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Newbie to the USB stick for playing MP3s in a Gen 3 Prius, threads

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by cappy2112, Jun 2, 2016.

  1. cappy2112

    cappy2112 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2013
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    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I've got a 2013 Prius 3, and I'v been using a gen 3 or 4 iPod touch (currently with iOS 9.x), for almost 3 years.
    I don't seem to be having the problems others in this forum have described with with my iPod in the Prius (knock on simulated woodgrain). The only significant problem is that - I leave my iPod plugged into my Prius when I turn off the car, sometimes the Prius display & iPod will lock up, when I start the car again.
    Unplug/replug the iPod fixes that.

    I mostly had this lockup problem with podcasts, since I tend to listen to them more than music, but I think this is due to Apple's crappy podcast app, not the file being played.

    After I switched from using Apple's podcast app to PocketCast, this lockup problem disappeared almost completely. The iPod only locks up maybe 1 in 50-100 car starts now.
    The only downside to using PocketCast is that you can't use the Prius display to select the podcast (nor the episode) you want to listen to. You need to start it on the iPod, then just stop/start on the Prius display.

    I've had it with iTunes and my iPod in the Prius. It's such a pain trying to get new purchases and podcasts from iTunes on my Macbook Pro, into the iPod, I give up. So, I'm switching to a USB stick, provided I can get a few answers.

    Onto using the USB stick in the Prius...
    I've read many threads where people haven't been able to get their USB stick working in the Prius, but many of them don't indicate they took any troubleshooting steps, like inserting it into a computer.

    Also- the threads generally don't indicate of the USB sticks are USB3.0 or not. I know that USB3 has to be backwards compatible with previous generations, but that doesn't mean newer cheap /crappy sticks don't have buggy firmware. The same goes for the Prius firmware. After all of the lockups I saw with my iPod, I wouldn't say the Toyota's USB firmware (nor the app in the display unit) is bug free.

    1. So- what's the final verdict on USB2 vs USB3 sticks? Are USB3 sticks reliable to use in a 2012 Prius?

    2. Is there any type of playlist format that can be used on a USB stick? I've read that M3U isn't compatible,
    in the Display Audio System Owner's manual. Unfortunately, it doesn't indicate if any format is
    compatible. I suspect some hackers may have uncovered something that Toyota isn't aware of....

    3. Does Toyota update the car SW/FW/OS automatically when you go in for service, if a newer version is available?

    Are there known versions that tend to be better or worse than others? I'm not sure where I can even check for my OS version, nor the FW version of the Display and USB.


    Thanks
     
    #1 cappy2112, Jun 2, 2016
  2. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

    Joined:
    May 12, 2011
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    Location:
    Nature coast, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    As far as I know, USB2 or 3 will work. It has more to do with data transfer speeds... The only format I have tried is MP3, and it worked fine.
     
    #2 Eclipse1701d, Jun 2, 2016
  3. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2013
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    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Organizing MP3s on a Flash Drive | PriusChat

    Here's my thread on the MP3 USB issue. I think some USB drives just don't play well with the Prius' OS. I've seen this with other devices using flash memory. The memory might be "good" but not 100% "compatible" with the application. Sounds odd, but that's why I rather pay for quality brand-name memory in an important (to me) application and use cheap memory for knockabout stuff. Being a savvy shopper helps...especially if you use Amazon or Newegg or anyplace that had customer reviews and ratings for their products. Bad products often get bad reviews pretty fast.

    My iPhone does a similar issue over Bluetooth. If I play a song outside the car and even close the app, going to BT mode in the Prius automatically calls up something from the music library. If the last thing I used the phone for was listening to a podcast, the BT will pull up the next podcast in memory. Ironically, I can go into the podcast app and delete a show, and if I didn't finish listening to it in the Prius, the system will pull up the DELETED file and start playing it. This leads me to believe the app doesn't so much "delete" the file but designates the memory address as available to write over...hence, the Prius can recall and play a supposedly "deleted" file if it still has data integrity.
     
    #3 qdllc, Jun 2, 2016
  4. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2011
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    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    I've used a variety of USB sticks most of them free swag from conventions everything works on up to the brand spanking new USB 3.0 32gb.

    mp3 and wma. Just about everything works. I've used 320k MP3 to variable bitrate down to 64k mono for my audiobooks.

    Do not update your software. The current version does not save your location within the mp3. I have hour long files that come from the library. They used to save but once I updated the software the file plays from beginning when you shutoff the car.
     
    #4 mmmodem, Jun 2, 2016
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