If you’re at all like me, travelling is only really tolerable with the right soundtrack. Listening to your favourite music or podcasts is a great way to make your commute go by faster, and there are a lot of options that will allow you to get your iPhone connected to your car’s speakers – which are much louder and better-sounding than the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus’ internal speakers. Here are our recommended solutions, with the most convenient and best-sounding options coming first!
1. Connect over Bluetooth
Newer and higher-end stereos include Bluetooth capabilities, making it easy to connect your iPhone 6 to your car stereo. Simply enable Bluetooth on your iPhone 6 (Settings > Bluetooth) and then select your car stereo from the list of devices. You may need to put your stereo in pairing mode to see it in that list, so refer to your stereo’s documentation to do so. Usually, you’ll be holding down a Bluetooth button until you get an audio and/or light cue that pairing is ready to proceed.
2. Use a 3.5mm audio cable to an AUX audio input
Some stereos include 3.5mm audio ports, which make it very easy to connect the iPhone 6. Simply get a 3.5mm audio cable, then connect one end to your iPhone 6’s headphone jack, and the other to the 3.5mm AUX input on your stereo.
If your car stereo has an auxiliary input listed but doesn’t have a visible 3.5mm port on the front, you may be able to access the rear of the car stereo and find a pair of RCA jacks there. From here, you’ll need a RCA to 3.5mm cable to connect to your iPhone.
3. Use an FM transmitter
If there are no Bluetooth or wired connections available to your car’s stereo, you’ll have to get creative. One clever option is to use an FM transmitter, which makes a very short range FM broadcast. You can tune into this broadcast using your car’s FM radio. This Olixar Smartune Bluetooth FM transmitter connects to your phone using Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable, then transmits to FM on the frequency of your choice.
4. Use a tape deck adapter
If even FM radio isn’t an option, there’s still hope. If your stereo has a tape deck, you can get a special tape deck to 3.5mm adapter. You insert it like a normal cassette, then use the trailing 3.5mm cable to plug into your iPhone’s headphone jack. This allows you to get music playing through your car’s speakers, without any newfangled technology whatsoever.
Anything we missed?
Thanks for checking out the article. If you have any questions that we didn’t answer or you’re confused about something, let us know. You can reach us by the comments below, or talk to us on Twitter @mobilefun.