USB > Bluetooth

"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
11/21/2019 at 20:30 • Filed to: None

Both are new for me in the Crosstrek, having only had 3.5MM AUX as an option in the SH Forester. Bluetooth is nice for convenience when it works, though sound quality certainly suffers. USB + Apple CarPlay is quite nice though - enough to get over not having a 6 disc in-dash changer any more. I must say, integrated maps is fantastic, too .

On that note, I picked-up a Lightning cable that will live in the car. At 8 inches long, it’s just long enough to make it from the center console mounted USB port to the closest cup holder without excess cable . Also, it reasonably matches the seat fab ric... time will tell how this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! cable holds up.

DISCUSSION (23)

AestheticsInMotion > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 20:35

Wireless all the way. Putting my phone in the car mount and having it instantly start charging and connect to Bluetooth is a convenience I never want to go without. Especially since the charging port always seems to be the main point of failure for my phones :/

facw > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 20:36

Bluetooth please. I’ve plugged a cable into my phone exactly once in the 4 months I’ve had it.

404 - User No Longer Available > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 20:42

I use Bluetooth as well, and this app launches automatically when it detects my phone is connected to one of the car Bluetooth MACs.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.drivemode.android

It gives me an eyes free ge st ure interface and handles texting via voices, works with both WhatsApp and Slack.

MM54 > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 20:48

Bluetooth was never meant to do half the shit people demand of it, and people just ignore that audio over bluetooth sounds like shit and a half “because it’s easy” . Good decision with the cable.

Wacko > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 20:50

The problem with USB cables is the lightning connector. If they are not apple certified they won’t charge, or won’t transfer data. And cheap eBay cables never last me long, they just stop working.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 20:59

The problem with Bluetooth is that you burn up your battery, I’d much rather have it plugged in and charging

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wacko
11/21/2019 at 21:02

Yeah lightning chargers can be a real PITA. The one i use in my work car will disconnect anytime it’s bumped even a little bit

smobgirl > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 21:12

I hate that Bluetooth insists on automatically starting music or podcasts the second I start the car. 90% of the time I don’t want it on, much less whatever random song it always starts with.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Wacko
11/21/2019 at 21:15

And things like this are why I don’t like Apple. I can use any charger and any cable with my Android and it works fine.

That being said, I still use 3.5mm in my car....as that is the only thing I have, but I am perfectly happy with it! I still use my MP3 player for music though.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 21:19

I notice a definite quality increase when using CarPlay in my car. That said Bluetooth is so much more convenient so I use it anytime I am in the car for less than an hour.

TheRealBicycleBuck > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/21/2019 at 21:22

I had the same problem with my last phone. Look in the port. They tend to collect lint, especially when the phone is placed in a pocket. After I cleaned it out, the problem disappeared.

facw > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/21/2019 at 21:26

Modern B luetooth is pretty miserly when it comes to power. And of course you can charge wirelessly.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Boxer_4
11/21/2019 at 21:36

Mazda started putting in USB ports in the 2013 Mazda5, but I decided to get the 2012 and save $4,000. What I did instead was to make a little box that had the guts of a set of headphones connected up to a factory momentary switch that I grabbed at the junkyard. With it I can play/pause/skip to next/go to previous track with just one button. If I wired up the mike portion I could even do Siri or hands-free with the same button. Maybe I’ll incorporate that into version 2.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > smobgirl
11/21/2019 at 21:50

Dealt with this at a luxury marquee as the “Tech Specialist.” Most head units are only ever going to resume what source you leave them on. So while it would be nice if our supposedly smart phones didn’t automatically resume audio playback, that’s simply how BT works. Best advice is to turn off the audio or change to the radio before your turn off/exit your vehicle.

smobgirl > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
11/21/2019 at 21:54

Nah, I just don’t use Bluetooth unless it’s a rental, and then it’s just for a day at a time. It’ll probably be years before I use it regularly in something I own.

Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition > smobgirl
11/21/2019 at 22:12

My Pioneer powers up paused if resuming from bluetooth. I am the opposite and I hate the feature. If you don’t have the cable plugged into the phone when it starts up, it defaults to Bluetooth no matter what. Maybe it’s because it’s in my commuter and I’m not in and out of the car all day. My work van defaults back to the radio when you start up. So I don’t know which is worse.

smobgirl > Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition
11/21/2019 at 22:30

Haha. I think it bugs me because it seems to default back to the same podcast every single time - not the latest episode, but one from over a year ago, which it restarts at the very beginning every time I start a vehicle.

And then there’s the one unremembered car manufacturer that restarts music every time you change the volume when all I wanted was the map directions to be louder.

Boxer_4 > Wacko
11/22/2019 at 02:55

I can’t say I’ve had any issues with Lightning cables, even the non-Apple ones. In fact, the only lightning cable that I’ve broken in the last 8 years was an Apple official cable.

Boxer_4 > AestheticsInMotion
11/22/2019 at 03:09

My iPhone 7 doesn’t do wireless charging, and I can’t say I’ve had any issues with the charge port on it or the iPhone 5 it replaced. Bluetooth may be convenient, but I appreciate the better sound quality that a wired connection affords.

Boxer_4 > MM54
11/22/2019 at 03:15

The poor sound quality and overall soft volume of Bluetooth drive me nuts. I find I have to crank the volume quite high just to get to a normal level on Bluetooth , which isn’t the case on USB. I’m not an audiophile by any means, but poor sound quality definitely bothers me to a certain degree.

Boxer_4 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
11/22/2019 at 03:21

Unless it’s a real short drive, I use CarPlay. On those short drives, I’m usually listening to terrestrial radio anyway. The USB cord, even with the 8" cord, is within easy reach of the far back cup holder in the center console. My phone ends up there on anything more than a short drive anyway.

Boxer_4 > facw
11/22/2019 at 03:25

It’s definitely convenient, but I’m a stickler for sound quality and am willing to put in the slight extra effort personally.

facw > Boxer_4
11/22/2019 at 08:09

Quality is definitely good enough for me. BT audio has come a long way.