In 2005, about 3.3 million cars sold that year included at least one USB port. Twenty years later, more than 200 million cars have connectivity outlets (USB-A) embedded, and these days, one of them has USB-C ports. Some vehicles have nine ports! Even many new-model motorcycles have USB outlets.
Also: Wyze wants to keep eyes away from its cameras with this new feature
Usually located on the front or rear console (and sometimes inside -inside), the USB offers more than only one way to charge the port device. They enable music playback, phone connectivity, access to navigation systems, and much more. I have some common-and probably not-so-aa-managed together-methods that you can use ports in your car, as well as with some useful notes.
First of all, it is important to know that some USB ports are designed to charge while others can only support data transfer. Most will provide an average output of 0.5 to 1 amp-if you are also using for GPS or listening to an audibook, it is barely enough to try your phone.
The most common use for automotive USB port is to charge our smartphone while traveling. But if you are going to charge any device, use the power of the 12-volt port of your vehicle (which is first known as cigarette lighter socket). Most 12th ports are rated at 10 Eps, which at the same time offers a way to distribute a good deal of power to multiple equipment at the same time.
Also: This touchscreen display adds Apple Carplay or Android Auto to any car
An cheap solution is to take one car chargerEven high quality charger is often less than $ 15. With a pair of both USB-A and USB-C ports, you can charge tablets, wireless earbuds, digital cameras, portable air purifiers, or even a laptop, while you drive while you drive-everything from a source. And through that source, you can be assured that your equipment is charged at an optimal speed because the emperors from “cigarette sockets” simply dwarf the dwarf of your other USB hub.
Show more
Most of the new vehicles now support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which enable calling phone interactions through infotainment systems, watching maps and interacting with voice assistants. Whether you use “Hey Siri” or “Hey Google”, which indicates your phone to ask for directions (“Take me …”) or to text a friend (“Send an SMS …”), these smart systems are usually reliable to answer non-generative AI questions.
What is it to do with the USB port? Remember, even if the primary purpose of a port is data connection, it can also be used to charge portable devices (although it is weak because the power stream can be). Despite Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, hardfinging your phone for your car’s smartphone integration system despite Bluetooth is working via Bluetooth.
Also: These 3 Apple CarPlay upgrade stole WWDC 2025 for me
There are other advantages to use the USB port to connect with your vehicle’s mobile device launch system. That is, it offers a more stable connection, high audio loyalty and low capacity for intervention.
Show more
What is firmware? Think of it as a kind of bridge between hardware and software configuration within smart electronics. Manufacturer firmware updates are required to run all modern equipment smoothly. The multimedia unit of your vehicle is no exception.
While over-the-air updates are available in some latest vehicles (especially EVS), many still require USB drive for installation. Typically, it forces the vehicle to download the firmware file on the USB drive from the manufacturer’s website and insert the vehicle’s data to the transfer port to start the update. From there, follow the signals on your unit head display, usually starts with the “system update” option.
Also: This car charger doubles as an emergency device
The exact phase to install these updates through the USB will be different based on the make and model of your car. In addition, you have to format the USB drive in the compatible file system with the vehicle. Depending on the manufacturer of your car, it can be exfat or fat 32. Fortunately, most of the stores-fed USB flash drives come pre-made with the ability to read these files.
Show more
The second most common use of automotive USB port is to hear music.
I like music as much as I love all Tech Wireless. Still I have a small sandisk MP3 player with thousands of songs in my 2025 civic. This is in danger with a six-inch cable attached to the only USB-C port of my car, by chance that the car is the only data port in that car. In this way I can listen to my careful lyrics with my care, but it is a bamar in a way that I need to use that port for MP3 player or with my phone, not both.
Also: Is your Roku TV spying on you? Probably, but here is told how to end it
However, your vehicle may have a USB port that moves data and allows you to play music directly from USB stick or flash drive. The drive should be formatted in a file system that supports your car, such as FAT32 or NTFS. And you need to ensure that the files are stored in popular audio formats like MP3, AAC and OGG. Some car head units need to manually navigate at the music file location on the USB drive. Others automatically detect music files and play them immediately. In the latter case, you are best to play all the songs in your library on random mode.
Show more
Maybe it is considered a garish, but I have never done a passenger in my car, which complains about the multicolored skintals of LED strip lights that I installed above the console, dash and floorboard. I think it adds a touch of fun and modernity, if not fun.
Those LED strip lights are operated via USB via adapter in the 12th port of my car. The only defect is that these strips come with wires. Loose wiring actually reduces overall aesthetics, at least in daylight, so you have to install them prudent and cleverly to hide the wires if possible.
Also: Your TV’s USB port has an invaluable feature that makes the Internet outage more tolerable.
If an ambitious company can produce cheap LED tape lights that somehow illuminated wirelessly, I will become its first customer.
Show more
Will cars get rid of USB-A port soon?
My brother -in -law’s 2021 Honda Acord Touring has a luxury feature that does not do most cars: a wireless charging pad under the dashboard in the center console where you can toss your phone to juice it. (No magnetic mount and no risky fambling and plugging in cable.) More strangely, this pad doubles as a Bluetooth connection point with the infotainment system of the car, so it also moves the data.
With the technique that appears in a four -year -old car, Qi wireless charging is easy to become an industry standard in midrange vehicles. (The way “Qi, the word” is obtained from a Chinese word “energy flow”, and describes how electromagnetic induction moves power from a charging pad to a compatible device without a physical cable.) Similarly, we will see an offatic in wireless data transfer within vehicles, in which we will look at the ability to improve vehicles.
Also: How to disable ACR on your TV (and why you should not wait to do it)
While automotive wireless technology is becoming more prevalent, however, this is unlikely to change the USB ports in vehicles completely. Old USB ports such as USB-A will eventually be indirect in favor of USB-C with PD (power delivery), and a standardized solution for high-speed data transfer can occur on the horizon. For now, however, USB ports in your car still provide benefits in charging speed, data transfer capabilities and universal device compatibility.
Get top stories of morning with us in your inbox every day Tech Today Newsletter.
