Pandora, Iphone, Rx450H

[Poisson]

Just got my new RX450h

I'm trying to get the system to play Pandora radio when the iPhone is plugged in to the USB. It seems to work as follows:

1. iPhone plugged in, system treats it as a ipod and only plays pre-recorded music.

2. iPhone not plugged in, system plays Pandora radio, but not pre-recorded music. Phone battery goes flat

What I'd like is to play Pandora when the iPhone is plugged in and charging. Also to be able to switch between Pandora and ipod mode. Any ideas?

Thanks

Paul

[ilv1004s]

cant you change play type by pressing mode?

[Poisson]

cant you change play type by pressing mode?

Unfortunately no - it just cycles through the various radio bands and back to the ipod / iphone. What I can do is manually start Pandora playing from the phone but that of course requires handling the phone with the car in motion, which is a no-no (unless I remember to set it up before I set off). The system still thinks it's getting its input from an ipod though and there is no way of controlling pandora. The display actually shows the last song which was playing in the i-device, not what is currently playing on Pandora.

I'll keep trying, but I don't expect it to work. :(

[p0c1]

I got a Nokia Lumia with a free Pandora Radio app,

Currently I have it connected with no problem through bluetooth, and im able to skip songs, control volume and show it metatags ( song, album, artist)

And it have great quality sound..

Hope it helps anyone..

P0c1

[Lexus Nerd]

It may not be an OEM solution, but how about buying a USB port for your cigarette lighter socket, and plug the iPhone in that USB port whenever you want the iPhone to work in Bluetooth audio streaming mode (i.e., when you're using Pandora)?

The question then remains, how do you replay pre-recorded music when that normally doesn't transmit to the Lexus via Bluetooth? Since I don't have access to an RX to check, I think the answer is one of the following:

1. Perhaps the Lexus has a mode where any audio played on the Bluetooth device (iPhone) is heard on the car audio. But you would have to control the playback through the iPhone's screen.
2. If there is something on the iPhone or the Lexus that prevents the iPhone's inbuilt music player from being used to play back music via Bluetooth, try a third-party app that can play music stored on the iPhone, such as Shazam.
3. If the Lexus is designed to only work with specific iPhone apps via Bluetooth (perhaps Pandora, and little more), then your only choice is to unplug the iPhone cable and plug it into the inbuilt USB port in the RX whenever you want to play back pre-recorded music.

[Poisson]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've done a bit more experimenting and this is what I've found...

1. With iPhone plugged in, the RX treats it like an iPod (prerecorded music) by default.
2. Whether plugged in or not, it will play Pandora (and iPod and probably others if I had them) via Bluetooth.
3. However, to play Pandora I need to manually start it up on the phone and select Bluetooth device on the RX.
4. I can control Pandora from the car to the extent of changing volume and skipping tracks.
5. While playing Pandora I can change back to iPod by selecting iPod from the menu or pressing the button.
6. If I then again select Bluetooth, it will change to Pandora but won't start playing until I manually press the > (play) button on Pandora (on the phone).

So I've got half a solution. I can set up Pandora before I start driving, then listen to it with the phone plugged in and charging. I can change back to iPod mode using the car controls. However there is no way to change from iPod to Pandora without handling the phone. Further, unlike p0c1, I don't get any track information (song name, artist etc) on the screen in Pandora.

I don't think there will be any advance on this situation unless Lexus and Apple provide more control over the phone from the car controls - I'm not holding my breath.