I like messing around with stuff sometimes and stumbled on a way to get your computer/laptop to play sound/music through your car speakers. The audio quality isn't that great (since the bluetooth in the radio unit only supports handsfree), but I thought it was kinda neat... enough to share at least. This only works on the '09s that have the bluetooth capability built into the radio.

Take a computer/laptop with bluetooth capability and pair your laptop with the car. Next, "connect" your bluetooth on your computer to your car. Now, set your audio out settings on your computer (control panel > sounds and audio devices > audio tab) to your bluetooth device. Now here's the tricky part. If you tried playing music right now, nothing would happen, so you have to make your car "listen" for your laptop. Hit and hold the bluetooth button on your steering wheel. Wait for the prompt and say "digit dial". It will then ask you for the number to dial. Just say any number/combo of numbers you want on the radio screen and then say "dial". The car will think it's dialing somebody using your laptop as a phone and will then start "listening" to your laptop!

The number you dialed will stay displayed on the radio screen while you're connected and music/sounds will begin playing. To disconnect, just do it as you normally would (bottom button on right side of steering wheel) or through your laptop.

Enjoy!

 

that makes my brain hurt... but its cool I supposed

 

lmao, you have too much time on ur hands

 

That's sweet, a little impractical but cool nonetheless.

 

?

 

Yeah. I'm thinking somebody may have a bluetooth music player/phone of some sort that may benefit from this. It's too bad that the radio won't do stereo audio through bluetooth or I'd be loving it right now with all the stuff I've got on my phone. I've got GPS on my phone for instance, and it would be a nice replacement to have the audio directions coming over my speakers in my car from my phone now that my OnStar nav subscription's out.

 

I can play music off my phone with bluetooth to the speakers in the car, but I have a d3

 

That's pretty nifty but impratical IMO. I thought they have a USB plug and play package on the '09 for media devices now?

 

Too much trouble just to hear music. It's much easier to just hook up an iPod and play it.

That's an option. My 09 has the bluetooth as well but no USB, only the AUX jack.

Also, the bluetooth will only work as long as you have a valid OnStar subscription, just letting people here know.

 

Mine has already expired and bluetooth is working just fine. If there aren't any minutes on your Onstar phone system for instance, I've still been able to talk with my connected bluetooth phone. I've been getting the red light on the mirror for a while though, so maybe mine's an exception to the rule. It seems that if you push the Onstar phone button, you're using the Onstar phone. If you use your steering wheel button though, it'll default to your bluetooth phone unless there isn't one connected, in which case it will then try using the Onstar phone.

I had to get my radio replaced (for something stupid/unneeded.. but that's a story for another day) after I got the car and I had to re-pair the bluetooth stuff, but didn't have to redo the phonebook and nav points. It seems that the nav points and phonebook are stored in your Onstar related boxes while all bluetooth things are done through the radio system itself.

 

Wow dude.
You were WAY too bored.

Nice find!

 

x9432871932847321 billion

 

Haha, sounds like something I'd waste time looking at. Is the sound only mono though?

 

Yes sadly . GM rigged it to support mono handsfree only as I discovered.

The only reason I was using my laptop that day with my car was to see if there was anything else they allowed it to do, like A2DP or a way to transfer my phonebook to the car (like in vCard form or something). That way the whole phonebook could be uploaded/updated without having to do all of them one by one via voice.

 

Yeah, I don't think that's true at all. I really don't think they would make the bluetooth functionality conditional on OnStar. They are separate systems- it would make no sense at all if that were true.

 

Why not just use an AUX cable from laptop to stereo haha?

 

^^^took the words right outta my mouth,

to the OP tho, lol good stuff, creative forsure, ppl like you are going to lead the world over the next 2-3 generations because you think outside the box and that is where millions of technological discoveries are bound to me made.

 

well if you have a phone with say a mini usb connector (alot of phones have this connection now for just normal charging and just about all smartphones/pdas have them for charging and connecting to a pc), you can buy a mini usb to a 3.5mm jack adapter then plug an aux cable from that to the car and youd be able to play music off your phone.

i have an htc touch, and just did this whole setup so i can listen to pandora through my car stereo.

 

or you can use a 3.5 mm to a 3.5 mm to connect to your radio via the headphone jack on most phones

 

my phone doesnt have one haha. but yeah you could just use a normal 2.5 or 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux jack for phones with a normal heaphone jack.

 

Thumb drive FTW

 

not if you want internet radio. pandora FTMFW!

right now im using a laptop hard drive in an external enclosure mounted in the glove connected to the usb. 100gb of music.

 

Wow that's a lot of work.

 

How about just getting an iPod and connecting it with a 1/8" plug? Takes 10 seconds and the sound is amazing.

 

holy thread from the dead batman