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memphismac

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 22, 2003
89
3
Bear with me, as this is a pretty specific and convoluted issue...

I'm using a 7th generation iPod nano to play music via USB in a 2018 Honda Accord.
Although it's slower than I like, I can navigate the playlists and tracks via the Honda interface, and the songs play just fine.

However, when I bring the iPod inside to sync the songs back to my main library (on my 2011 iMac), the correct last played information doesn't always sync up. I have played several songs from multiple albums, but only a few songs per album will sync, and most not at all.

I rely a lot on "Last Played" data to mix up my music, so when I play a song in the car and that data doesn't get transferred back to the main library, it's frustrating.

The iPod software is up to date.
There's no problem syncing the songs to/from the iPod.
The "Sync only checked songs and videos" box is unchecked.
This setup works fine for my 80GB iPod classic when used with headphones.
It works fine for my iPad mini when used with headphones.
It even seems to work fine when using headphones with this iPod.

But when this iPod is plugged into my car, the syncing is spotty at best.

I've racked my brain and the internet for a solution, but haven't found one yet.
Does it only remember the last song played each time in the car?
Does the USB connection affect the iPod's ability to remember last played data?
Do I just need to suck it up and buy a newer iPod?

Thanks for any/all help,
Brian
 
But when this iPod is plugged into my car, the syncing is spotty at best.

It seems to depend on the car. For best results in my Toyota, my iPod must be set to 128 or 256 mp3. Variable bitrate works but isn't as reliable. Although I can load my 128GB Touch 6 or Xs with Apple Lossless, sync is terrible.

Fortunately, 256 mp3 conversion gives me an adequate listening experience when I'm on the road so that's what I use.
 
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