New owner. 2013 M37x (purchased in Korea and I believe it is Korean-spec).

I tried searching the forums, but not exactly sure if my situation is similar. I'm used to having Bluetooth connectivity and thought it was standard on this model, but it seems to be lacking on the stock head unit. My options are FM/AM, CD, and AUX.

My question is, for AUX, it seems to only take input via the USB port in the center console. I tried connecting my phone (iPhone XR) and it doesn't detect any music to play. I tried a USB key FAT32 formatted with MP3s loaded and those played successfully.

I would really like to stream music, or play from Apple Music (which the files are in M4P format and are not readable via the USB key and connection it seems). What options do I have? I'm willing to purchase a dedicated device (can you put M4Ps on an iPod?), have some sort of external Bluetooth device (don't these only work with 3.5mm aux jacks?), or another solution. The USB port seems very limited, unless I'm just doing something wrong. Is everyone here just replacing the head unit for Android/Apple carplay?

Thanks so much in advance!

In my 2011 M56x, the Bluetooth needs to be turned ON in the car (via Settings using HU), and also in the iphone Settings. Then you must manually pair the iphone with the car via the HU (mine re-pairs automatically afterwards when I re-enter the car). Then ... DISC/AUX button still does NOT show any Bluetooth_Audio option until you start PLAYING some music on your iphone. Once you do, the Bluetooth_Audio option in HU magically shows up & then my iphone plays in the car through BT. It's cumbersome to setup, but it works. But BT cuts out periodically. So I prefer AUX input (via USB in console).

As for the AUX input, the moment I plug my iphone into the console USB port, the HU automatically recognizes it (no need to pair), and the HU shows iPod menus with all my iphone's playlists, etc. This is true for both my iPod classic & iPhone 6s. This way works flawlessly, and it charges the device too. The wire is a little PITA, but OK.

ibc wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 05, 2020 4:15 pm

In my 2011 M56x, the Bluetooth needs to be turned ON in the car (via Settings using HU), and also in the iphone Settings. Then you must manually pair the iphone with the car via the HU (mine re-pairs automatically afterwards when I re-enter the car). Then ... DISC/AUX button still does NOT show any Bluetooth_Audio option until you start PLAYING some music on your iphone. Once you do, the Bluetooth_Audio option in HU magically shows up & then my iphone plays in the car through BT. It's cumbersome to setup, but it works. But BT cuts out periodically. So I prefer AUX input (via USB in console).

As for the AUX input, the moment I plug my iphone into the console USB port, the HU automatically recognizes it (no need to pair), and the HU shows iPod menus with all my iphone's playlists, etc. This is true for both my iPod classic & iPhone 6s. This way works flawlessly, and it charges the device too. The wire is a little PITA, but OK.

Thanks for the reply. In my settings menu, I don't have anything about Bluetooth -- I've checked every menu and submenu.

I've read others that were able to plug in their older gen iphone into the USB console port with success. I'm wondering if the music you're playing is mp3, or if you were able to stream music? Basically, is the USB port recognizing your device as a phone to where it can stream music, or is it recognizing your phone as a hard drive to which it is just playing mp3 files?

perjam313 wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:46 pm

Thanks for the reply. In my settings menu, I don't have anything about Bluetooth -- I've checked every menu and submenu.

Maybe your car is not equipped with Bluetooth option? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XtHd94cAEM

perjam313 wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:46 pm

I've read others that were able to plug in their older gen iphone into the USB console port with success. I'm wondering if the music you're playing is mp3, or if you were able to stream music? Basically, is the USB port recognizing your device as a phone to where it can stream music, or is it recognizing your phone as a hard drive to which it is just playing mp3 files?

Yes. The USB port does recognize my iphone (or ipod classic) as a player that streams what it's playing (controlled by car's HU), and it does this flawlessly. My iphone is not seen as a HDD. USB port can also recognize a thumb drive as a HDD that merely stores the MP3 files, but it's not nearly as responsive (initial load takes forever).

What works best for me is a dual-layer DVD filled with 8.5GB of MP3/M4A files. I leave a DVD always in the HU, and it plays without issues. No pairing, no plugging, no streaming, just my glorious music.

I despise DRM files. I paid for this music, so I converted all my music audio files to DRM-free format, like mp3 or m4a. Why use anything else? DRM formats confuse these gadgets, and they refuse to play. So I stopped using DRM files, years ago. Mp3 is universal, so it's best for me. I can play MP3 on any (old or new) gadget I have, even ancient MP3 car stereo or home ipod docks, etc. Even my 9 yo Infiniti. :-)