Has anyone tried using their iPhone 3G through the USB audio interface in the new Fit? If so, did your phone charge?

Since Apple removed 12V/FireWire charging from the iPhone 3G, there have been some compatability issues, and I wanted to know if I need to start looking for an adapter/converter for my forthcoming Fit or get a serious splitter for the single 12v power outlet (Grrrr...could they not have at least added 2!?!)

 

I have 3g iPhone and I am expecting my Fit in a few days. I asked the dealer about this same thing. They said you have to put your iPhone 3g on airplane Mode to even connect it. And yes, it will charge it.

 

I will pick up my Fit tomorrow, and I'll try it out with my 3G iPhone.

 

Please let us know if it works without having to put it in airplane mode. I would assume it would charge, since it's a USB connection and not a firewire. If you are in a 3G area, I assume it would be fine, because there's no GSM buzz, but in an area with EDGE, if you don't turn airplane mode on, you might get some GSM buzz through the speakers. It just depends on the car and how well the speakers are shielded. There's no buzz in my wife's prius, but in my work vehicle (dodge caravan) there is unless you put the phone in between the front seats.

 

It works perfectly without putting it into airplane mode.

When you first plug it in, the phone presents a message windows that says something like "This accessory is not made to work with the iPhone. Would you like to put the phone into airplane mode to reduce interference?" If you do nothing, it will go away after several seconds and leave the phone in its normal mode.

Look for pictures and video momentarily in a new thread.

 

Do you have any songs on your iPhone (or iPod) that were purchased from iTunes? Just curious if these play OK -- the manual seems to indicate that songs with Digital Rights Management (DRM) may not work with the USB input. I don't have a lot of iTunes purchases -- hopefully I don't have to strip off the DRM to avoid a crash in the middle of a playlist!

 

My 2009 Fit recognizes and plays my protected songs from the iTunes store very well.

 

When I try my iphone with the usb connection, the screen just says accessory mode, or something like that and I have no control and no access to the regular screen. If I start playing a song before I plug it in, it comes thru the radio, but I can't change anything without disconnecting it from the usb port. Anyone else have that problem?

 

Hmm, it doesn't ask you if you want to put it in airplane mode or not? What generation iPhone do you have, and what firmware version are you running?

 

My 3G worked fine for the first 3 weeks, then out of no where I get unsupported across my radio, just today I plugged it in ... it works fine, very inconsistent radio for me

 

Has anyone attempted to answer a call on the 3G while plugged into the USB Port. This would be great info for me because I just got my new Fit, but also because it will be great info for me to tell customer's at my Genius Bar

 

I went to radioshack and bought an adapter for the 12v socket that you can adjust. With it tilted up it doesn't look odd being there constantly and it is not dangling from the socket like the ones that are just cords. Mine also has a ring around one port letting you know it has power. A large water bottle doesn't fit well in that cup holder with the adapter in. Also when disconnecting and connecting USB I would always try to connect it while the radio is set to a different setting, that way when its added it would search for the device and also move away from the usb input before disconnecting the ipod. Hopefully that helps everyone else out. Since I did that all the time I have no problem with an ipod touch.

 

When you plug in your iphone, a popup appears on your screen asking if your like to switch to airplane so theres no distortion in the audio. You select no to stay in the standard mode so you still can receive calls. And if you get a text message or get a phone call during the middle of a song, the music volume turns down and your ringer goes off over the radio. Good luck talking on your phone while its plugged in (the standard usb-to-30 pin Ipod plug doesnt reach far)

 

The cord reaches over just far enough for me to talk with it still plugged in, although I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than short calls. This is where a bluetooth headset comes in handy.

 

Try this. Next time you get unsupported, unplug your phone, hit the iPod icon, and see if your iPod menu is under one of the music menus (artists, albums, songs, etc.) or under videos or podcasts. I got unsupported only one time, and that one time, I had just stopped watching a vew movies on my phone, so it was still under the movie menu when I plugged the phone in. I guess it showed unsupported because the car was trying to play the movies, and it realized that it wasn't an .mp3 or .m4a or whatever.

 

I'll give it a try, I really hate bluetooth headsets which is why I avoid them. Right now I just use an AUX cable for music, and for answering the iPhone. It works well but I would love to charge the phone at the same time.

 

I don't get the message on my iPhone 3G asking to put it in airline mode. The last person to post that was a couple of months ago. Maybe that has changed in recent iPhone software. I also don't get any GSM noise leaking into the stereo.

I can answer the phone but the music switches to playing through the earpiece and I can't hear the other person. I have to turn off the head unit before answering.

The annoying thing is that it doesn't respect the "Sound Check" setting that normalizes the volume across different songs. The volume swings are huge - more so than I ever noticed with headphones.

 

Hmm, mine will ask me if I want to put it in airplane mode. As far as music during calls, when I receive a call, the music cuts off completely, and I have no problem answering calls. Same when I get incoming emails or texts, the music cuts off so the notification sound can chime, then the music fades back in.

 

I have a USB handsfree device that clips to the visor. Much more convenient than a headset, and it solves the problem elegantly.

My iPhone does the same as most report here. It asks about airplane mode. I ignore it, and it works anyway.

 

I have the latest software on my 3G iPhone. It still asks about going into airplane mode, and it turns the music off when a phone call comes in. You can tell there is a call coming, because the music will fade out a full second before the phone rings.

For notification sounds, like a text message, it turns the music most of the way down, but not completely off. I'd guess it goes down to about 20% of the volume at which you were listening.

FitFatty, I wonder if you have a bad cable that might be causing your problem. If you have access to another cable, give it a try.