How do I play music from my Hyundai USB?

What You Need

To play music from a USB drive in your Hyundai vehicle, you will need:

• A USB drive or thumb drive – Most Hyundai vehicles have USB ports that support thumb drives up to 64GB in size. Larger capacity drives may not be fully compatible (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijm55GtUzs4).
• Supported audio files – MP3, WMA, FLAC, and AAC file types are generally supported. WAV and ALAC files may not play properly.
• A Hyundai vehicle with USB input – Most late model Hyundai vehicles from the past 5-10 years have a USB port for music playback. Some models with USB ports include Elantra, Sonata, Tucson, Santa Fe, Kona, and Ioniq (source: https://blog.huffineshyundaiplano.com/hyundai-models-and-their-entertainment-features/).

Older Hyundai models may lack USB connectivity, so check your owner’s manual to confirm USB music playback capability. Focus on late model vehicles for the best USB support.

Supported File Types

Most Hyundai vehicles support common audio formats like MP3, WMA, and AAC when playing music from a USB drive. According to Hyundai’s manuals, supported codecs include:

• MP3 files (MPEG-1 Layer 3, MPEG-2 Layer 3)
• WMA files (up to 352 kbps)
• AAC files

So you can load MP3, WMA, and AAC files onto a USB drive and expect them to play properly in your Hyundai. Some models may also support additional formats like WAV, FLAC, and ALAC, but MP3, WMA, and AAC are universally supported across Hyundai vehicles with USB audio input.

Sources:

[1] http://webmanual.hyundai.com/PREM_GEN5/AVNT/FE/KOR/English/reference003.html

USB Drive Requirements

Most Hyundai vehicles support USB flash drives for playing music files. However, there are specific requirements for the USB drive to work properly with your vehicle’s infotainment system:

The USB drive should be FAT32 formatted and have a capacity between 32-64GB for optimal performance, according to Hyundai’s update guide (https://update.hyundai.com/US/EN/faqView/109). Larger capacity drives may not be recognized by the system.

The drive should be organized into folders and playlists for easiest navigation on the infotainment screen. The system will index all supported audio files on the drive, but keeping music organized into Artist, Album, and Genre folders makes browsing simpler.

Avoid using USB hubs and USB drives with security partitions or encryption. The infotainment system may not be able to read these properly.

USB 3.0 drives are compatible, but USB 2.0 drives are recommended for best reliability.

Connecting Your USB

Connecting a USB drive to play music in your Hyundai is easy. Most Hyundai models have USB ports located in the center console, either under the climate controls or in the armrest storage compartment. Some models may also have a USB port inside the glove box.

According to Hyundai’s website, here are some of the most common USB port locations in Hyundai vehicles:

• Tucson – Center console below climate controls
• Santa Fe – Center console armrest storage
• Palisade – Front of center console
• Elantra – Center console below climate controls or inside glovebox

To connect your USB drive, simply insert it into the USB port in your Hyundai. The ports are compatible with standard USB drives and devices. Make sure your USB drive is formatted to FAT32 for best compatibility. Once inserted, the USB drive will begin playing if already cued up to a song. Otherwise, you may need to select USB as the audio source on your radio or infotainment screen.

Playing USB Music

To play music from a USB drive, first ensure the USB drive is properly connected to the USB port in your Hyundai vehicle. Press the ‘Media’ button on the center console, then select ‘USB’ from the list of media sources on the display screen. This will begin playing songs from the USB drive starting with the first track alphabetically.

You can use the audio buttons on the steering wheel or center console to control playback. The ‘Next’ and ‘Previous’ buttons allow you to skip between tracks. Press and hold to fast forward or rewind the current track. Tap the ‘Pause’ button to pause the audio, tap it again to resume playback. Adjust the volume using the volume knob or buttons.

The display screen shows information like the song title, artist, album, and playback duration. You can browse music on the USB drive by artist, album, folder, playlist, and more using the menu options. This allows you to find and play specific songs from your USB music library.

Controlling Playback

Once you have your music playing from the USB drive, you have several options to control the playback:

• To skip to the next or previous track, use the seek buttons on the steering wheel or press the next/previous buttons on the audio system.
• To play tracks randomly, press the “Shuffle” button on the audio screen.
• To repeat the current track, press the “Repeat” button on the audio screen.
• To play an entire playlist, select the playlist from the menu and press play. The system will play through all tracks in that playlist.

You can also browse music by playlists, artists, albums, songs, genres, and folders using the audio system menus. This allows you to easily access your music library and select what you want to listen to.

Troubleshooting

If you are having issues playing music from your USB drive, here are some troubleshooting tips:

USB Drive Not Recognized

If your Hyundai does not recognize your USB drive, try the following:

• Use a different USB drive – some drives may not be compatible. The USB drive should be formatted FAT32 with MBR partitioning (see USB Drive Requirements).
• Try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB drive.
• Make sure the USB and connection port are clean – clean with a soft dry cloth if needed.
• Check that the USB works on another device like a computer.

No Sound

If you can see the music files but hear no sound, potential solutions include:

• Make sure the volume on your stereo is turned up and not muted.
• Check that your music files are in a supported format (see Supported File Types).
• There may be a corrupt file – reformat your USB drive and add your music files again.
• Try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB drive.

If you still have no sound, you may need to reset your audio system. Refer to your owner’s manual for instructions on resetting the audio system for your specific Hyundai model.

Supported Models

Most modern Hyundai vehicles come equipped with USB ports to support music playback from a USB drive. Here are some of the most popular Hyundai models that have USB ports:

• Hyundai Sonata – Available on models from 2011 and newer
• Hyundai Elantra – Available on models from 2013 and newer
• Hyundai Tucson – Available on models from 2011 and newer
• Hyundai Santa Fe – Available on models from 2013 and newer
• Hyundai Accent – Available on models from 2012 and newer
• Hyundai Kona – Available on all models
• Hyundai Veloster – Available on all models
• Hyundai Palisade – Available on all models
• Hyundai Ioniq – Available on all models

Some newer Hyundai models like the 2024 Kona are switching to USB-C ports instead of the traditional USB-A ports. But both port types support playback from a USB drive. Check your owner’s manual to confirm the location and type of USB ports in your specific Hyundai vehicle.

Tips for Organizing Music

When organizing your music library on a USB drive for your Hyundai vehicle, focus on creating a clear folder structure and adding proper metadata to your files. The vehicle’s infotainment system relies on this organization to easily locate artists, albums, genres, etc. Some best practices include:

Create a folder for each artist, and within each artist folder create a subfolder for each album. Name folders and files using this structure: “Artist – Album – Song Title”. Standardize formatting, capitalization, abbreviations, etc. for consistency.

Ensure metadata tags (ID3 for MP3s) are filled out for each track, including Title, Artist, Album, Genre, Track Number, etc. ID3 tags allow the infotainment system to sort and display your tracks properly. Use a program like MP3Tag to efficiently edit tags.

Avoid special characters, emojis, or non-standard naming in folders, files, and tags. Stick to alphanumeric characters, standard spaces, dashes, underscores. The system may not recognize other characters properly.

If organizing your files within iTunes, be sure to have both an Album Artist and Track Artist tag, so compilation albums will be grouped by album but can still list the proper track artist name.

Check file and folder limits for your vehicle – generally 650 files per folder is a safe limit before performance slows down. Avoid putting all music directly in one folder.

See this Hyundai forum post and this Ioniq forum thread for more tips on structuring your USB music library.

Summary

Here are the key takeaways for playing music from a USB drive in your Hyundai vehicle:

Make sure your USB drive and music files are compatible with your vehicle’s infotainment system. Hyundai supports USB flash drives up to 64GB and common audio formats like MP3, WMA, FLAC, and AAC.

Connect your USB drive to the USB port in your center console. Do not use a USB hub. The system will index your music library which may take a few minutes.

Use the audio controls on your steering wheel or center stack to access the USB music menu and select songs. You can browse by playlists, artists, albums, songs, genres, and folders.

Adjust the volume, change tracks, shuffle, and repeat as desired. Note any quirks with indexing or playback.

If you have issues, check your USB cable, reformat your drive, organize your files to facilitate indexing, and check for firmware updates from Hyundai.

For more guidance, refer to your owner’s manual or visit Hyundai’s FAQ pages online. With a compatible USB drive, you’ll be able to enjoy your music library on the go!