There is no better feeling than listening to music while driving; music improves your mood, reduces aggression, and improves focus. Many people often connect their phones to the car’s stereo using AUX or Bluetooth to listen to music, but how can you still enjoy music from your phone without these two types of connection options? Read on to learn more about how to play music from phone to car without AUX or Bluetooth.
How to Play Music from Phone to Car without Aux or Bluetooth
The good news is that you can still enjoy music in your car even if you don’t have AUX or Bluetooth. You can achieve this by using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, FM radio transmitter, cassette tape adapter, sound routing apps, and USB connection.
These methods offer varying sound qualities and have distinct pros and cons. Read on to learn more about them.
How to Play Music from Phone to Car Using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Today, nearly all car models have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto apps. These high-tech applications allow drivers to connect their devices to their car’s head unit, which controls the vehicle’s audio, navigation, messaging, and climate control systems. You can listen to music from your phone to your car once you connect it to the Apple CarPlay app or Android Auto app.
To connect the Apple CarPlay or the Android Auto app to your phone, you can add your voice to your vehicle’s head unit and summon Siri or Google assistance to connect the two every time you want to listen to music from your phone. However, not all car models support these amazing voice assistance features. If your car is one of them, navigate to the Android Auto app on your phone and connect it to your car via USB. Unfortunately, iPhones don’t have this feature at the moment.
How to Play Music from Phone to Car Using FM Radio Transmitter
Using an FM radio transmitter is a cheap and easy way to play music from your phone to your car. That’s because nearly all modern vehicles feature an FM radio and a cigarette lighter that drivers can use to play music from their phones to cars. The cigarette lighter is not only useful for lighting a cigarette but also for powering and charging electronic devices and appliances.
To use this method, power the FM transmitter by connecting it to the cigarette lighter port. Turn on the audio system and select the FM mode. Select a radio frequency not used by local stations, then match it with your FM transmitter. Navigate to the Bluetooth settings in your mobile device and pair it with the FM transmitter. You can enjoy music in your car once your phone and transmitter are paired.
While the method is simple to configure and use, it has certain cons. Audio quality can be poor due to interference. The availability of many FM radio stations in your location and the type of phone you are using can also affect sound quality.
How to Play Music from Phone to Car Using Cassette Tape Adapter
Using a cassette tape adapter is a brilliant way to play music from your phone to your car, particularly if your vehicle has a cassette tape adapter. Connect the adapter to the headphone slot on your phone, and put the adaptor into the cassette slot. Navigate your audio system’s menu and locate the tape mode. Turning the tape mode on will automatically play music from your phone to your vehicle. You can change the music or adjust the volume based on your needs and preferences.
A cassette tape adapter is suitable if a car’s FM transmitter has a poor signal or its cigarette lighter and power port are not functioning. Nevertheless, using a cassette tape adapter has a few drawbacks. The sound quality is not very good, and new phone models like iPhone 7 and more recent phones don’t have the 3.5mm port for the cassette tape adapter to fit in.
How to Play Music from Phone to Car Using Sound Routing Apps
If your car has a hand-free Bluetooth calling feature that doesn’t allow you to play music via Bluetooth, using a sound routing app is your best go-to solution to play music from your phone to your car. A sound routing app works by tricking the car’s hands-free Bluetooth into believing that you are making a call.
First, pair your mobile device with your car’s hands-free call feature. Next, test the pairing by making a call. If it goes through, the pairing is successful. Third, download a routing app from App Store or Play Store to route music from your phone to your car via the hands-free Bluetooth calling system.
Using a sound routing app to play music in your car is a cheap method, as it doesn’t need an adapter or cost any money. All you need to do is download an app, configure it with your hands-free calling system, and start enjoying music. However, the main disadvantage of using this method is that it produces mono audio, which isn’t suitable for smaller spaces and tends to be unclear.
How to Play Music from Phone to Car Using USB Connection
Most modern cars, if not all, have a USB port, which is useful for charging or data connection purposes. To play music from your phone to your car using the USB connection, find a compatible USB cable and plug one end to your car’s USB port and the other end to your phone. Configure the settings to connect the two and start playing music. The audio system in some cars can replicate the phone’s screen, allowing you to control music on your system’s screen.
Playing music from phone to car using a USB connection is cheaper and more straightforward. The sound quality is also good, and USB cables are easy to access.
Bottom Line
AUX and Bluetooth are the most common methods for playing music from phone to car. Fortunately, if you can’t use either of them, there are other effective methods that you can use to enjoy music while driving. Since no single method works on all cars, select one suitable method for your vehicle that meets your music needs and preferences.
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