RNS510 iPhone Interface question

rippers · Apr 28, 2015

Only just started playing with this and haven't read the manual but hoping someone with experience can explain in laymans terms if I can resolve this.
Basically I want to plug my phone into the interface so it charges and I can play and select my music from my library on the RNS510 screen.
This doesn't seem to work thou. It seems If I plug my phone into the interface, I can makes calls via bluetooth and play music through the bluetooth selecting this song via the phone but won't play the select on the RNS510 screen and the library is painfully slow. If I turn the bluetooth off on my phone the menu is fast and will play the music but obviously the phone no longer works.
What am I doing wrong?
Having thought about it maybe I need to stop the RNS510 playing music through the bluetooth and use Bluetooth solely for phone calls which I 'believe' is possible???

Any ideas?

holliers · Apr 29, 2015

Hi Rippers

Is this an iPhone you're talking about?

I have an iPhone4. It automatically connects to Bluetooth when I get in the van and allows me to make calls via Bluetooth and appears in the "Bluetooth" music menu.

When I plug it into the cable-interface, my iPhone appears under the "MDI" selection on the music menu but I can still make calls (via Bluetooth I believe). It also charges the phone (the only reason I connect it as I leave an old iPod connected most of the time).

Do you have the dedicated iPhone cable? Initially I had the USB cable and tried to plug the phone in via the standard Apple cable. That didn't work.

There was a thread a while ago about the various cable types here ...

http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/iphone-cable.8932/#post-79907

Hope that helps
Mark

reserves · Apr 29, 2015

rippers said:
Only just started playing with this and haven't read the manual but hoping someone with experience can explain in laymans terms if I can resolve this.
Basically I want to plug my phone into the interface so it charges and I can play and select my music from my library on the RNS510 screen.
This doesn't seem to work thou. It seems If I plug my phone into the interface, I can makes calls via bluetooth and play music through the bluetooth selecting this song via the phone but won't play the select on the RNS510 screen and the library is painfully slow. If I turn the bluetooth off on my phone the menu is fast and will play the music but obviously the phone no longer works.
What am I doing wrong?
Having thought about it maybe I need to stop the RNS510 playing music through the bluetooth and use Bluetooth solely for phone calls which I 'believe' is possible???

Any ideas?

I can't get mine to work either plugged in to the glove box, I've tried about 8 different leads but it still doesn't show under 'MDI'

I've tried iPhone 4, 5, 6 and iPod mini!

rippers · Apr 29, 2015

The MDI music works fine but only when I turn the bluetooth off on my iPhone 5s which is paired. My Wifes iPhone 5 which isn't paired when plugged in works fine too.
There must be a conflict somewhere between the devices

andyinluton · Apr 29, 2015

Why don't you just unpair the phone just for music streaming? Before I changed to an iPhone I had a samsung phone paired for phone calls and an iPod paired for music. They are two separate bluetooth connections.

holliers · Apr 29, 2015

Yes, Andy's got a good point. In the Bluetooth menu you can configure a separate connection for the media and phone functions. Maybe something has got "confused"

rippers · Apr 29, 2015

This was my suspicion just got to work out how you do it. I was tying to do it earlier it couldn't suss it.. One option was Premium or Hands Free.. Wanted to look up whether that was it before I buggered it up lol

reserves · Apr 29, 2015

@rippers does your unit beep when you plug the iPhone into the glovebox, even if it doesn't work (does it charge?)

Mine does nothing at all, very frustrating!

rippers · Apr 29, 2015

Everything works apart from playing music whilst the bluetooth is connected.
I don't get a beep from the unit but the phone makes the usual on charge noise if thats what you mean?
The MDI brings up a sign saying initialising then it connects and I can select music on the touch screen etc

It came with two leads 30pin and the new lighting connector

reserves · Apr 29, 2015

rippers said:
Everything works apart from playing music whilst the bluetooth is connected.
I don't get a beep from the unit but the phone makes the usual on charge noise if thats what you mean?
The MDI brings up a sign saying initialising then it connects and I can select music on the touch screen etc

It came with two leads 30pin and the new lighting connector

Thanks, pretty sure my MDI unit is dead then, it does nothing! No charge, no beep, no initialising.

teeboy · Apr 29, 2015

My van doesn't have MDI, but my Golf does. I also don't have an iPhone but I have android.

So treat my response with a pinch of salt.

However I have abandoned MDI in the Golf completely and do everything over Bluetooth. This saves all the mucking about.

What you lose is the charging from the MDI, but that is very low power and only suitable for maintaining charge rather than charging from flat - and if you use the phone for Nav then you lose power faster than charging. Get a good quality 12v charger and away you go.

The Golf also auto switches to "Media" when you plug in the phone, as it assumes you want to listen to that - which is not always the case.

rippers · Apr 29, 2015

Found the setting on the instrument screen and switched the media off on the Bluetooth and now it all works fine!
Charges phone, can play music I select on RNS510 and can use the phone for making calls/phone book as normal

rippers · May 1, 2015

It seems on the next journey the Bluetooth decided to start streaming music again and the stop the MDI working grr I hope this doesn't mean every time I want to use my Iphone interface for music I have to disable the Bluetooth media

GrannyJen · May 1, 2015

Both phone and MiFi are charged, when travelling, via a double 12V connector plugged into the socket on the kitchen side.

Both phone and MiFi live in the rear passenger seat pocket when travelling.

Phone connects via bluetooth and I select the playlist / album/ whatever before moving off ****

That's it. Anything more involving csbles, leads, settings, menu's is far too complex for an electronic dyslexic like me.

**** Caution when using this method. Make sure that you select appropriate playlist before setting off and don't let I Tunes choose for you. Being a doting granny I once drove from Sussex to Somerset having to listen to I Tunes select all the latest additions to my library: Nelly the elephant, the wheels on the bus go round and round, jack and jill ......

Richard Newell · Oct 5, 2015

I also have this problem having just had an RNS510 fitted to my T5. According to the chap who fitted it it seems the newer versions of the RNS510 firmware are not compatible with iPhone (firmware 6XXX, the most recent version is 6270). Luckily the retrofitter is being helpful and replacing the unit with one with a previous firmware, specifically 5238.

In the meantime, Rippers please can you let me know where you found that screen?