PROBLEM: I can't get a USB to play music.
I have a 19 GS that I bought in Dec.
I'm having trouble getting the Infotainment Center (IC) to recognize and play music that I transferred from iTunes onto a USB. The USB was inserted in the center armrest console.
Sometimes it would play the music, and recognize the device as a USB . (See *photo with yellow circle." )
But recently I can't even get the IC to recognize that same device is plugged in.
Once it thought that same device was an ipod (See photo with white rectangle.)

Lately, when I select Media Icon (green arrow) or the Media Selection Button (red arrow)... nothing happens. If I was playing FM radio, it stays on FM.
Radio works fine and plays AM, FM, and Sirius XM. But will not recognize and play from a USB flash drive.
I have tried both USB receptacle slots in the center armrest console.(See photo with blue arrows)
I have tried a new USB, but again, no music will play.
My car battery is brand new, having replaced it last month. The USB was recognized afterward, but lately the IC will not recognize or play from a USB.
Help?

 

Is the file format of the songs mp3, or mp4. If mp4 they are a proprietary format for itunes. Must convert to mp3. Have a look at this checklist and see if you meet the standards.Infotainment SD Card Facts & Myths. The following was posted by forum member a few years ago and still applies.

1. Card Capacity: I've successfully loaded and am accessing my collection on a 128GB MicroSD card. Previous reports state a 32GB as being the capacity limit. These parameters should be much the same for those using USB Flash Drives. In fact, it's important to note that USB is really the ONLY options for 2016 owners, since for some unknown reason, GM decided to remove the SD Card slot from the center console. If you have the PDR option, you'll still find an SD slot near the glove box, but that is exclusively used for the PDR and will not load music files to the Infotainment system.

2. Card Format: The 128GB card I'm using is formatted in NTFS (FAT32 also works). Previous reports state the card must be in FAT32 format (true for PDR).

3. Card Size: The 128GB card I'm using is a MicroSD card, which is installed with a larger SD adapter. This configuration works just like a normal size SD card.

4. Card Config: The 128GB card I'm using is an SDXC Class 10 MicroSD. Previous reports state that SDXC cards do not work.

5. Music Quantity: The 128GB card I'm using is currently loaded with 13,850 songs from 1,804 albums by 1,416 different artists, using 72GB on the card.

6. Music Format: All my music is in MP3 format, with most converted at 192-320 or using Hi-Quality VBR. All files recognized and working, thus far.

7. Music Playlists: I've successfully loaded 40 Playlists in .M3U format. All are recognized by the system and play in the original order I set on my PC.

8. Sync/Transfer: I used the trusty old WinAmp software to sync my entire music collection and playlists to the MicroSD card. Many other options exist.

9. Voice Access: The number of songs (14K) I have does not allow voice searching by individual song, but voice search by Artist, Album, Playlist still works.

10. USB & SD: I've confirmed that the system will properly "merge" music content from two different sources (i.e.: Console SD & Behind Screen USB).

11. Gracenote: While it takes a while to process, the system and built-in Gracenote software successfully loaded all my tag data and album art.

12. Glove Box PDR SD: To be clear, the SD slot to the left of the glove box is exclusively for the PDR and must be formatted in FAT32 (MicroSD or SD is fine).


I really hope this updated information, based upon my experimentation and experience is helpful to anyone interested in leveraging the great technology and entertainment options in this awesome car. It's also important to note that my entire music collection is also available for seamless streaming from my Android LG G3, via Stereo Bluetooth. However, after extensive sound testing, I can tell you that the audio quality differences playing the same music tracks from internal SD/USB connections vs. stereo bluetooth streaming is very noticeable. The USB/SD direct file access provides a much clearer, brighter, and more expansive sound than streaming over bluetooth. The bluetooth streaming is not bad, but the direct file access is simply superior and (for me) worth the effort to format and set-up properly.

 

Thanks Joe
I’ll check it out.

 

From the 2019 Infotainment manual:

The following restrictions apply
for the data stored on a USB
MP3 player or USB device:
‐ Applicable audio extensions
are mp3, wma, aac, m4a,
and aif.
‐ WMA and Apple lossless files
are not supported.
‐ Supported file systems are
FAT32 and NTFS.

Sometimes ya just have to read the manual!

RTFM

Ron

 

You definitely have to make sure your music is in the proper format to work with the system in your car. I had problems with mine working too do to a wrong format.

 

Is MPEG Layer 3 Audio the same as .mp3 ?
These are music files I copied from my desktop computer and pasted on a USB flash drive.

 

Yes, MPEG Layer 3 Audio is the same as .mp3. The MP3 audio file is an MPEG audio layer 3 file format. MPEG Layer III audio encoding is defined in two ISO/IEC specification families (MPEG-1: 11172-3 and MPEG-2: 13818-3). The term MP3 is shorthand for Layer III, which is part of the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 specifications.
I got this from a artificial intelligence engine. I don't want to be caught plagiarizing. LOL

 

Thanks