Premium audio gripe
Discussion
I mostly listen to my iPhone when driving, but something is driving me mad.
When you plug the iPhone in the car takes control of it and you can't select tracks or artists or anything. This is unbeLIEVably annoying in its own right. Why would it disable the most convenient way of selecting stuff. Grr.
This wouldn't be so bad, but it seems that there is no other way to select an artist or song title than going through the whole list from A to whatever-letter-your-title-starts-with using the joystick.
This is probably OK when you've only got Barry Manilow's greatest hits on, but I've got about 8000 tracks on my phone, and if I had to go through them one by one I would most often have arrived at my destination before finding the song (or wrapped around a tree from staring at the center console).
Then I spotted the letters on the center console buttons! EUREKA! I thought. All I have to do is press the button with the letter on and it will go to the start of that group of letters, but no, the buttons are obstinately inert. I find this baffling.
So 2 questions:
1. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Perhaps I need a firmware update.
2. Is there a way of stopping the car taking control of the iPod / iPhone? Maybe insulating a contact on the plug. I need to get an adapter for charging anyway...
Thanks!
P.S. I have also noticed that bluetooth is the same, can't select contacts using the letter buttons. Arghhh!
When you plug the iPhone in the car takes control of it and you can't select tracks or artists or anything. This is unbeLIEVably annoying in its own right. Why would it disable the most convenient way of selecting stuff. Grr.
This wouldn't be so bad, but it seems that there is no other way to select an artist or song title than going through the whole list from A to whatever-letter-your-title-starts-with using the joystick.
This is probably OK when you've only got Barry Manilow's greatest hits on, but I've got about 8000 tracks on my phone, and if I had to go through them one by one I would most often have arrived at my destination before finding the song (or wrapped around a tree from staring at the center console).
Then I spotted the letters on the center console buttons! EUREKA! I thought. All I have to do is press the button with the letter on and it will go to the start of that group of letters, but no, the buttons are obstinately inert. I find this baffling.
So 2 questions:
1. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Perhaps I need a firmware update.
2. Is there a way of stopping the car taking control of the iPod / iPhone? Maybe insulating a contact on the plug. I need to get an adapter for charging anyway...
Thanks!
P.S. I have also noticed that bluetooth is the same, can't select contacts using the letter buttons. Arghhh!
I have the same gripe re:iPhone. To be honest I would recommend setting up some playlists when you have sometime which may make things a bit easier to rife through.
Using the "abc" buttons would be very very useful but it seems you can't do that for music.
However for my phone it works just fine... If I access the address book on the phone (by using the rocker switch on the back of the steering wheel) then using those buttons as one would use an old phone to text, I can get to the appropriate section of the address book. So, for example, pressing "def" twice takes me to the start of all names beginning with "e".
Using the "abc" buttons would be very very useful but it seems you can't do that for music.
However for my phone it works just fine... If I access the address book on the phone (by using the rocker switch on the back of the steering wheel) then using those buttons as one would use an old phone to text, I can get to the appropriate section of the address book. So, for example, pressing "def" twice takes me to the start of all names beginning with "e".
A simpler solution could be just using the AUX cable connection. Then use the iPhone to select tracks as you would with headphones, docking station etc.
I don't use an iPhone, so this maybe wrong, but you may even be able to use the Siri bloke to select your tracks by voice.
I have an iPod and a Nokia Lumia phone that also has my music on it, and almost always end up using my Lumia for music via AUX for the reasons you state above.
It's also a much better Sat Nav than the Volvo unit in the dash!
I don't use an iPhone, so this maybe wrong, but you may even be able to use the Siri bloke to select your tracks by voice.
I have an iPod and a Nokia Lumia phone that also has my music on it, and almost always end up using my Lumia for music via AUX for the reasons you state above.
It's also a much better Sat Nav than the Volvo unit in the dash!
Everything you nned to know about Siri and the Jesus phone
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Thanks. I will try the siri thing.
The problem with using the Aux input is that the sound quality is awful compared to the dock connector.
I have found a solution, but it involves jailbreaking my iPhone.
If there is a devil, this is how he works... not fire and brimstone, but things like "accessory connected" which drives you round the bend!
The problem with using the Aux input is that the sound quality is awful compared to the dock connector.
I have found a solution, but it involves jailbreaking my iPhone.
If there is a devil, this is how he works... not fire and brimstone, but things like "accessory connected" which drives you round the bend!
My iPhone seemed to work ok with the stereo controls,but as it does not charge the phone I decided it better to buy a nano onebay for £30 and just use that for music in the car.
Stereo works perfectly with it ,but it did with the iPhone as well,you may be doing something wrong ? I recall it wasn't easy to set up ,not logical at all.
Stereo works perfectly with it ,but it did with the iPhone as well,you may be doing something wrong ? I recall it wasn't easy to set up ,not logical at all.
franki68 said:
My iPhone seemed to work ok with the stereo controls,but as it does not charge the phone I decided it better to buy a nano onebay for £30 and just use that for music in the car.
Stereo works perfectly with it ,but it did with the iPhone as well,you may be doing something wrong ? I recall it wasn't easy to set up ,not logical at all.
Franki you just need to purchase a scosche adapter and it will charge your phone too Stereo works perfectly with it ,but it did with the iPhone as well,you may be doing something wrong ? I recall it wasn't easy to set up ,not logical at all.
I have playlists, but sometimes I just want to listen to a particular song that I could navigate to in 5 seconds with the iPhone, but is just too tiresome a proposition to do using the joystick.
It's actually more a question of not accepting that the car can tell me what I can or can't do with my iPhone. My other cars doesn't bug me so why should the Aston?
Just downloading iOS 5.1.1 prior to jailbreaking... In yer face, Apple / Aston.
It's actually more a question of not accepting that the car can tell me what I can or can't do with my iPhone. My other cars doesn't bug me so why should the Aston?
Just downloading iOS 5.1.1 prior to jailbreaking... In yer face, Apple / Aston.
That has sorted it. I now have full control of my iPhone from the phone itself or the car. No more "Accessory Connected" screen.
Completely painless operation. Once iOS5.1.1 installed, it took about 10 minutes to jailbreak the phone and install NoAccSplash.
Feeling very smug.
Now no cars, including the Aston, will bug me with their ridiculous imposed iPod interfaces (*cough* Peugeot *cough*).
Completely painless operation. Once iOS5.1.1 installed, it took about 10 minutes to jailbreak the phone and install NoAccSplash.
Feeling very smug.
Now no cars, including the Aston, will bug me with their ridiculous imposed iPod interfaces (*cough* Peugeot *cough*).
I wonder why the Dension car control mode for iPod or USB input has to be so excruciatingly slow. It really is annoying. Another gripe is that it only scrolls the name of the artist/song twice and then switches to just displaying a track number. On the plus side, it is nice get to listen to all my music through Aston's amazing Premium Audio. I hated having to use CDs which seem as outdated as cassette tapes now.
KarlFranz said:
I wonder why the Dension car control mode for iPod or USB input has to be so excruciatingly slow. It really is annoying. Another gripe is that it only scrolls the name of the artist/song twice and then switches to just displaying a track number. On the plus side, it is nice get to listen to all my music through Aston's amazing Premium Audio. I hated having to use CDs which seem as outdated as cassette tapes now.
Yep - it's made me want to drive the car even more now I've got the iPod kit fitted. Perhaps you should try controlling the iPod via it's own controls (iPod UI) - I found out at the weekend you can |< and >| tracks via the radio buttons on the dash (and I presume the steering wheel). Since that's by far and away the more common action I perform, I'm even happier with it now.jamesc12 said:
Yep - it's made me want to drive the car even more now I've got the iPod kit fitted. Perhaps you should try controlling the iPod via it's own controls (iPod UI) - I found out at the weekend you can |< and >| tracks via the radio buttons on the dash (and I presume the steering wheel). Since that's by far and away the more common action I perform, I'm even happier with it now.
I use the iPod UI mode when I hook up the iPod or iPhone to my car (going through Bluetooth audio doesn't sound as good) but when I use a USB stick with music files, I'm forced to use the slow car controls. 
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