 6th generation ipod touch or any iphone, you can have them connected via Lightning connector to the head unit, choose select > Artist, then scroll down past the Albums to anything in Titles (i.e. songs) start playing it and then press shuffle and it will only display the current song, but it will indeed shuffle all the songs of the artist. The key is where you press shuffle.

I had no issues turning shuffle on or off with the BMW touchscreen

Last edited by dianebrat; 04-19-2021 at 12:27 PM..
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