Bluetooth and Phones

[Ingwe]

Hello, we have an Alpine Satnav/stereo unit that allows for Bluetooth connection to our iPhones.
Now, in order to get the BBC when travelling in France, we use our iPhones to get internet radio and then use a lead that attaches to the bottom of the iPhone and plugs into the Auxiliary socket on the Alpine. This works fine (so long as you remember that there is a large volume difference when using iphone and the Alpine). If you forget, and pull out the lead before turning down the volume on the Alpine, your ears get blasted and you could blow the speakers.

Anyway to my question. If the iPhone connects to the Alpine using Bluetooth, shouldn't the Alpine have all the functionality of the iPhone (apart from dialling) on playing back whatever's on the phone? So if I play radio or music using Amazon Prime on the iPhone, shouldn't it be possible to connect to the Alpine using Bluetooth and have the music etc played through the Alpine? It connects (showing connected to my iPhone on the Alpine) but nothing plays.
I've probably not explained the issue all that well and I've never really understood Bluetooth at all!

 

[kevenh]

Typically there'll be two Bluetooth options that are a split between audio (like iTunes music) and a separate calls settings
You can allow one or both to go via the Alpine

If you are allowing the Bluetooth audio part, I'd expect what is playing on the iPhone to get routed to the Alpine

 

[Pausim]

To get full phone functionality you need Apple CarPlay or Android Auto but I would have thought bluetooth should manage audio.

 

[Off da Grid]

Some apps somehow know what device your streaming to and block the audio.
Also there are two bluetooth codecs as said above, one for audio and one for.the mobile connection.
Some devices can only connect on the mobile side to use the data and or mobile connection.
My iPhone shows two connections when connected to some of my Bluetooth devices.
I use an Erickson Bluetooth headset that you attach headphones to or a lead to the aux on the van radio.

 

[Pausim]

A direct digital connection should give better sound quality than either Bluetooth or Aux.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[kevenh]

A direct digital connection should give better sound quality than either Bluetooth or Aux.

i.e. wired USB connection rather than mini-jack Aux or wireless (bluetooth)?

EDIT to add a related url: https://audiosonicsblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/28/aux-vs-usb-vs-bluetooth/

 

[Pausim]

i.e. wired USB connection rather than mini-jack Aux or wireless (bluetooth)?

EDIT to add a related url: https://audiosonicsblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/28/aux-vs-usb-vs-bluetooth/

Yes. A useful link which explains all. In practice the difference in audio quality is probably hard to detect unless the music files are lossless such as FLAC or ALAC. I believe the latest iPhones/iPads do not have a built in DAC, hence no audio jack to plug headphones into. The DAC chip is now built into the Apple headphone lead.

 

[Ingwe]

Some apps somehow know what device your streaming to and block the audio.
Also there are two bluetooth codecs as said above, one for audio and one for.the mobile connection.
Some devices can only connect on the mobile side to use the data and or mobile connection.
My iPhone shows two connections when connected to some of my Bluetooth devices.
I use an Erickson Bluetooth headset that you attach headphones to or a lead to the aux on the van radio.

I think my Alpine must only have the codec for the mobile connection. The Alpine shows it's connected to the iPhone but if you then play music on the iPhone it doesn't play on the Alpine. Never mind, I can use the lead. I was just hopin to reduce the amount of clutter on the dashboard whilst driving. Now that I've hard wired both the dash and the sat nav, that's cleared up a lot of leads, sockets etc.