We are reader supported. When you purchase products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More.

Why Do Car Radios Have USB Ports?

Have you ever wondered why do car radios have USB ports? Well, to be straightforward, the significant reason that so many recent cars come with USB ports is to ensure that the stereo has an extra input type. Having a USB port opens a lot of paths toward entertainment.

You can choose what song you want to play from your phone or USB stick. That’s not all; you can also charge your phone, or any other electronic devices when necessary.

So, want to know more details regarding why car radios have USB ports? Then binge on till the end of this blog.

Car radios were the only source of entertainment in cars while going for a long drive. However, adding a USB port in a car stereo created new paths of entertainment for a long drive! Here’s how:

Play Music from Your Own Phone

If you use a proper USB cable to connect your phone to the USB port of the car stereo, it will allow you to play any music you want.

The format of the music you play should be in MP3 format since most stereo manufacturers produce stereos that have MP3 compatibility.

Play Music from a USB Stick

A USB stick containing music files in MP3 format can be used to play music using the USB port of a car’s stereo. The navigation buttons on the stereo can be used to change the music according to your liking.

However, you need to ensure the USB stick you are using is in FAT32 format since that is the compatible format of car stereos for reading the data on a USB stick.

Play Videos from a USB Stick or Phone

If your car stereo comes with a display screen, you can use your phone or USB stick even to play videos on your stereo.

But you must make sure the video files being played are in MP4 format since that is the most common readable format in car stereos.

Playing Videos from a USB Stick

Charge Your Electronic Devices

The USB ports in your car stereo can be used to charge your electronic devices if they are running low on charge.

To do so, you just plug your phone into the USB port via a suitable USB cable.

Usually, your device starts charging right after being connected to the USB port.

Charging Your phone from car stereo

However, in some cases, you might have to change your car stereo’s data transfer options.

Since car stereos are mostly used to play music, they are usually in “ Read-only” mode. This mode can be changed to “ Charge” or “Data transfer” mode after plugging your electronic device into the USB port.

Note: In order to achieve this, you have to configure your car stereo directly from the stereo or by using your phone! Options will pop up when you plug your device into the USB port. Then, you have to choose accordingly.

Placements of Car Audio System Speakers

You would want to feel the music coming from all directions while blasting tunes in a car, right?

So, the placements of speakers in a car are crucial for that reason, and to achieve that, there are several places where speakers are placed in cars.

Car manufacturers usually place speakers in the lower corners of the doors of a car. Another place for placing speakers is below the dashboard of the cars, known as the kick panel.

If you have an SUV, there also might be speakers in the back on the deck above the back seat.

Sometimes car owners also install aftermarket speakers in the trunk of their cars for better bass-boosting sound quality.

Wrapping Up!

Having a USB port in your car stereo have its advantages. It allows you to do more than just enjoy music.

It lets you play any music you want, charge your electronic devices, and even lets you watch videos if you want to and have the appropriate format of files.

I hope you can now understand the ins and outs of these USB ports in your car stereo and make the best use of these ports.

Check-out Related Guides:

Leave a Comment

18 − 9 =