So now and then, I have some project I really don't want to work on and I start fiddling with something totally useless.

My car has a factory phone which I retrofitted to bluetooth.

I discovered that when the phone is connected, Siri and the Apple Maps app would play through the car speaker but nothing else would. Kinda wondered about it but didn't pursue it.

The other day, while avoiding something, I found that Google maps has a setting that allows that app to play through the car so I thought I'd see if there were similar settings an any other music apps. Couldn't find any.

Since I really didn't want to work on anything important, I decided to roll my own app. It works but the phone seems to have it's own speaker system and isn't particularly high fidelity. It's fine for podcasts or audio books but pretty lousy for music. I do wonder why they made it a separate speaker system. One of those mysteries like why the stupid bluetooth module keeps hold of your phone for six minutes after you turn the car off. That one is most annoying.

Anyone else have a useless project they worked on?

 

Let me see if I understood correctly. Your car was specced with the phone module and you retrofitted the OEM Bluetooth module?

My guess is the Bluetooth you retrofitted uses an older Bluetooth protocol that does not support data transfers of higher quality music or that only supports phone calls. Do you happen to know if your iPhone’s music app is set to lossless playback vs AAC? I think the problem is in your car’s end instead of the smartphone.

 

Didn't come with it, no. I added it. This post describes the parts you need.

I think bluetooth came out for the new XK in 2007 and for some reason, Jaguar put out a manual on how to retrofit it back to the 2003 model year. I can't find it online but I have a copy here

I'm a purist and only like to have original equipment. I like having oddball options that were available, so yes, the bluetooth module is an antique.

The app I created will play MP3, WAV, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, and whatever else the IOS system will. play. If you connect it to a Bose headphone or something more modern, the sound quality is great, so it is the car. The maps app and just using it for phone calls has the same sound quality as my app. As an aside, if anyone wants to play with it, I can make it available.

My car has the useless navigation system that required the very good Alpine system but the phone module in the car is apparently only connected to part of it or there are separate speakers, or something. I don't know. If anyone does know, let me know.