Why the iPhone 5 May Not Work in Your Car

For years now, owners of Apple’s mobile devices have had to invest money into accessories that incorporate the tech giant’s proprietary 30-pin connector. From docks to in-car connectivity, owners assumed their first investment would also be their last.

Of course that isn’t the case, now that Apple has introduced its new iPhone 5 and a new generation of iPod devices. Gone is the proprietary 30-pin connector, and in is a new 8-pin that is called ‘Lightning’. Now, it’s not exactly the end of the world, though it’s justifiable to be a tad upset over it. Apple is offering a connector so that users can achieve backwards compatibility with all their investments over the years, but it may not work with all devices.

That means there’s a chance your vehicle, which supports the 30-pin connector, will not work with Apple’s new-generation of devices – even with the conversion adapter. The reason being is that the Lightning connector is a full, all-digital connector. And despite Apple saying that the adapter will offer analog audio output, USB audio output, and iPhone/iPod syncing and charging capabilities, the adapter doesn’t support iPod Video Out or its iPod Out protocol.

The loss of video functionality isn’t a deal breaker in your vehicle, but what is a major issue is that many manufacturers utilized the iPod Out in order to pass iPod audio controls to another device. So even in the case where the adapter does transmit audio for you, you may not be able to control it the way you are used to in your vehicle. The biggest issue are the docking connectors used by many car stereos.

Apple did mention briefly that its connector will work for some vehicles, but no automaker has been able to get its hand on the hardware yet to do a real test. So if you’re a fan of using your iPhone in your car, keep your fingers crossed that your adapter will work.