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The USB is just for charging for now. You need to connect them via bluetooth.

I copied my music folder onto a USB flash drive and could get to the music. I think iholzman means that the USB is just for charging an iPOD for now.

I was told this was a compatibility problem with iOS that Tesla is working on and hopes to implement in a future upgrade. For now connect with Bluetooth, but you have to manually change songs etc on the iDevice, not on the Tesla touchscreen.

IIRC, the skip buttons worked for me, playing music over Bluetooth from the iPhone.

I have to start playing from the iPhone, though, if I want a certain playlist, shuffle, etc. Hopefully this'll be improved.

I have an iPod Classic and haven't tried it yet. My DS said it would work if I plugged it into the USB port, but I'm pretty sure I read elsewhere it wouldn't. ;-( Hopefully in the future, if not...but I'm going to try it tomorrow. (No Bluetooth on the iPod Classic, unfortunately.)

My aftermarket Panasonic radio/navi has perfect iPod integration, showing album artwork, and an apple interface for skip, shuffle, ect. When I asked about 10 days ago when I got my car, the delivery specialist indicated that it was a negotiation thing between Tesla and Apple. Apple can be sticky about it's licensing, but I don't know for sure if that's the actual problem. I'm wondering if that's the same reason we can't get Pandora or IheartRadio.

@jbunn: You can run Flash or any video in the browser on the Model S; I wonder if the audio stuff requires similar plug-ins that Tesla just doesn't support, or doesn't support yet? Pandora's requirements seem very specific about browser, computer, etc.

Android devices work when connect via USB. It's an Apple/Tesla issue according to my DS agent. Hopefully they'll work it out.

If apple has licensed the ipod connectivity to panasonic, sony, pioneer, kenwood, JVC, and possibly every other car audio manufacturer, not to mention home audio systems and iphone docks, there seems to be no reason they would deny tesla the license. Or tesla can just use the ipod library for linux, and hope they will win in court.

There are multiple devices that can add bluetooth to an ipod classic. Some plug into the headphone jack, others into the 30 pin adapter. Amazon has a nice selection.

Kendall;
Have you done it? My understanding is that the plugins won't run.

KendallPB

Did you try your ipod Classic ?

@Brian H: Sorry, I typo'd; I meant you can't run Flash/video. Brain freeze, sorry! I actually tried Pandora--something I read made it look like they used HTML5 now--but going there says it needs Flash. I guess what I read was wrong.

@snowmass4: Thanks for mentioning that. I have a 12v FM transmitter that broadcasts it on any station I pick, and it works fine, but the cable's coming loose and I expect one day it'll quit working...plus finding a free station when out of town can be challenging in some areas (e.g., NYC!). ;-) So I'll check out the Bluetooth adapters, thanks.

@mailsrivatsas: As expected, no joy (although with my FM Transmitter it works fine, though I feel like the Bluetooth on the iPhone is crisper/better quality sound.

"Did you try your ipod Classic ?"

I tried an iPod 5th Gen in the showroom Model S. It didn't work. The iPod showed the same "Do not disconnect" screen as when it is connected to a computer. It also froze the Tesla center display until it was disconnected. Likewise, my iPhone 4s, when connected via USB, couldn't access the music. I didn't try Bluetooth (which is supposed to work)

I have an I-Pod shuffle. I plugged it into the USB of the Model S. The screen displays the album artwork but a little rotating circle shows that it seems to be trying to load the music but the music doesn't play. Seems odd that I'd see the arwork but no music. Any solutions? Thanks.

When I connect my Samsung Galaxy S3 to the USB port, all it does is charge it (a bit... very low current on the S USB ports), but I can't browse my song library.

Is that normal?

I believe that the music players once plugged into the USB port are looking for a music player on the host computer to sync with and will not work unless it finds it. Certainly and Ipod, looking for Itunes would not find it. I doubt any of the others would either given that the music player on the MS is proprietary. I once had a music device that had a USB storage device mode. It would probably work (if I could find it and a USB cord for it). But the easier way is to just transfer the music to a flash drive and plug it in and play away.

mailsrivatsas@g:

Your ipod music file suffix (audio file format) probably needs to be one of those that are listed on Tesla's Specs page. If you figure out how to change yours to be compatible, please let us all know. Thanks!