Want to create an old-school MP3 player

[Ambrosia7177]

Hi. Wasn't sure where to post this...

First off, don't laugh to hard about my questions - hey, I'm an old-timer!

I'm sick of modern radio, and on the advice of someone else, am looking to get something like an MP3 player where I can convert my music collection to digital and use this player in my car to replace radio.

(There is a CD player in my car, but it is really annoying to have half of my car filled with various CDs!)

Apparently I could plug my iPhone into my car and play that on the radio/speakers, but I don't want to give my car's computer access to my iPhone as I know it will download all of your contact details - if not more.

Does Apple still make the iPod?

What would be my best option to achieve the end goal that I want?

 

[kschendel]

If an iPod would suit, there are a ton of them for sale on ebay. You can probably find them elsewhere as well.

 

[chown33]

If your car has an FM radio, you can get short-range FM transmitters that plug into the headphone jack of whatever audio source you have, be that an iPod, an iPhone with a jack, or whatever. Amazon search terms: fm transmitter for car

You don't need to use an iPod, either. There are still MP3 players available, though I haven't priced anything recently. Amazon search terms: mp3 player

If your car has Bluetooth as an audio input source, then many recent MP3 players have BT headphone outputs, and should pair directly, without need for an FM transmitter.

Some cars also have a headphone cable input option. A simple cable from the headphone output jack of the audio player would work for that.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

If your car has an FM radio, you can get short-range FM transmitters that plug into the headphone jack of whatever audio source you have, be that an iPod, an iPhone with a jack, or whatever. Amazon search terms: fm transmitter for car

Interesting.

My understanding is that if you plug in a smartphone to one of the USB ports in the car, the car radio/console will read your smartphone and from there you can play MP3's off your phone.

The problem is that I have also read it will slurp up all of your contacts and phone numbers and put them in the car's "database" which is a big privacy issue for me.

That is why I entitled this thread with the word "MP3" thinking it is a dumb device that doesn't have my personal information on it.

You don't need to use an iPod, either. There are still MP3 players available, though I haven't priced anything recently. Amazon search terms: mp3 player

If your car has Bluetooth as an audio input source, then many recent MP3 players have BT headphone outputs, and should pair directly, without need for an FM transmitter.

Some cars also have a headphone cable input option. A simple cable from the headphone output jack of the audio player would work for that.

The manual for my car - which is 10 years old - is thicker than a 2 X 4 and I haven't had time to read it yet!

I was actually thinking of buying another iPhone as a dedicated "MP3 player", but wanted to get everyone's thoughts here.

If I got another iPhone, and dedicated it to music that is no SIM card or personal information on it - then I suppsoe I would feel safe with that approach. And the advantage would be that I could always convert the iPhone back to a phone if need be. And the iPhone would probably be easier to manage a large music library than an MP3 player, but who knows?

What do you think about that?


What I do know is this...

I never realized how important music is to me, and how a lack of it has really changed my mood and even mental health. (I used to be able to turn on local radio stations and listen to good music, but EVERY radio station that I can pick up now SUCKS!! And not being able to listen to Van Halen, of The Doors, or The Eagles, or Yes, and so on is really warped!!)

There is a syndicated radio show that I listen on Sunday mornings, and after hearing some songs from the 1960s that I haven't heard in years, it occurred to me that this is a real problem in my life that I need to fix!

Like a lot of problems in life, it never occurred to me how all of the great music I grew up listening to - and took for granted - is no longer on most radio stations.

Anyways...

 

[chown33]

You should probably start by looking in the manual for the car, and reading the section on how to use the audio subsystem. In particular, look at what audio inputs you can choose from. It may be that you can use a USB thumb drive with MP3 files and playlists on it (e.g M3U lists), and then you wouldn't need to connect your phone or even an MP3 player.

I you don't have time to look in the manual, maybe you could post the car model information, so others with some free time could find relevant info online.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

You should probably start by looking in the manual for the car, and reading the section on how to use the audio subsystem. In particular, look at what audio inputs you can choose from. It may be that you can use a USB thumb drive with MP3 files and playlists on it (e.g M3U lists), and then you wouldn't need to connect your phone or even an MP3 player.

I you don't have time to look in the manual, maybe you could post the car model information, so others with some free time could find relevant info online.

@chown33,

Sensible advice! Let me dig out my car manual and see what I can figure out, and then will come back here and see what options make the most sense.

To be continued...

 

[Boyd01]

My last car had an SD card slot and I filled a card with MP3 files. It also had an old-fashioned analog line-in audio jack hidden inside the center console. 2023 car no longer has the SD card slot, honestly not sure if there's an analog input, never even looked. I use carplay now with files on my phone and also iCloud sometimes for my purchased music.

I'm not really sure, but don't think the car has downloaded my contacts. Seems to me that's an option somewhere in the privacy settings and I didn't enable it (I don't make calls, send texts or e-mails in the car). Could be wrong however. Anyway, if you're really concerned about this then analog is the way to go (if your car has a line-in jack).

Have you actually used one of those FM audio interfaces? I tried a few, both as an accessory and also the built-in ones on Garmin GPS devices. What a waste of money, it was all but worthless on the 55-mile commute from my rural home to center city Philadelphia. It was fine out in the country, but as you go through suburbs, different strong FM stations would interfere and you'd have to contstantly look for a free channel. The closer I got to the big city, the harder it was to find a frequency that worked reliably. Guess it really depends on where you live and drive though.

 

[Mr.Ben]

I use an iPod Nano 7th gen for listening to music in my car. You can connect via Bluetooth or with an aux cable if your car has either of those - I normally just use the aux cable. I did use an FM radio transmitter cable which worked fine until I got another car that had an aux-in point. Aux is much better though as you won't have any signal issues that you may find in your area when using a transmitter cable.

Apple's Nano 7th gen is a 'dumb' music player - has no WiFi and you connect to your computer to add content. The benefit of something like a Nano 7th gen over an SD card or USB drive is you have a touchscreen for easy use. Can play music, video, and podcasts downloaded from Apple Music, also has FM radio and Nike+ fitness pedometer for walking/running. It would depend on the size of your music library though as it only has 16gb storage. Works fine for me though. Apple no longer sell iPods unfortunately so you'd need to find a used one. In the UK, I've bought my last two secondhand 7th gen Nanos for around £30ea.

You have an iPhone already so the easiest way without actually connecting that to the car via Bluetooth or CarPlay would be to use a 3.5mm aux cable if your car has that as a connection point. That way you're literally just using the car speakers like headphones.

Once you work out which way is best for you, a tip for best audio is to turn volume up full on your phone/mp3 player and then adjust car volume as necessary.👍

 

[Ambrosia7177]

@Mr.Ben,

Thanks for the reply.

I use an iPod Nano 7th gen for listening to music in my car. You can connect via Bluetooth or with an aux cable if your car has either of those - I normally just use the aux cable. I did use an FM radio transmitter cable which worked fine until I got another car that had an aux-in point. Aux is much better though as you won't have any signal issues that you may find in your area when using a transmitter cable.

Would there be a problem getting an iPod Nano 8th gen instead?

It is super cold here today, but if I get a chance I'm going to go outside in the cold and snoop around in my car and also grab the manual. WIll report back when I can.

Apple's Nano 7th gen is a 'dumb' music player - has no WiFi and you connect to your computer to add content.

That "dumbness" would be ideal for my privacy concerns.

The benefit of something like a Nano 7th gen over an SD card or USB drive is you have a touchscreen for easy use.

Yeah, I agree. One reason I didn't like the SD card idea is just that.

To accomplish my end goal, I want a way to load thousands of songs on some device - which offers multiple playlists - so I can in essence create my own personal radio stations.

The reason my CD player isn't working out is that first, I hate having to lug around 50+ CD's at any given time. And second, a lot of times I am "in the mood" to listen to a genre (e.g. Hippie music) but not in the mood to listen to just a given album - especially if the artist I like maybe doesn't have an entire album that is worthy of listening too.

Can play music, video, and podcasts downloaded from Apple Music, also has FM radio and Nike+ fitness pedometer for walking/running.

Another topic I am interested in, but since you mention it... Don't you need to be connected to the Internet to listen to podcasts?

It would depend on the size of your music library though as it only has 16gb storage. Works fine for me though.

If I rip a song off a CD, what would be to range of the file-size for a decent sounding MP3 file? (Yet another topic I need to start another thread about.)

Apple no longer sell iPods unfortunately so you'd need to find a used one. In the UK, I've bought my last two secondhand 7th gen Nanos for around £30ea.

Am looking on eBay now.

Is this what you were recommending?

NEW-Apple iPod Touch 6th/7th Generation 64/128/256GB All colors-Sealed Lot USA

Is that really an iPod because it almost looks like an iPhone with the touch screen?

Would you trust something like that off of eBay?

(It would be cheaper to spend $250 on a reliable iPod versus $1,500 on a new iPhone!)

You have an iPhone already so the easiest way without actually connecting that to the car via Bluetooth or CarPlay would be to use a 3.5mm aux cable if your car has that as a connection point. That way you're literally just using the car speakers like headphones.

I will have to check into that today (or this week).

Once you work out which way is best for you, a tip for best audio is to turn volume up full on your phone/mp3 player and then adjust car volume as necessary.👍

That would be nice if I can control the volume using my radio knobs.

I will be back with updates soon.


P.S. Any relation to Mr. Bean?

 

[Mr.Ben]

Would there be a problem getting an iPod Nano 8th gen instead?

7th generation was the last Nano that Apple made before they discontinued them.

To accomplish my end goal, I want a way to load thousands of songs on some device - which offers multiple playlists - so I can in essence create my own personal radio stations.

With the iPod Nano you can either create playlists on the Nano itself or via the Apple Music desktop app which you then sync to the Nano. I would do it via the Apple Music desktop app once you have ripped your CD library to that as you have much more control (eg. you can't change the name of a playlist created on the Nano, it will just show as New Playlist 1 etc.)

Another topic I am interested in, but since you mention it... Don't you need to be connected to the Internet to listen to podcasts?

Ok, so after saying that I realised with podcasts I may be out of date a bit as I haven't used them myself for years and not sure if you can still sync podcasts from the new Apple Podcasts desktop app to an older device like the Nano. Back when I did listen to some podcasts it was all done in the discontinued iTunes app, but Apple now have a separate podcast app to the Music app. If there is still a way to get podcasts on the Nano (I'm afraid I don't know if it is still possible) you would download it on your computer first and then sync it to the Nano. The Nano itself has no access to internet.

If I rip a song off a CD, what would be to range of the file-size for a decent sounding MP3 file? (Yet another topic I need to start another thread about.)

Not sure on the exact specs but this calculator may help. I've got my import settings on 256kbps bitrate when importing to Apple Music. Definitely don't go lower than 128kbps.

Is this what you were recommending?

NEW-Apple iPod Touch 6th/7th Generation 64/128/256GB All colors-Sealed Lot USA

Is that really an iPod because it almost looks like an iPhone with the touch screen?

No, this is actually the iPod Touch which was more like a phone with a larger touchscreen - it could install standard iOS apps, had WiFi but no access to cellular data. The Nano was a smaller, more basic device. I've always like the small form factor of the Nano as you can hardly tell it's in your pocket.

The iPod Touch (7th gen was the last model in this line too) would be an option to explore though if you needed more space as they started from 32gb. Maybe have a look on YouTube for videos about the 7th gen Nano and Touch to get an idea of what they could do.

Would you trust something like that off of eBay?

(It would be cheaper to spend $250 on a reliable iPod versus $1,500 on a new iPhone!)

I wouldn't like to say 😎 - you just need decide which device works best for you and then see what's available and look for shops or sellers with decent feedback scores.

P.S. Any relation to Mr. Bean?

No, sorry 😆

 

[Ambrosia7177]

7th generation was the last Nano that Apple made before they discontinued them.

Oh, okay.

With the iPod Nano you can either create playlists on the Nano itself or via the Apple Music desktop app which you then sync to the Nano. I would do it via the Apple Music desktop app once you have ripped your CD library to that as you have much more control (eg. you can't change the name of a playlist created on the Nano, it will just show as New Playlist 1 etc.)

Will the iPod Nano (or iPod Touch) work with a 3rd-party app like VLC?

What are your thoughts on players?

My wish is to be able to create dozens and dozens of playlists in whatever solution I choose. (Sorry if I am asking for stuff that everyone else has been doing for years, but I'm new to the scene!)

Create playlists...

By Decade
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s

By Genre
- Woodstock era
- Classic Rock
- 80s Classic Rock
- Heavy Metal
- Progressive Rock
- etc.

By Mood
- Friday Fall Nights
- Sunday Nights
- Sunday Mornings
- Upbeat
- Slow
- Party Music
- etc.

By Artist
- The Eagles
- Led Zeppelin
- Van Halen
- Yardbirds
- etc.

By Theme
- Party songs
- Car songs
- Travel songs
- California songs

and so on...


Not sure if any media player can create numerous playlists like that or not?

And not sure how that relates to the hardware (e.g. MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPod Nano) or the media player (e.g. Apple Music, VLC, others)

But that is what I am shooting for so I can try to mimic radio stations that I grew up with and which kept rotating a large number of songs related in some way without hearing what I get now which is you would think AC/DC or Led Zeppelin or Van Halen were 2-3 hit wonders?! WTF??

Ok, so after saying that I realised with podcasts I may be out of date a bit as I haven't used them myself for years and not sure if you can still sync podcasts from the new Apple Podcasts desktop app to an older device like the Nano. Back when I did listen to some podcasts it was all done in the discontinued iTunes app, but Apple now have a separate podcast app to the Music app. If there is still a way to get podcasts on the Nano (I'm afraid I don't know if it is still possible) you would download it on your computer first and then sync it to the Nano. The Nano itself has no access to internet.

Not a big deal - I need to read up on what truly makes a podcast a podcast. A separate thread.

Not sure on the exact specs but this calculator may help. I've got my import settings on 256kbps bitrate when importing to Apple Music. Definitely don't go lower than 128kbps.

Thanks.

Do you prefer 128 or 256 or something else? What quality are the original CD's?

No, this is actually the iPod Touch which was more like a phone with a larger touchscreen - it could install standard iOS apps, had WiFi but no access to cellular data. The Nano was a smaller, more basic device. I've always like the small form factor of the Nano as you can hardly tell it's in your pocket.

Can you run VLC or other 3rd-party media players on the iPod Touch?

At that point, should one just get an iPhone?

The iPod Touch (7th gen was the last model in this line too) would be an option to explore though if you needed more space as they started from 32gb. Maybe have a look on YouTube for videos about the 7th gen Nano and Touch to get an idea of what they could do.

Well, the link above showed an iPod Touch with 256GB of storage which seems like that would do based on your calculator.

I wouldn't like to say 😎 - you just need decide which device works best for you and then see what's available and look for shops or sellers with decent feedback scores.

Okay.

No, sorry 😆

;-)

 

[Mr.Ben]

Oh, okay.




Will the iPod Nano (or iPod Touch) work with a 3rd-party app like VLC?

What are your thoughts on players?

My wish is to be able to create dozens and dozens of playlists in whatever solution I choose. (Sorry if I am asking for stuff that everyone else has been doing for years, but I'm new to the scene!)

Create playlists...

By Decade
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s

By Genre
- Woodstock era
- Classic Rock
- 80s Classic Rock
- Heavy Metal
- Progressive Rock
- etc.

By Mood
- Friday Fall Nights
- Sunday Nights
- Sunday Mornings
- Upbeat
- Slow
- Party Music
- etc.

By Artist
- The Eagles
- Led Zeppelin
- Van Halen
- Yardbirds
- etc.

By Theme
- Party songs
- Car songs
- Travel songs
- California songs

and so on...


Not sure if any media player can create numerous playlists like that or not?

And not sure how that relates to the hardware (e.g. MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPod Nano) or the media player (e.g. Apple Music, VLC, others)

But that is what I am shooting for so I can try to mimic radio stations that I grew up with and which kept rotating a large number of songs related in some way without hearing what I get now which is you would think AC/DC or Led Zeppelin or Van Halen were 2-3 hit wonders?! WTF??




Not a big deal - I need to read up on what truly makes a podcast a podcast. A separate thread.




Thanks.

Do you prefer 128 or 256 or something else? What quality are the original CD's?




Can you run VLC or other 3rd-party media players on the iPod Touch?

At that point, should one just get an iPhone?




Well, the link above showed an iPod Touch with 256GB of storage which seems like that would do based on your calculator.




Okay.




;-)

I've never used a 3rd party app for my music library so can't really comment on compatibility.

VLC do have an iOS app which it states runs on iPod Touch. I think the 7th gen Touch was iOS 14 - the VLC iOS app requires iOS 9.0 or later.

On playlists - you shouldn't have any issue creating as many playlists as you want with an app like Apple Music (or similar). Once you've got the music in your media player library, you can create whatever kind of playlists you want.

Audio quality - you're probably best to find someone on YouTube or somewhere who knows what they're talking about more than me on bitrates...😄 Worth noting that iPods can take multiple audio formats, they don't only play MP3. The Apple Music desktop app let's you import audio to your library as AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3 and WAV.

Should you get an iPhone? It really comes down to what's your primary aim for this device. If it's only for listening to music in the car will a simple device without all the bells and whistles do the job? The more you pay the more extras you're paying for that you don't need. On the other hand, storage requirements are likely to determine which you go for so just compare the costs. Go for whatever is the best bang for your buck that gives you what you need. 👍

 

[Ambrosia7177]

I've never used a 3rd party app for my music library so can't really comment on compatibility.

VLC do have an iOS app which it states runs on iPod Touch. I think the 7th gen Touch was iOS 14 - the VLC iOS app requires iOS 9.0 or later.

On playlists - you shouldn't have any issue creating as many playlists as you want with an app like Apple Music (or similar). Once you've got the music in your media player library, you can create whatever kind of playlists you want.

Audio quality - you're probably best to find someone on YouTube or somewhere who knows what they're talking about more than me on bitrates...😄 Worth noting that iPods can take multiple audio formats, they don't only play MP3. The Apple Music desktop app let's you import audio to your library as AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3 and WAV.

Should you get an iPhone? It really comes down to what's your primary aim for this device. If it's only for listening to music in the car will a simple device without all the bells and whistles do the job? The more you pay the more extras you're paying for that you don't need. On the other hand, storage requirements are likely to determine which you go for so just compare the costs. Go for whatever is the best bang for your buck that gives you what you need. 👍

Juggling lots this Holiday week, but I will get back to you.

Thanks everyone for the tips so far!

 

[chown33]

Maybe the CD player in your car can play MP3 CDs. This is basically a CD-ROM with MP3 files on it. A single such CD could have hours of music on it. And you could make any collection of audio files you want, so "Hippie music" would be quite doable.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

You should probably start by looking in the manual for the car, and reading the section on how to use the audio subsystem. In particular, look at what audio inputs you can choose from. It may be that you can use a USB thumb drive with MP3 files and playlists on it (e.g M3U lists), and then you wouldn't need to connect your phone or even an MP3 player.

I you don't have time to look in the manual, maybe you could post the car model information, so others with some free time could find relevant info online.

@chown33,

Finally got around to looking at my car manual...

So I guess I am lucky in that my car radio supposedly works with iPhones, iPods, thumbdrives, and MP3 players. (Although since it is a 2014, not sure how it will play with newer technology?)

It also has a 3.5mm jack next to the USB-A port in the center console.

So where do I go from here?

As mentioned, my end-goal is to create my own mini radio station - more like radio stations!

I want to be able to take my current (and future) CD music collection and play...

- Entire albums
- Individual songs

And create numerous playlists by...

- Genre
- Sub-genre
- Decade
- Genre + Decade
- Year
- Mood
- Topic
- Season
- Artist
- Countdowns
- Shows

And so on...


The point is that I want a whole lot more than 20 of my favorite songs on a thumbdrive - although if I could create a wickedly complex directory system like I have on my MacBook Pro now, and assuming I could navigate said directory system on the digital display of my Honda, then I suppose using a thumbdrive could work.

That being said, would I be better of using a dedicated iPhone of iPod Nano or iPod Touch along with some app like Apple Music or VLC or something else, and then just using my car as the speakers?

Or do I want to use an iPhone or iPod Nano or iPod Touch or thumbdrive as the "hard-drive" - including a complex filing system - and then use my radio receiver as the interface to access and play my music?

Or something else?

I suppose what I am looking for over CD's is the ability to create long playlists where I can listen to a variety of music by decade or genre or mood and not have to keep switching CD's. (That would be especially helpful when listening to "one-hit wonders"!!)

I don't mind spending extra money for a dedicated iPhone with a large drive if it helps me reach my goal, but saving money is always nice as well.

Look forward to hearing what others think...

This is sooo exciting - finally I get to catch up with the 20th century (and 21st century too)!!!! =)

 

[Mr.Ben]

@Ambrosia7177

I think you'll find creating and managing playlists will be much easier if you use an app like VLC or Music and then sync with an actual device rather than using something like a USB drive. Will be easier for you to navigate too.

If you had enough storage on your current iPhone then you could use that to play from and connect via that aux port. If it doesn't, then going with a separate device will end up giving you both the wired and wireless options anyway.

You need to choose what app you'll use for organising your library, so I would start testing a couple and see which you like the feel of. Grab a CD or two, do some practice importing. Try creating a playlist from your imported music. See which app is easier for you to use.

Also, you could test out how to sync the music from the desktop apps to your current iPhone. Even if that won't be the device you end up using for the full library, it would mean you can get a feel for how to transfer from your computer and check out the audio quality in the car using your wired connection - aux cables are pretty cheap if you don't already have one.

👍

 

[Ambrosia7177]

@Mr.Ben,

I think you'll find creating and managing playlists will be much easier if you use an app like VLC or Music and then sync with an actual device rather than using something like a USB drive. Will be easier for you to navigate too.

This is my old MacBook Pro running MacOS Monterey. I went into Music yesterday to check it out for the first time, and couldn't figure out how to add music to my "Temp Playlist".

Is there a media player app that is the easiest to use and has the best UI? (May sound like a funny question, but I do't always assume that Apple makes the best application.)

I like that VLC is open-source, but recall hearing that the UI is clunky and out-of-date. I wish I remember where I heard that, but it seems to me that people were recommending another media layer application instead...

If you had enough storage on your current iPhone then you could use that to play from and connect via that aux port. If it doesn't, then going with a separate device will end up giving you both the wired and wireless options anyway.

My main reason for starting this thread is because I am VERY CONCERNED about plugging any iPhone into my Honda and having it download my contacts, telephone #'s, etc. - which some cars do. (I know that a lot of people here would want that, but I'm not most people.)

That being said...

If I plugged my iPhone into the USB port in my car's console, then I assume any data on my iPhone is fair game for car (and Honda) to slurp up - and I'm not keen on finding out.

If I buy another iPhone - which would have nothing personal on it - then I guess I would have an expensive MP3 player - which I could, of course, always repurpose later. (This is the option I was leaning towards when I created this thread.)

However, if I can find a cable that goes from 3.5mm to Lightning, and plug my iPhone into the Aux port on my car, then will my Honda have the ability to slurp up any personal information off my phone?

OR, will that behave similar to plugging in a pair of headphone, where only AUDIO DATA flows, and it only flows OUTWARDS from my iPhone to (presumably) my car's speakers?

You need to choose what app you'll use for organising your library, so I would start testing a couple and see which you like the feel of. Grab a CD or two, do some practice importing. Try creating a playlist from your imported music. See which app is easier for you to use.

Besides Music and VLC, can you recommend any others? (I am okay with proprietary apps as long as they are NOT subscription based, and as long as they do NOT somehow upload my personal data or music to their servers!!

Between Music and VLC, which one do you like more?

Also, you could test out how to sync the music from the desktop apps to your current iPhone. Even if that won't be the device you end up using for the full library, it would mean you can get a feel for how to transfer from your computer

Mobile apps are very foreign to me. I am used to doing everything from Finder.

With iOS, the concept of going into Finder to launch music (and any file) doesn't really exist, right?

I guess I need to figure out which app works best for me, before Ic an learn how to transfer or synch music between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone.

Not to get ahead, but I assume that I can still organize my music collection on my MacBook Pro using a nested directory structure in Finder - so I can find and launch music the old-fashioned way on my MacBook Pro - but still have a media play app like Music or VLC work with it, right?

and check out the audio quality in the car using your wired connection - aux cables are pretty cheap if you don't already have one.

👍

Does Apple sell a Lightning to 3.5mm cable if I use my older iPhone 11 Pro Max?

Does Apple sell a USB-C to 3.5mm cable if I use my newer iPhone 15 Pro Max?


Thanks!

 

[Mr.Ben]

@Mr.Ben,



This is my old MacBook Pro running MacOS Monterey. I went into Music yesterday to check it out for the first time, and couldn't figure out how to add music to my "Temp Playlist".

Is there a media player app that is the easiest to use and has the best UI? (May sound like a funny question, but I do't always assume that Apple makes the best application.)

I like that VLC is open-source, but recall hearing that the UI is clunky and out-of-date. I wish I remember where I heard that, but it seems to me that people were recommending another media layer application instead...




My main reason for starting this thread is because I am VERY CONCERNED about plugging any iPhone into my Honda and having it download my contacts, telephone #'s, etc. - which some cars do. (I know that a lot of people here would want that, but I'm not most people.)

That being said...

If I plugged my iPhone into the USB port in my car's console, then I assume any data on my iPhone is fair game for car (and Honda) to slurp up - and I'm not keen on finding out.

If I buy another iPhone - which would have nothing personal on it - then I guess I would have an expensive MP3 player - which I could, of course, always repurpose later. (This is the option I was leaning towards when I created this thread.)

However, if I can find a cable that goes from 3.5mm to Lightning, and plug my iPhone into the Aux port on my car, then will my Honda have the ability to slurp up any personal information off my phone?

OR, will that behave similar to plugging in a pair of headphone, where only AUDIO DATA flows, and it only flows OUTWARDS from my iPhone to (presumably) my car's speakers?





Besides Music and VLC, can you recommend any others? (I am okay with proprietary apps as long as they are NOT subscription based, and as long as they do NOT somehow upload my personal data or music to their servers!!

Between Music and VLC, which one do you like more?




Mobile apps are very foreign to me. I am used to doing everything from Finder.

With iOS, the concept of going into Finder to launch music (and any file) doesn't really exist, right?

I guess I need to figure out which app works best for me, before Ic an learn how to transfer or synch music between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone.

Not to get ahead, but I assume that I can still organize my music collection on my MacBook Pro using a nested directory structure in Finder - so I can find and launch music the old-fashioned way on my MacBook Pro - but still have a media play app like Music or VLC work with it, right?




Does Apple sell a Lightning to 3.5mm cable if I use my older iPhone 11 Pro Max?

Does Apple sell a USB-C to 3.5mm cable if I use my newer iPhone 15 Pro Max?


Thanks!

Hey @Ambrosia7177

The Music app is certainly not perfect and has its foibles... Here’s a couple of videos that might help though (first has a section on playlists):

Master Apple's Music App and Clean up Your Music Library:

How To Use the Music App On Your Mac Without Subscribing To Apple Music:

(You’ll find it’s a bit awkward looking for help online for the Music app as most results will be about the streaming side of Apple Music.)

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On the connection side, I suggested the aux option for your current iPhone as that cable simply carries audio. Imagine your car speakers are the headphones you’ve plugged into your phone.

For charging in the car I use a USB multi point adapter in the cigarette lighter/12V point.

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My experience is only with the Music app, but have a search on these forums. There are various threads on the subject of Music alternatives:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...s-reboot.2425105/?post=33101579#post-33101579

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/music-organization.2329882/

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If you use an iPhone as your music player, you’ll use a desktop app to import and create your library, playlists etc and then sync to the corresponding app on the iPhone. So if you used Music on the MacBook, you’d be syncing to the Music app on the iPhone. If you used some other app like VLC it should be the same method, you’d set everything up on the Mac app and then sync to the iOS version of the app. The mobile apps are then where you'd easily navigate your library and play from in the car.

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You may have just missed out on buying a lightning to aux adapter direct from Apple: https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/17/lightning-to-headphone-jack-adapter-sold-out/ but there’s plenty of lightning/usb-c to 3.5mm cables out there that should work fine.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

@Mr.Ben,

The YouTube link you provided went to some adult link talking about the porn industry and hard-ons...

WTF?

 

[Mr.Ben]

@Mr.Ben,

The YouTube link you provided went to some adult link talking about the porn industry and hard-ons...

WTF?

Oh that's weird. I've double checked the links from my end and they are working fine with no untoward websites showing - they are both just youtube links. I'm guessing you are referring to the second video as the first plays embedded - you can just paste the video title into youtube and you'll find it. 👍

 

[erihp]

I think you have two real options, both are cheap and protect your data. You have the 3.5mm jack, use it!

Since its 2024, I would suggest a Bluetooth Audio device. Here is a good one that is small and powers itself from the usb port:

amazon.com/dp/B08F74CFM7

This will allow you to connect any device to your car speakers wirelessly over bluetooth.

And because the only connectivity to your device is this 3rd party audio-only device, your Honda can only communicate audio with the Bluetooth adapter, no private data can be shared.

Up to you to decide to use your existing iPhone, the old iPhone, or some other playback device with Bluetooth.


Now, if you are ok with wires and want a dedicated playback device in order to not need to mess with your phone to change music, I would highly suggest an MP3 player based off of the Rockbox software. Older mp3 players like the Sandisk Sansa come to mind. USB port for charging and data transfer, micro SD slots for storage and a fully featured but easy to use/read UI.

Good luck welcome to the 20th century

 

[Doc_dee]

You have a couple of options:
1. if you car has an usb port, rip your music to mp3 or aac (m4a), save to a USB thumb drive , and play your music off the drive using the car's headunit.

2. If your headhunit has CarPlay/android auto, buy a cheap android phone and load your music onto a micro SD card on the phone, then use android auto

The only issue these options is keeping tabs on new music additions FWIW I use option 1 and sync my music folder with a USB thumb drive using rsync scripts.

This is an alternative to using apple music via car play, - although I use this option less since having wireless CarPlay on my current car.
If you use CarPlay - certainly on my vehicle - everything stays on the phone and nothing is copied to the car's address book.

You could also use a bluetooth connection to the car and under the bluetooth options. turn off sync contacts and switch Device type to speaker

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Oh that's weird. I've double checked the links from my end and they are working fine with no untoward websites showing - they are both just youtube links. I'm guessing you are referring to the second video as the first plays embedded - you can just paste the video title into youtube and you'll find it. 👍

Actually it was the first video...

Glad that wasn't you. So was that YouTube, or do I have to be fearful that my Mac has been compromised?

When I clicked on the first video - and I clicked on "Watch on YouTube" - I heard a woman's voice come on talking about erections and things the porn industry doesn't want me to know and lot of other trash talk - it played for over a minute. but was just audio with the video box staying black.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

@Mr.Ben,

I copied and pasted the titles below into YouTube, and this time avoided hearing about erections!

Thanks for the How-To videos on the Music app - I can see I have A LOT to learn!!!

The Music app is certainly not perfect and has its foibles... Here’s a couple of videos that might help though (first has a section on playlists):

Master Apple's Music App and Clean up Your Music Library:

How To Use the Music App On Your Mac Without Subscribing To Apple Music:

(You’ll find it’s a bit awkward looking for help online for the Music app as most results will be about the streaming side of Apple Music.)

Neither video talked about how to import an existing MP3 file - I would hope you can do that?

On the connection side, I suggested the aux option for your current iPhone as that cable simply carries audio. Imagine your car speakers are the headphones you’ve plugged into your phone.

So there is NO WAY that my Honda could slurp up any personal information like contact details, telephone numbers, voicemails, etc. if I just use an audio cable between myiPhone and car?

For charging in the car I use a USB multi point adapter in the cigarette lighter/12V point.

Yeah, I have a power strip/inverter that I currently use to charge my phone to avoid it trying to steal my info!

My experience is only with the Music app, but have a search on these forums. There are various threads on the subject of Music alternatives:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...s-reboot.2425105/?post=33101579#post-33101579

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/music-organization.2329882/

Will check those out when I haev time.

If you use an iPhone as your music player, you’ll use a desktop app to import and create your library, playlists etc and then sync to the corresponding app on the iPhone. So if you used Music on the MacBook, you’d be syncing to the Music app on the iPhone.

I guess that is one big selling point to staying in the Apple ecosystem and using the Music app?

If you used some other app like VLC it should be the same method, you’d set everything up on the Mac app and then sync to the iOS version of the app. The mobile apps are then where you'd easily navigate your library and play from in the car.

Okay.

You may have just missed out on buying a lightning to aux adapter direct from Apple: https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/17/lightning-to-headphone-jack-adapter-sold-out/ but there’s plenty of lightning/usb-c to 3.5mm cables out there that should work fine.

That's a bummer!

Can you daisy-chain adapters and still get things to work?

 

[Beerstalker]

Yes, you can use a lightning to 3.5mm cable to attach your phone. Many companies make them, here are options from Apple or Belkin if you want to stick with a major company. Otherwise there are many cheaper options if you are willing to go with lesser name brands.

Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable (1.2m) - White

This bi-directional cable can be used with both 3.5 mm audio-out and audio-in ports, allowing you to connect your AirPods Max or Beats Solo Pro headphones to 3.5 mm audio sources, or to connect your iOS or iPadOS device to speakers with 3.5 mm audio ports.

www.amazon.com

Belkin AV10172bt03-BLK 3.5mm Audio Cable With Lightning Connector, Black, Smartphone

Enjoy your music library and favorite playlists anywhere with a single cable solution that connects iPhones to car stereos, home speaker systems or portable speakers. Available in Multiple lengths for convenience, The first mfi certified cable of its kind guarantees sustained compatibility with i...

www.amazon.com

These will eat up your phone battery if you take longer drives, so if you are worried about that you could get an adapter like this instead.

https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Charge-Rockstar-Adapter-Charging/dp/B074WDWVX1/ref=sr_1_18?crid=1N11XGVRNX9DG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Af2LuZZULm25iKUbYSTLsdUAguDosKia50UkjEhj9CUCL5X2bL-L-_dXY2GJu6Rz3Stt1hZCdazuI1INa9R8t1mn6agX-uodYGyNcsjPS8_AfpXdBg6E_6Gr24u9VxTEmG41mN6Y0XQCMgnUnKD3g7QRxIkb3vwiYp64-YvAkImxOQnp_xpK9SOxXzjoIWPzZTP2r56gGmiC7-88LqYerXbzHDszJU4xe2PxAwB-06I.KZ7Qmt73CTVTOYwZb7_3jGBI9zjpUXLsjfZ0pccVWp8&dib_tag=se&keywords=lightning%2Bto%2B3.5mm&qid=1733245119&sprefix=lightning%2Bto%2B%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-18&th=1

This will allow you to attach a standard 3.5mm cable to your auxiliary input, and a lightning cable to provide power to your phone to keep it charged.

That said I would just connect your phone directly to USB or Bluetooth in your car. It should give you options on whether or not you want it to share your data connection, or copy over your contacts, etc. At least every car I have ever hooked up to has given me the option not to do that (including my wife's Honda minivan).

If you tell it not to share the data or phonebook I believe the only thing your car will learn is the name of the device it is connected to.