5 replies to this topic

[mini_mad69]

I've recently got the latest iPhone and am a little confused. As most of you know apple have changed the charging connector on the bottom, I know it's a pain, but it does fit better than the previous connector.

The problem comes with my docks I have for my regular apple devices. Mainly my car kit, with this I simply plugged in my iPhone or iPod into my centre console and I could use the controls on my headunit and steering wheel. I bought one of those cheap adapters to convert but all it does it charge it, not play music or control it.

Do the genuine apple connectors allow for playing music and controlling the iPhone, Or do I have to run it through the aux system and control it on the screen. Because I really don't want to do that.

[Dan]

The Apple Lightning / 30 pin adaptors definitely connect audio and I believe they can control too. Look at the questions and answers for the product in the Apple Store. The generic ones available are mostly only designed to offer charging as you have found. You won't get video through the cable yet though, the phone doesn't output video through Lightning yet. I assume you know you should be using a cable and not a solid dock, the Lightning is not designed to support the weight of the phone like the 30 pin was.

[brum,brum,mike]

I was thinking this too.

Hopefully it'll work with the Griffin iTrip, as i believe they do not sell these with the lightning connector. I need music in the garage!

£25 for an apple adapter is abit steep though.

Thanks for the advice Dan

[samsfern]

Was a pain for me too, meaning i needed to buy a different phone holder and incar charger, as well as another charger for at work. One other thing i noticed, gf's car has bluetooth connectivity built into the radio, and i used to be able to access music from my old iphone 4s, via bluetooth, cant do that on the iphone 5 now.

[Dan]

I suspect Apple have realised that if everyone has an iPhone, they don't sell many iPods. So they have limited its abilities as a player. When I go away to work I always put a load of films in my phone that I can watch on the hotel TV instead of paying hotel prices for watching them (can usually make the TV work with an input even if it's meant to be locked, only Disneyland TVs have beaten me so far). I can't do that with a 5 though as it doesn't output video through Lightning at all yet. Very annoying.

Lightning adaptors are pretty expensive but remember it's more than just a cable. Most of the pins in Lightning do different things depending on what you are doing with the phone, there is electronics in the connector to select what is doing what. Think about it, you can put the plug in either way up for one thing and that alone means there is switching going on. That's why cheap adaptors don't provide anything other than power, they have no electronics in them.

Edited by Dan, 01 March 2013 - 08:05 AM.

[Merryck]

From what I've heard they've added a chip to try and stop cheap knockoff adapters (because they're not earning enough money as it is!) so it could be that your adapter is only able to handle certain functions.