USB instead of Bluetooth

I’ve not received my SE yet (it’s on a boat) but I second the thought of a Bluetooth receiver in the armrest. In fact, I am a proponent of an LTE/5G amplifier (using the external antenna) in there as well. But I digress—


It is possible the USB A port is power only. I suspect the USB C is both the power delivery (PD) and data interface. Of course, I’m speculating here as I have not tested it. It’s odd not to have data pass through USB A as this port is ideal for a thumb drive with media, etc.

Have you tried an USB C to Apple lightning cable?

 

I have an iPhone 12 (not Pro), but can verify that wireless Apple CarPlay has been rock solid regardless of where I put the phone. I have not even plugged the phone in yet. Not bragging - just letting you know it’s not all bad news. I’m sorry to hear the 8 is having trouble. The wireless charging does seem slow, and the phone gets pretty hot in the armrest after a while. So I don’t always put it in there. I suspect the USC-C to lightning cable that came with my iPhone would be a faster, and not so hot, charge method. I will probably throw that cable in the car and start using it when phone charge gets low.

 

Happy to test it for you. I will let you know if I can connect via wired.

I was curious about how wireless CarPlay is making its connection and found an article explaining how it worked in 2017 on the BMW 5 series (I think the first car to utilize wireless CarPlay). Just in case this interests anyone else -

Wireless CarPlay has three requirements, a Bluetooth connection, a Wi-Fi access point, and location data. Here’s is a simplified breakdown of the entire process:

1. To initialize the connection the phone uses Bluetooth to send a signal to the head unit requesting to connect.
2. Once the Bluetooth connection is made the phone will request wireless credentials to the Wi-Fi access point.
3. Upon confirmation the head unit will send the wireless credentials to the iPhone, which will cause the phone to search and join the Wi-Fi access point.

 

I suspect wired will not activate CarPlay, but I will still try it this morning - on page 52 of the 2022 manual it says: "Using Apple Carplay app via the Central Information Display and voice operation - Connection Type: Bluetooth and WLAN". This is in the table that lists all of the connection methods, including what operates with USB.

 

If I put my cheapo Android phone in the console cup-holder while playing music through the Bluetooth connection it experiences drop-outs. It's literally just inches from the infotainment system. Where is the Bluetooth transceiver--is it under the car, behind the battery?

 

I just took a 5 minute work break and tested the wired connection. I turned off bluetooth, then turned on Drive Ready state, then plugged in my iPhone 12 via USB-C. The phone started charging and music started playing through the phone speakers. Apple CarPlay would not wake up. I then activated bluetooth and CarPlay woke up pretty quickly. I unplugged the phone with no CarPlay interruption. So, for CarPlay, it's only wireless.

 

I'm jealous that you have USB-C in the iconic trim, because apparently there's no USB-C in my signature+! Just one good old USB 2.0.

 

I had never read the part of the Owners Manual that discusses the USB ports. I'm surprised the factory adds the USB-C to only some trim levels. However, I always wondered if the lightning bolt next to the USB-C port meant only that port could be used for charging devices. Thanks to your post, @MiniJimmy, I was prompted to finally look up that info. Yes, the inclusion of a USB-C port is trim-dependent (explaining why the USB-C port looks added-in rather than molded in, like the USB-A port). The USB-C port can supply 3 Amps, double the 1.5 Amps from the USB-A port. Another MINI learning-moment for me. Does your SE have just a blanking plate in place of the USB-C port?

 

I might have jumped to the Iconic for this alone. But too late now.

 

There’s always that good ole’ 12V socket right above

 

I did some testing (on the software that came before the LCI 2022 models) and found there seems to be zero support for USB connectivity on phones. Not just CarPlay, but also phone functions. Although I forgot to test playing music. It's weird but much simpler to manage from a software standpoint. If I turn off wifi CarPlay disconnects, but if I turn off bluetooth I get nothing but charging on my phone through USB. If I re-enable bluetooth CarPlay connects right up, even without re-enabling wifi.

I know the USB ports can be used for data, because you can load driver profiles from USB drives and do software upgrades that way.

My phone charges on both the USB-A and USB-C ports, but when I connected my MacBook Pro this is what I see:



Maybe I should get a USB analyzer to see what's really coming out of each port.

 

That's what I use actually. I keep the USB for a mini thumb drive with music for when I forget my phone.

 

The USB-A port probably doesn't supply enough power for the macbookpro, so the computer won't use it. I see that a lot when accidentally try to use an old USB charger.

 

Excellent!