Insane Audio head units do come with a built-in iPod app that allows you to connect your iPod and control music playback from your dash. However, Apple products are completely proprietary, and we are very limited on how we can interact with them. So, while the iPod app does let you play music just fine, it has only basic functionality, like play, pause, next/previous, and playlist views. This is enough for most people, but can leave others feeling unsatisfied.
So, what is the solution? How do we navigate past the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of Apple’s refusal to make widely-compatible products? We have an answer. After extensive experimentation at our shop, we have discovered a surprisingly simple way to free your music library from iTunes. Copy it to an SD card! All you need is a personal computer with iTunes installed, a microSD card (formatted in FAT32, very important), and some spare time.
Just to get it out of the way, this process works on both Macs and PC’s. The following screenshots were taken from a Mac, but the workflows are extremely similar, so a PC user should have no trouble following along.
First off, open up the iTunes application on your computer. In order to copy your music, it needs to be downloaded to your computer’s local storage.
Here is an example of music that is not downloaded to your computer. Click the “cloud” icon to download the music from the cloud.
Here is an example of music that is downloaded to your computer.
If none of your music is downloaded to your computer, the easiest way is to do so is to find an iTunes playlist you want to have on your head unit, and download the whole thing at once.
Now that your music is on your computer, we need to confirm where it’s stored. Open iTunes Preferences, and go to the “Advanced” tab. There will be a file path that shows exactly where your music is on the computer. iTunes stores its files in your Music folder by default, but this is just to double-check.
Next, open your file browser. Insert your microSD card into the computer; you may need an adaptor. Navigate to the iTunes folder using the file path from Preferences, and then drag-and-drop the whole thing into the SD card, as shown.
If you go to the SD card, you should see the iTunes folder inside.
This next step is very important. You need to eject the SD card from your computer before removing it so the files do not get corrupted. No one likes corrupted files! Either right-click on the SD card and hit “Eject”, or click the eject icon.
There! Your iTunes library has been successfully transferred onto the SD card. The next step is to put it into your Insane Audio head unit. Turn on your vehicle, and insert the card into the SD card slot in the faceplate of the head unit. When you do, you should see an icon appear in the taskbar (see picture). This icon means that the unit is preparing the SD card for use.
After thirty or forty seconds, the icon will go away, and the Music app will automatically open.
After another thirty seconds or so, the music app will have successfully indexed your music, and automatically started playback!
Success! You can see what’s next in the queue by swiping to the left, and view the whole library by hitting the icon in the lower right corner. iTunes organizes your music into folders by artist and album, so you should see all of your music neatly catalogued and ready to play!
Now that your music is freed from iTunes, you will be able to unlock the full potential of your Insane Audio product! The huge advantage of having your library on an SD card is that you will have instant access to all of your music, offline, off-road, and off-grid. The SD card is shockproof, is available in capacities up to 400Gb, and never runs out of batteries! In addition, now you have access to the Google Play Store’s wide selection of music player apps that you can use to personalize your listening experience. Here’s a forum thread on some cool music apps you can try out: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4271&sid=2fc083cc54 ... 8c8149fb71