2025 usb flash drive for audio flaky

[Lazy Bones]

I have a flash drive that has about 20 albums on it. Each album has between 10 and 20 songs each. This flash drive has worked well in my previous automobiles – a Honda, and even an older equinox. However, in this 2025 equinox, it fails to recognize some of the albums, and then some of the albums it fails to recognize more than the first song. Sometimes it will display all the songs in an album, but only be able to play the first one. I’ve called Chevy customer support about this, and nobody there seems to know anything about how this works. One person suggested that maybe Google wrote the software. All my music is in MP3 files, and I have re-recorded them several times, using different sampling rates. None of that helped. I’ve used other flash drives. that didn’t help either. Does anybody have a practical suggestion?

 

[BruceC]

I have a similar problem on my 2022. When I reformatted the flash drive using the NTFS file system (not the Fat32) using mp3 file format I had much better results. This did not read/play 100
% of the recorded files but it jumped form about 30% to well over 75%.

 

[Lazy Bones]

The manual on the 2025 EV version of the car ( I don't have that version - mine burns gas) says that FAT 32 and FAT 64 are ok, but specifically says to not use nfts. Maybe I'll try it anyway. Also, when using the radio, the system randomly changes stations on me - not often but occasionally. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[BruceC]

I double checke my thumb drive after reading your reply to verify the NTFS file system. I will have to go back and read my 2022 manual to see if it says anything about the NTFS file system.

I also forgot to mention I use USB 2.0 have not tried the 3.0 version of the USB

 

[Lazy Bones]

NTFS made no change. I don't know how to determine the USB version I'm using. It's not "C".

 

[ricklack]

NTFS made no change. I don't know how to determine the USB version I'm using. It's not "C".

often USB 2.0 will have black plastic connector (inside the metal) and 3.0 will be blue. Most 3.0 will be labeled, unless you're getting the cheap made in China sticks

 

[Lazy Bones]

I have several sticks which are imported from an exoctic asian nation (can you guess ?), and they have grey inserts. Also some with black. No blue.

 

[Autoworker 74]

I have a flash drive that has about 20 albums on it. Each album has between 10 and 20 songs each. This flash drive has worked well in my previous automobiles – a Honda, and even an older equinox. However, in this 2025 equinox, it fails to recognize some of the albums, and then some of the albums it fails to recognize more than the first song. Sometimes it will display all the songs in an album, but only be able to play the first one. I’ve called Chevy customer support about this, and nobody there seems to know anything about how this works. One person suggested that maybe Google wrote the software. All my music is in MP3 files, and I have re-recorded them several times, using different sampling rates. None of that helped. I’ve used other flash drives. that didn’t help either. Does anybody have a practical suggestion?

I have a 10 year old Mp3 that worked in three cars. It won't work on the 25. It says not supported or something like that. Plus the radio cuts out quite a lot.
If your label says 41psi and you go 35psi you will get emails and warnings on your dash about low air pressure. I haven't noticed any difference in the ride at 41psi but I am going to keep it there because they must have a reason.

 

[ricklack]

I was just looking in the 2025 ICE owners manual and noticed that the center console USB port is used for Surround Vision Recording, if equipped. You need to enable this through the Infotainment Settings, so one would think this would not be an issue if you A) don't have it, or B) don't have it enabled. If you do have this feature, perhaps it does affect other operations of that USB port. Hope that helps somehow.

 

[Rad10eng]

I have been using USB sticks for years in all my Cheys's. Some things they all seem to have in common: 1. 32 GB limit per folder. 2. Must use FAT 32 format. 3. Can play MP3 or WAV formats. 4. You can partition a larger drive, but abide by the 32 Gb limit per folder. That is all.

 

[BeckoningChasm]

My Equinox has a similar issue. It will play the album until I park, then when I get back in, it will finish the song it was playing and zip right back to song 1. It has gotten to the point where I don't bother.

The only suggestion I have (which I have not tried) is to make one large file that contains the entire album. I'm overall very happy with the Equinox, but this problem drops it a full letter grade.

 

[Autoworker 74]

My 14 Nox played my MP3 perfectly for 11 years. This one says files not supported or something like that. However with the access to Amazon music you can make a playlist on Amazon and have access to almost everything. I miss my MP3 but there was nothing on there that I can't access through Amazon. I had a 14 and I still have an 18 which have been TROUBLE FREE cars but for the price I paid for my very well equipped 25 LT there is no comparison. Wow this is a great car at less than $34,000 sticker including destination.

 

[Lazy Bones]

My 14 Nox played my MP3 perfectly for 11 years. This one says files not supported or something like that. However with the access to Amazon music you can make a playlist on Amazon and have access to almost everything. I miss my MP3 but there was nothing on there that I can't access through Amazon. I had a 14 and I still have an 18 which have been TROUBLE FREE cars but for the price I paid for my very well equipped 25 LT there is no comparison. Wow this is a great car at less than $34,000 sticker including destination.

I concur - ALL MY previous cars could play this same flash drive flawlessly. My Chevy dealer is trying to get info from GM about why it's different in the '25 series.

 

[Michael_D]

On my 2025 'nox, My Thumb drive is formatted "NTFS" I have my music in sub-directories and my playlists ( Whatever.M3U's) in the root directory.
I could only get it to work in the USB-c ( the little one ), My Dash Cam uses the bigger USB port.
It took me quite a while to figure out how to make the Infotainment Center USB mp3 player work the way I wanted it to work. A whole lot different than my "RAM".
Between the WMA's and MP3's I am used to that so that was a piece of cake for me but I can understand the struggle.
There is lots of software available for converting "WMA's to MP3's.
I've used "Winamp" on my computer for years for making playlists and playing music in the house,
I make up the USB thumb drive on my computer. I haven't been able to get around the randomizing completely, but, making playlists, on my computer seems to help. The hard part about that was editing the M3U file manually for the default drive. My computer makes the player look for the "song" in the "E:" drive and the car makes the player look in the "H:" drive. On top of that weirdness, when the USB thumb drive is in my computer it is the "M:" drive. Go Figure.

Hope this helps.

 

[Lazy Bones]

GM MUST issue specs for using a flash drive for music. Google can only "see" about half of the music on my drive. I've tried several format specs. music file types, etc. Add to the "missing" music, the listing changes from one start-up to another. As this is now, it is NOT ready for use - we are evidently still in the alpha test phase, and we are the unpaid (but paying) testers.

 

[BruceC]

I have a flash drive that has about 20 albums on it. Each album has between 10 and 20 songs each. This flash drive has worked well in my previous automobiles – a Honda, and even an older equinox. However, in this 2025 equinox, it fails to recognize some of the albums, and then some of the albums it fails to recognize more than the first song. Sometimes it will display all the songs in an album, but only be able to play the first one. I’ve called Chevy customer support about this, and nobody there seems to know anything about how this works. One person suggested that maybe Google wrote the software. All my music is in MP3 files, and I have re-recorded them several times, using different sampling rates. None of that helped. I’ve used other flash drives. that didn’t help either. Does anybody have a practical suggestion?

Here is my configuration that works perfectly for me on my 2022 Equinox. I have tried various configuration and this seems to works the best... I have 186 full length albums recorded on the root directory of a USB 2.0 thumb drive plugged into one port located in the arm rest. I have worked with both formats FAT and NTFS and do not see and desirable differences between them. I have stuck with FAT so I can move the thumb drive to different devices (my wifes car) with no problems. BUT they way I have each album recodred is as one MP3 file per album, not as individual songs per album. Each album was recorded form a CD through Windows to my computer then transferred to the thumb drive. The audio system recognizes and plays all 186 albums in their entirety. I can choose which album I want to listen to or let the system play them in order or in a shuffle mode. The down side is that I cannot slectively choose a song on an album to play (unles I manually fast forward to a song), or have a list of songs on the album - thus the second thumb drive in my system that has over 800 individual songs. This second USB is plugged into the second port in the arm rest. The audio system recognizes each USB in addition to my phone via blue tooth allowing me 3 options of audio source that I can freely switch to at any time, I am able to selct which device I wanted to listen to by selecting its option on the info screen. As briefly mentioned above, this configuration also works in my wifes 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport - although the Nissan only has one audio port. NOTE: I cannot record MP3 files longer the 90 minutes, so live concerts and long playing albums I have recoded as two parts.

 

[Lazy Bones]

My thumb drive worked fine in previous cars. I think that the problem is the Google operating system. Google is brand-new to this game, and we (2025 'Nox) are the beta testers.