Help HELP! 2010 Prius USB and BT not working well!

[Thai]

Hey all,

First post...just got Epic last week. My car is a 2010 Prius with navigation (BT audio capable along with USB connection). Two issues:

1. My Samsung Epic suffers from horrible BT audio streaming sound quality! My Itouch (from Apple) BT Audio was perfect!

2. And for the life of me, i cannot get the Prius NAVI/Audio to recognize any music files on my Epic via USB connection. I never had this issue with the Itouch. (And yes, my music is on the microSD card.) I have tried everything that i can think of...it just won't see any music files! I tried copying music with DoubleTwist or just straight to Music folder...all no go.

Sprint/Samsung is damn lucky that the Epic gets good signal and call reception/clarity is the best that i have heard...because otherwise, i would dump this Android phone like yesterday's news! So, now, i have my Epic on my waist for phone calls and my Itouch doing BT audio streaming in my car. Hmmm, i thought that my whole point of going to a smartphone was to have just one device for everything.

Please any suggestions/advice??

Thanks in advance!

 

[MAKOKILLER]

First suggestion would be get rid of the prius and get a hummer....

 

[Thai]

First suggestion would be get rid of the prius and get a hummer....

hehehe...thanks...actually before the prius, i had a G-wagen...similar efficiency as a Hummer....

Well, if you guys have any ways to help me, then it would be much appreciated! If i can get either USB working or BT Audio working well, then i am a happy camper with the Epic!

 

[MAKOKILLER]

I'm just picking bud...lol

 

[badankles]

Hey all,

First post...just got Epic last week. My car is a 2010 Prius with navigation (BT audio capable along with USB connection). Two issues:

1. My Samsung Epic suffers from horrible BT audio streaming sound quality! My Itouch (from Apple) BT Audio was perfect!

2. And for the life of me, i cannot get the Prius NAVI/Audio to recognize any music files on my Epic via USB connection. I never had this issue with the Itouch. (And yes, my music is on the microSD card.) I have tried everything that i can think of...it just won't see any music files! I tried copying music with DoubleTwist or just straight to Music folder...all no go.

Sprint/Samsung is damn lucky that the Epic gets good signal and call reception/clarity is the best that i have heard...because otherwise, i would dump this Android phone like yesterday's news! So, now, i have my Epic on my waist for phone calls and my Itouch doing BT audio streaming in my car. Hmmm, i thought that my whole point of going to a smartphone was to have just one device for everything.

Please any suggestions/advice??

Thanks in advance!

i don't see why it would not work. do you have the ability to reconfigure the prius' BT and audio settings? it might just need to be reset to the new device.

 

[Thai]

i don't see why it would not work. do you have the ability to reconfigure the prius' BT and audio settings? it might just need to be reset to the new device.

I wish that it was that easy! I have played around with my Prius NAVI and the Epic phone for past several days...all no go. Prior to the Epic, i had no issues pairing up BT Audio streaming with my Itouch 64 gb. So, i know the process of how to do it...i just can't get the BT audio output to be clear nor use the USB connection.

I just spent half an hour on the phone with Sprint Tech Support...got nowhere. Next step is call Samsung support on Monday.

 

[badankles]

I wish that it was that easy! I have played around with my Prius NAVI and the Epic phone for past several days...all no go. Prior to the Epic, i had no issues pairing up BT Audio streaming with my Itouch 64 gb. So, i know the process of how to do it...i just can't get the BT audio output to be clear nor use the USB connection.

I just spent half an hour on the phone with Sprint Tech Support...got nowhere. Next step is call Samsung support on Monday.

i think it's your prius navi and bt. it must have been pre-configured for apple products. i would bring it to the dealership and get them to make it work.

 

[Thai]

i think it's your prius navi and bt. it must have been pre-configured for apple products. i would bring it to the dealership and get them to make it work.

I just tried it on my wife's Acura TSX...it says "unsupported". POS android. Add to injury, as soon as I hook up her Itouch, music filled the car instantly!

And BT audio streaming remains shitty as ever...what is Google thinking?

 

[badankles]

I just tried it on my wife's Acura TSX...it says "unsupported". POS android. Add to injury, as soon as I hook up her Itouch, music filled the car instantly!

And BT audio streaming remains shitty as ever...what is Google thinking?

again, i believe it's the vehicle's presets for apple products. they should have made it more flexible to enable other devices to work. i'm sure steve jobs had something to do with it.

 

[Thai]

Yeah, tell me about it!! Hopefully this will change as Android gets more of a foothold on the market.

 

[gtl408]

Exchange your phone or car. lol My Epic streams over BT just fine in my '10 Prius V with Nav. In fact, it's done so for the past 2 Epics as well. So, a total of 3 have worked so far. No problems using BT for phone or audio streaming with DoubleTwist. I can even skip tracks via the steering wheel controls like I do with my iPhone 4. I haven't tried to connect via USB since I hate the Prius interface and the sound quality is actually better over BT for some reason.

BT is not too shabby with the Epic, I seem to have greater range with it. My only nitpick is the steering wheel controls don't let me skip a song when using Slacker like it does with the iPhone. In fact, it does an annoying thing and invokes DoubleTwist to start playing and I end up have two songs playing at once. hah

I wish that it was that easy! I have played around with my Prius NAVI and the Epic phone for past several days...all no go. Prior to the Epic, i had no issues pairing up BT Audio streaming with my Itouch 64 gb. So, i know the process of how to do it...i just can't get the BT audio output to be clear nor use the USB connection.

I just spent half an hour on the phone with Sprint Tech Support...got nowhere. Next step is call Samsung support on Monday.

 

[Thai]

Exchange your phone or car. lol My Epic streams over BT just fine in my '10 Prius V with Nav. In fact, it's done so for the past 2 Epics as well. So, a total of 3 have worked so far. No problems using BT for phone or audio streaming with DoubleTwist. I can even skip tracks via the steering wheel controls like I do with my iPhone 4. I haven't tried to connect via USB since I hate the Prius interface and the sound quality is actually better over BT for some reason.

BT is not too shabby with the Epic, I seem to have greater range with it. My only nitpick is the steering wheel controls don't let me skip a song when using Slacker like it does with the iPhone. In fact, it does an annoying thing and invokes DoubleTwist to start playing and I end up have two songs playing at once. hah

I have a 2010 Prius V with ATP...so, yeah, we have the same car. Yes, you can control the tracks. Now, turn up your Media Volume...you will hear harshness, esp. in the higher frequencies (as if your tweeters were blown).

Yeah, i hate when two songs play at the same time...this is why i have deleted DT and use "iSyncr". iSyncr does not have its own music player. It just downloads Itunes (e.g. playlist, etc) and you have to use the "Music" player that comes with the Epic. In this way, there is no problems with the Epic being confused. (Unlike DT, iSyncr is not free, but i feel that it is worth it.)

BTW, i just got my 2nd Epic today. The BT Audio streaming remains problematic if you turn Media Volume all the way up. I have it 3/4 of the way...and it does seem to have less "harshness" than on my previous Epic. Still, it is not as good as my Itouch (Apple).

Ideally, i want to play via USB, but i have not tried that yet on my new (2nd) Epic.

Tell me what you hear when you turn up the Media Volume...and see if you can plug in your USB. Thanks!

 

[gtl408]

I've always had my bluetooth media volume cranked to the max. I'll have to put on a quality track and pay attention to harshness when I get back from my trip. For my non-serious listening, the only difference I could tell was that I had gotten a slightly better treble response versus the other bluetooth devices I've tried in the past with the Prius. Thanks for the tip about iSyncr.

I have a 2010 Prius V with ATP...so, yeah, we have the same car. Yes, you can control the tracks. Now, turn up your Media Volume...you will hear harshness, esp. in the higher frequencies (as if your tweeters were blown).

Yeah, i hate when two songs play at the same time...this is why i have deleted DT and use "iSyncr". iSyncr does not have its own music player. It just downloads Itunes (e.g. playlist, etc) and you have to use the "Music" player that comes with the Epic. In this way, there is no problems with the Epic being confused. (Unlike DT, iSyncr is not free, but i feel that it is worth it.)

BTW, i just got my 2nd Epic today. The BT Audio streaming remains problematic if you turn Media Volume all the way up. I have it 3/4 of the way...and it does seem to have less "harshness" than on my previous Epic. Still, it is not as good as my Itouch (Apple).

Ideally, i want to play via USB, but i have not tried that yet on my new (2nd) Epic.

Tell me what you hear when you turn up the Media Volume...and see if you can plug in your USB. Thanks!

 

[Thai]

Yeah, the Epic's BT has a lot of range...i can hear/feel more bass vs. BT on my Itouch. However, the harshness or cracking of the voice is killing me! It destroys the music for me.

 

[Thai]

I went to Sprint today. The tech/salesman could not get my phone to read more than 3 songs. His HTC phone (forgot name) also failed...he has all MP3 songs. My Prius read just ONE song on his phone.

Android really sucks with the multimedia interface in cars...or my car is just made for Apple stuff. (My wife's Acura also could not read any song via USB.)

 

[gtl408]

Thai,

I just tried it out this morning and used various tracks of various recording qualities. I even tested the tracks at extreme volumes. They all sounded great to me and I still stand by my original assessment of the Epic/Galaxy S line being a better bluetooth streamer versus the iPhone and other Android phones. I noticed you mentioning MP3. All of my stuff is AAC 256 VBR. Maybe your encoding method inflated the recording level and thus, intrduced distortion. Or the Epic is reavealing lower quality encodes since it has the range? It'll be analogous to me being able to distinguish quality recordings versus common recordings like night and day on my high end audio system. Afterall, the original iPod were all tuned for 128 bit rates since that's what Apple had originally pushed with their iTunes store. Just a thought.

Yeah, the Epic's BT has a lot of range...i can hear/feel more bass vs. BT on my Itouch. However, the harshness or cracking of the voice is killing me! It destroys the music for me.

 

[Thai]

Thai,

I just tried it out this morning and used various tracks of various recording qualities. I even tested the tracks at extreme volumes. They all sounded great to me and I still stand by my original assessment of the Epic/Galaxy S line being a better bluetooth streamer versus the iPhone and other Android phones. I noticed you mentioning MP3. All of my stuff is AAC 256 VBR. Maybe your encoding method inflated the recording level and thus, intrduced distortion. Or the Epic is reavealing lower quality encodes since it has the range? It'll be analogous to me being able to distinguish quality recordings versus common recordings like night and day on my high end audio system. Afterall, the original iPod were all tuned for 128 bit rates since that's what Apple had originally pushed with their iTunes store. Just a thought.

Hmmm...interesting. Where do you buy your music for epic?

 

[Thai]

Hmmm...interesting. Where do you buy your music for epic?

Doesn't Itunes have all their songs at 256vbr?

EDIT: I just checked...all of my songs in Itunes are AAC 256 VBR...all of them! I transferred them over to my phone using iSyncr.

Have you tried connecting your USB to your phone? Does it work?

 

[gtl408]

Most of my tracks are rips from my own cd's, but the ones I have purchased from iTunes sound fine, too. I haven't used iSyncr, only DoubleTwist. I will try USB later today and get back to you.

Doesn't Itunes have all their songs at 256vbr?

EDIT: I just checked...all of my songs in Itunes are AAC 256 VBR...all of them! I transferred them over to my phone using iSyncr.

Have you tried connecting your USB to your phone? Does it work?

 

[Thai]

Most of my tracks are rips from my own cd's, but the ones I have purchased from iTunes sound fine, too. I haven't used iSyncr, only DoubleTwist. I will try USB later today and get back to you.

Want to trade Epics??

I used DT...and it still sounded bad. Thus, i spent actual money for iSyncr in vain hope....

If your USB works, then we need to talk!! I need to know where your music is stored, etc..

 

[Thai]

Ok, just to prove to you guys that i am not crazy (well, maybe not totally nuts): [Q] How to improve bluetooth audio (music) quality? - xda-developers

I am going to try volume unlock app....

 

[gtl408]

USB doesn't work for me, tried debug mode and non-debug mode with no results. Have to dig out the Prius manual to see if there are specifics that need to be followed.

Maybe you can email me one of your tracks at gordontailee@gmail.com? My stuff sounds fine to me.

Want to trade Epics??

I used DT...and it still sounded bad. Thus, i spent actual money for iSyncr in vain hope....

If your USB works, then we need to talk!! I need to know where your music is stored, etc..

 

[gtl408]

Also, I live in a non-4G area, so if your 4G radio is on, maybe it's causing issues with the BT? Just a thought. Also, are there usually any apps running in the background on your phone?

 

[Thai]

USB doesn't work for me, tried debug mode and non-debug mode with no results. Have to dig out the Prius manual to see if there are specifics that need to be followed.

Maybe you can email me one of your tracks at gordontailee@gmail.com? My stuff sounds fine to me.

I really appreciate you trying all this for me! I will also take a look at the Prius manual. I doubt that the Prius is the problem. My Itouch works via USB.

Also, I live in a non-4G area, so if your 4G radio is on, maybe it's causing issues with the BT? Just a thought. Also, are there usually any apps running in the background on your phone?

I don't have any other radio running...i just have the MUSIC player that came with my Epic running. Advance Task Killer is doing its job.

From my googling, the USB not working may be a Samsung issue because the driver may not be appropriate. For the BT Audio Streaming, this is apparently a widespread issue among Android phones. But, who knows because you apparently don't have the issue! My problem is EXACTLY like the one described in the XDA thread above.

 

[gtl408]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Prius is the problem. Today, I finally was motivated enough to check out the Prius' USB manual insert and noted that it mainly refers to MP3/WMA for the USB connection and iDevices as the other alternative. So, I decided to convert a couple of my AAC MP4 tracks to MP3 and put them on the phone. What I found was the USB interface is flaky, just exactly how it acts with one of my older iPod's. In this case, I had to shutdown/turn off the Prius, set DoubleTwist to Auto USB drive mode, connect the USB cable to the Epic and Prius, and then turn on the Prius. Most of the time, it connected fine and played the 5 or 6 MP3's I had fine. I was able to get the USB to work with the Prius on with DoubleTwist's Auto USB drive mode left on, but didn't test it much. So, you can test it further by having a combination of MP3 and MP4 in a single folder to see if it's able to play the MP4's. Why you would want that awful USB/iPhone UI is beyond me, but I'm done at this point. lol Why do I say the Prius is the problem? I say it because I have absolutely no problem mounting the Epic to my PC or Mac without USB debug mode enabled. Anyway, good luck with it.

I really appreciate you trying all this for me! I will also take a look at the Prius manual. I doubt that the Prius is the problem. My Itouch works via USB.



I don't have any other radio running...i just have the MUSIC player that came with my Epic running. Advance Task Killer is doing its job.

From my googling, the USB not working may be a Samsung issue because the driver may not be appropriate. For the BT Audio Streaming, this is apparently a widespread issue among Android phones. But, who knows because you apparently don't have the issue! My problem is EXACTLY like the one described in the XDA thread above.