iPod Classic Compatibility

[ptrnfan]

Well, I've thought about it a bit and I decided I want to have something that I can leave plugged in. So I am going to try a USB Flash drive. I found a deal on a SanDisk 128 GB flash drive for $22 +tax. That's a lot better than $300 for an iPod Touch with the same capacity. The drive is black and tiny so I don't think I will have to worry about hitting and breaking it. If it doesn't work out I can always use the drive for something else.

 

[RamRiderLTD]

Well, I've thought about it a bit and I decided I want to have something that I can leave plugged in. So I am going to try a USB Flash drive. I found a deal on a SanDisk 128 GB flash drive for $22 +tax. That's a lot better than $300 for an iPod Touch with the same capacity. The drive is black and tiny so I don't think I will have to worry about hitting and breaking it. If it doesn't work out I can always use the drive for something else.

View attachment 13368

I did the same. I got a microSD card reader that is no bigger than the micro card. Then I placed it in the USB 3 slot in the rear of the console so it's not in my way at all. It's so small that I'm not worried about someone in the rear hitting it. Another great advantage of this setup is that I can rip my CD's to flac which is lossless so I don't lose any of the sound quality instead of MP3. So it's like having my cd library with me permanently.

 

[DVYRAY]

My Ipod Classic had all my music on it and playlists . It worked perfectly. I loved having it just plugged in my truck so I didn't have to worry about bluetooth streaming if I didn't want to. I can't believe this new truck has a CD player in it yet it can't work on Ipod. I got a thumb drive but it's not the same.

I have used your comment too! I had a 2017 Ram that was totaled. My iPod Classic 160GB worked great in it! My salesman on my 2017 said they don't offer CD players. All makes are doing away with them as they are old technology. Bought my 2019 Ram never thinking about issues with my iPod. Plugged it in, and it states "Device not supported." FCA and Apple are lying saying it should work. Dealer finally stated it isn't supported. Yet my 2019 has a CD player. What a joke!!!

 

[MJP]

I have used your comment too! I had a 2017 Ram that was totaled. My iPod Classic 160GB worked great in it! My salesman on my 2017 said they don't offer CD players. All makes are doing away with them as they are old technology. Bought my 2019 Ram never thinking about issues with my iPod. Plugged it in, and it states "Device not supported." FCA and Apple are lying saying it should work. Dealer finally stated it isn't supported. Yet my 2019 has a CD player. What a joke!!!

Yep crazy. I miss using my ipod classic in my truck.

 

[ptrnfan]

Attached is a GM compatibility document. I assume that because the problem is with the change in Apple Accessory Protocol from iAP1 to iAP2 this should apply to our trucks as well.

 

[Gman]

Wouldn't surprise me if the issue is running the 'latest-and-greatest' to support Apple Car Play. It's not unusual to lose legacy support when you get the new hotness.

 

[DVYRAY]

So is there any other device out there that will allow you to use the truck screen besides Apple products? I of course can use my IPod with the aux cable-just can't use the screen like I did in my 2017 Ram. I know the Apple Touch should work, but not going to spend all that money for another iPhone (basically).

 

[DVYRAY]

So is there any other device out there that will allow you to use the truck screen besides Apple products? I of course can use my IPod with the aux cable-just can't use the screen like I did in my 2017 Ram. I know the Apple Touch should work, but not going to spend all that money for another iPhone (basically).

Got my iPhone XR before the new truck and it only has 64GB. My Classic was the 160GB. All those years of music......

 

[ptrnfan]

Got my iPhone XR before the new truck and it only has 64GB. My Classic was the 160GB. All those years of music......

Prior posts in this thread provide you with options. Read through the posts in this thread to get additional details. I found you can use a USB drive and get all of the functionality of the iPod other than maybe playlists and volume leveling (I'm using a 128GB drive). The playlists are possible but I believe you will end up with songs duplicated. I'm not sure about this because I am new to using a USB drive with my truck. Maybe someone else with more experience can weigh in on this. I do know that Genres work just fine and album art shows up. Using the voice command button also works flawlessly.

Give it a try by grabbing an old USB drive you have laying around. Just put two or three albums on it and see if you like it. Then there's no money lost if you don't like it. One of the benefits of using a USB drive is you can leave it plugged in. I didn't like the idea of plugging an iPhone in every time I got in the truck. I felt it would be too much wear on the connectors. They are also much cheaper than an iPhone or iPod Touch ($22 for mine).

 

[ddrivers]

I have a 7th gen iPod classic, this is the last generation iPod classic which was discontinued in 2014. I had no problems with connectivity with my 2017 Ram 1500. I left it connected all the time and the UConnect always showed it and would play it and control the functions. My new ram with the 8.4 UConnect with Nav will only recognize it is connected when I first connect it or if the truck has not been turned off for too long. I haven't been able to determine how long too long is yet. It seems like a half hour or more. If the truck has been off for "too long", the UConnect does not show anything connected. If I select the USB port I am using for the iPod it gives me a notification to connect a device. I have tried each USB location that supports playback and have the same result from each one. I have a couple other observations about the playback of the iPod. First, it takes a long time for my library to be visible using the browse button on UConnect. The browse button stays grey. Second, when the library is available I see multiple duplicates of songs that aren't duplicated on the iPod. Last, I cannot select playback of anything using the browse button effectively. What I mean by this is occasionally it will play what I select but most of the time it will not. If I only use the shuffle feature it plays back flawlessly when the UConnect recognizes it is connected.

I have contacted UConnect and they have been useless. The first time I contacted UConnect support they said they do not see the iPod on their compatibility list. They told me to do a soft reset and sent me the steps to do this. I follow the steps and don't see anything happen or change in the function of the system. The next time I contacted them, I asked if they could send me the compatibility list and they said they didn't have one.

Has anyone else been successful using an iPod Classic with their UConnect system?

Go to dealer and have them Flash it.

 

[MJP]

Go to dealer and have them Flash it.

What is the flash the dealer would do? I would love to have the issue fixed as I also have a classic. I was told by Uconnect it isnt compatible.

 

[Gman]

I think someone may not have read the entire thread.

 

[vvgrovervv]

I have used your comment too! I had a 2017 Ram that was totaled. My iPod Classic 160GB worked great in it! My salesman on my 2017 said they don't offer CD players. All makes are doing away with them as they are old technology. Bought my 2019 Ram never thinking about issues with my iPod. Plugged it in, and it states "Device not supported." FCA and Apple are lying saying it should work. Dealer finally stated it isn't supported. Yet my 2019 has a CD player. What a joke!!!

i just found out about this too today. I have a nano 7th gen and it will not even recognize if i use the USB in the console. When i plug into the #1 or #2 port under the radio on the dash it just say Device not supported. This really suck especially seeing that list above of supported devices and it says mine has limited support. Which is a lie. I love my ipod Nano cause i dont keep songs on my phone and i can grab it when going into the gym and dont have to worry about a big bulky smartphone. Newer tech is not always better, when will they learn?

 

[Gman]

When will they learn? If they can force you to buy something new by limiting the support for the last thing you bought from them, then never.

This is 'by design'.

 

[ddrivers]

Yep crazy. I miss using my ipod classic in my truck.

Dealer keeps telling me my truck u-connect is up to date. The salesman just had a meeting with u-connect Tech and Tech said to have service dept flash the radio. Salesman is communicating with u-connect tech again to bring to a resolution. As soon as I get this figured out I will post answer here .

 

[DM-SC]

I've been using iTunes for music for a long time. I used an ipod touch for years. Then I bought a coworker's iPhone 5s for $40. The iPods always seemed to play nicer with vehicle audio systems than android did.

I use android phones, connected via bluetooth for calls.

I was quite disappointed the first time I plugged my 5s into my Ram and Apple Carplay took over.

Thankfully, I was able to disable CarPlay and the 5s works like an ipod touch.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[MJP]

I've been using iTunes for music for a long time. I used an ipod touch for years. Then I bought a coworker's iPhone 5s for $40. The iPods always seemed to play nicer with vehicle audio systems than android did.

I use android phones, connected via bluetooth for calls.

I was quite disappointed the first time I plugged my 5s into my Ram and Apple Carplay took over.

Thankfully, I was able to disable CarPlay and the 5s works like an ipod touch.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

I miss my ipod classic compatibility.

 

[FredFlintstone]

Sold my vinyl collection but cd collection in the thousands. Nothing better. Pink Floyd on cd is crystal clear!

Nothing better than that 44.1 khz 1 bit audio! If you think CD music is great, wait until you hear DSOM on SACD!

 

[eithkrp1]

What, like easier than wearing a watch?

I can't load 160GB of lossless music on a watch

 

[Gman]

I can't load 160GB of lossless music on a watch

Then don't try to pound a square peg into a round hole. Many formats, many mediums, and some work on a watch and others don't. Just trying to offer some suggestions. What did you have to add to the discussion?