Why can't my Land Rover play music when a USB is plugged in?
3 Answers
The USB drive may be incompatible, possibly due to excessive capacity. Generally, car USB ports work better with MP3 format files, so pay attention to the music format. The USB drive needs to be in FAT32 format. If it isn't, reformat it to FAT32. The USB should have a single partition without any hidden partitions (USB drives used as bootable drives have hidden partitions). Here are some relevant details: USB issues: Check if the USB has been used as a bootable drive, encrypted drive, or had partitions created with encryption software, or if it was formatted as a bootable CD-ROM. If it was used as a bootable drive, restore it to a normal USB using bootable drive creation tools. If it was encrypted, use mass production tools to revert it to a normal removable disk. Avoid partitioning it in NTFS format; instead, right-click and format it as FAT32. After this, most car infotainment USB ports should recognize it. Formatting: If a standard USB drive (not used as a system drive) encounters this issue, it's rare and likely related to the car's infotainment system. You can use a Windows 7 or later system to format the USB as exFAT. Some car infotainment systems may not recognize FAT32 but can read exFAT32. After switching to exFAT, both computers and car infotainment systems will recognize it, and exFAT supports single files larger than 4GB on the USB drive.
Don't panic when encountering this situation. Let me guide you through step-by-step troubleshooting. First, check if your USB drive is formatted in FAT32, as many car infotainment systems don't recognize NTFS. Then verify your music file formats - Land Rovers typically support MP3/WMA/WAV, while older models might not read lossless formats like FLAC. When plugging/unplugging the USB, check for dust in the port - I've seen several cases where charging port debris caused poor contact. Also watch for a 'reading' icon on the screen. If there's no response, try other ports - rear USB ports often only charge but don't transfer data. As a last resort, reformat the USB and recopy a few songs, as file fragmentation can sometimes cause read failures.
I just helped a friend solve this exact issue recently. First, check the USB drive capacity - try switching to a smaller one if it's over 64GB. Don't put music files too deep in the directory structure; it's best to create a 'MUSIC' folder directly in the root directory. Pay attention to whether the USB indicator light is on - if it's completely off, it might be a blown fuse (look for a 5A mini fuse in the fuse box behind the glove compartment). Also, note that the vehicle must be running to recognize media devices; USB connections while the engine is off will only charge. Here's a less obvious tip: sometimes the original cable isn't compatible - switching to a high-quality third-party data cable might do the trick.
