Charging iPhone

[slingerwoood]

I have a new Octavia MK 3. I can't charge anything from the usb in the middle of the dash under the Swing Radio. Do I need a specific cable to use it to charge. I have complete control over my music through the Bluetooth and steering wheel but nothing through the usb point.

[wantaskoda]

Not sure why you cant do this.

 

I use mine to charge two different phones, and always seems to work fine.

 

I actually have a really long cable that I run from the boot which keeps all of the other ports free.

[nickcoll]

Not sure why you cant do this.

 

I use mine to charge two different phones, and always seems to work fine.

 

I actually have a really long cable that I run from the boot which keeps all of the other ports free.

 

Firstly, I don't understand this, I'm afraid - there is no USB port in the boot to run a long cable from (at least not in my Octavia, and I can't imagine why one would be located there). Do you by any chance mean that you run a long USB cable from a USB adaptor in the 12V power socket that is located in the boot?

 

Secondly, regarding charging phones from the USB port in the front - in mine this works but it doesn't seem to charge phones very fast. I would have expected that it should be capable of charging them super-fast as presumably the current available from the car's electrical system should be much greater than most chargers. Standard ones are 500mA and high power ones are 1A - I would have thought that the car would have no problem supplying at least 1A. Anyone have any idea what the spec is on this?

 

Thirdly, regarding controlling the phone through the USB port - I believe that the standard port is just a charging facility without any data connection to the head unit. You can however specify an upgraded "Mitsumi Apple Device Connection" for £100 when you get the car new which replaces the standard USB and this is probably what you are looking for, but I don't know whether it can be retro-fitted or how much it might cost.

Edited 4 June, 2014 by nickcoll

[Neily03]

I have a new Octavia MK 3. I can't charge anything from the usb in the middle of the dash under the Swing Radio.

 

If you can't charge anything then there's clearly a problem, have you checked the fuses?

[TudorM]

Firstly, I don't understand this, I'm afraid - there is no USB port in the boot to run a long cable from (at least not in my Octavia, and I can't imagine why one would be located there). Do you by any chance mean that you run a long USB cable from a USB adaptor in the 12V power socket that is located in the boot?

 

Secondly, regarding charging phones from the USB port in the front - in mine this works but it doesn't seem to charge phones very fast. I would have expected that it should be capable of charging them super-fast as presumably the current available from the car's electrical system should be much greater than most chargers. Standard ones are 500mA and high power ones are 1A - I would have thought that the car would have no problem supplying at least 1A. Anyone have any idea what the spec is on this?

 

Thirdly, regarding controlling the phone through the USB port - I believe that the standard port is just a charging facility without any data connection to the head unit. You can however specify an upgraded "Mitsumi Apple Device Connection" for £100 when you get the car new which replaces the standard USB and this is probably what you are looking for, but I don't know whether it can be retro-fitted or how much it might cost.

 

The OP must have referred to having a charger cable coming from the boot 12V plug.

 

Secondly, that's a misconception. Just because a car's electrical system is capable of working with high amperage, that doesn't mean the plugs (USB, 12V etc) that the user has access to, will work at that amperage. They need to be safe to operate with a wide variety of equipment. So you'll still get something like 1A as maximum draw. Any higher amperage won't do any good (as the internal battery protection would kick in for a phone) and would do more harm through excessive heating. But that 1A should be more than enough to power stuff like external USB HDDs, let alone charge a mobile phone. If it doesn't, there's a problem along the way. First thing to check are the fuses (like Neily already suggested), but I'm guessing there isn't a separate fuse just for the USB port. Probably there's one for the entire head unit.

 

When it comes to control, only the Columbus will let you control an iDevice through the USB port, as the control is handled by the unit. Bolero and Amundsen need the Mitsumi interface.

[studog]

Check your meadia player isn't trying to access the phone as a storage device.  As a default mine (Bolero) tries.  It then does not charge.  Confused me for a bit as it locked out my Garmin.

[NotSoSimple]

Devices also 'talk' to the source of the power and can charge faster or slower dependant on the source and if it is 'approved'. The best example is trying to charge a blackberry on a iPhone charger and vice versa - blackberry only accepts some usb sources and actively tries to prevent other use (like the iPhone charger)

 

When you buy an external battery charger (like mophie), these have software written to 'talk' to the various types of device for the fastest charging....

 

That said, my iPhone charges from the usb port happily. The best thing i have discovered is that if you stick a 12v usb adapter (i use my tom-tom usb adapter) into the cigarette lighter you can leave your phone / iPad on charge overnight with the ignition off. This is great for camping. the dash usb doesn't work for very long after the ignition is off.

Edited 4 June, 2014 by NotSoSimple

[wantaskoda]

Sorry for the confusion. I don't have a USB socket in the boot, I have an adaptor, and purchased a long cable which I have run under the carpet.

[Neily03]

Think people missing the point here, he's saying he can't charge anything from the USB so that says to me it's dead and he's needs to go back the the dealer with it.

[Neily03]

 

 

Thirdly, regarding controlling the phone through the USB port - I believe that the standard port is just a charging facility without any data connection to the head unit.

 

Incorrect as you can play music from a USB stick or hard drive through it.

[Mikebham]

If its a recent Iphone, would it not require a minimum of 1 amp (or is it 2 on the 5s?). The swing usb could just be 0.5 amp like many computer usb ports are, so would not charge a new Iphone?

 

Have you tried another phone in the port?

[Simmyh]

you should be able to charge your phone from the usb port

[Neily03]

Also if an Apple device is not getting enough amps it will display "Not Charging" but it actually is, just very slowly....

[Web Ferret]

The in car USB is for data or low power charging in my experience.

 

iPhones need a high amp charge rate.

 

I use this with no problems

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FSUJ0PS/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[brenno_au]

I have a new Octavia MK 3. I can't charge anything from the usb in the middle of the dash under the Swing Radio. Do I need a specific cable to use it to charge. I have complete control over my music through the Bluetooth and steering wheel but nothing through the usb point.

 

My Aus-spec Octavia with Swing doesn't charge my iPhone 4 or 5 either. Pretty frustrating. My dealer has indicated it should supply power and charge an iPhone, albeit slowly.

 

The brochure mentions it can charge devices.

[Chucker]

Interesting thread as I can charge a my iPhone 5 using the USB and it charges it just as fast the supplied 3 pin plug charger I use at home.

 

Not sure if it matters which cable you use, but I'm using an Amazon Basics Lightning cable (3ft).

[philhoward]

Also if an Apple device is not getting enough amps it will display "Not Charging" but it actually is, just very slowly....

Yep - took 10 hours driving to charge my ipad from 20% to 100%...

[Mort1]

Mine is also charging fine, when it is charging! Sometimes it just stops charging.No reason. Needs to take it in and have them take a look at it.

[DaiUK]

IPhone 5 onwards require a genuine lead or the won't always charge. It should warn you on the phone if this is the case. I can play music via the USB on my Kenwood radio in my Motorhome using a cheap lead off Amazon, but had to buy a genuine apple lead (£15) so it would charge..

[Mort1]

I use a genuine lead for my IPhone 5, but still it happens that it wont charge.

[readerr0r]

This is a pot shot at best, but sometimes when you plug the iPhone in you need to unlock the phone and tell it to trust the connection. It shouldn't effect charging though.

[brenno_au]

Just a small update for those with the same issue. I went back to the dealer today to rectify some other build defects and the USB port was one of them.

 

After over five hours of pulling apart the dash looking for poor connections etc, the technician advised this model does not support charging of an iPhone. Charging of devices is available for the Bolero and Columbus, not the Swing apparently.

 

I called Skoda customer case on the spot and they confirmed it definitely should charge - I agree! It is what is printed in the brochure!

 

The standoff between the importer of Skoda and the dealer technicians continue. 

 

Can anyone else confirm they can charge an iPhone through the USB with a Swing unit?

[TudorM]

That's a bit of a bull****, if I may say so... USB is a standard (with different versions mind you), so having it on a Swing or a Columbus doesn't matter at all. It's not like you're getting different USB ports depending on your multimedia system. They're all going to be the same USB version/standard for the Octavia.

[Yogi-Bear]

USB is a standard

 

It is, but different "things" implement different parts of the standard as necessary.  I have a USB reading light which draws power but has no data connection.  I also have a WD MyBook which has a USB interface, but only for data - it needs a plug-in power source as USB cannot supply enough.  There was something (unfortunately I can't remember what right now) that Apple made that would only charge when plugged into the USB port on an Apple laptop/desktop, as OSX recognised it and supplied more power than the USB specification says it should.  And then you get 12V > USB chargers that only supply power, not data.

 

So it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that there are some things out there which do data only and not charging.  Whether or not that is logical or understandable is another thing entirely!

[TudorM]

@Wiggos, you are talking about completely different items manufactured by completely different companies for completely different purposes. It's not the same thing as a Skoda technician saying the USB port from the Swing system does something else than what the Amundsen/Columbus one does.

 

PS: It would be rather silly to mention that a 12V USB charger doesn't provide a data connection. Actually you can hook into the wires and you can provide a data channel if you so desire! It is a standard. And don't get me started on Apple and standards...