There are No Songs Available for Playback Toyota – Solved!

Road trips without music do not feel like road trips at all. Music plays a crucial role in setting up the mood for road adventures. So, it is normal for you to be annoyed when you face the “There are no songs available for playback Toyota” issue.

The playback issue on Toyota usually happens when you try to play tracks using an unsupported USB stick. You can also encounter the problem of not having the music in the correct format or when the USB stick is not partitioned correctly.

So, what do you do when you face this playback issue? Do you need to give your mechanic a visit? Not really. You just need to go through some troubleshooting steps, which you can know about by continuing to read.

There Are No Songs Available for Playback Toyota – Fixing Ways

You might think of changing the entire entertainment system of your Toyota when you come across the playback issue. But that is not necessary at all. All you need to do is go through these troubleshooting steps to fix the problem:

Check the Format of the USB Drive

To play music through a thumb drive, you first need to check whether it has the correct file system. The music system of Toyota tends not to recognize the thumb drives that are FAT32 or NTFS. Instead, it is compatible with the exFAT format.

So, if you are not seeing your music pop up after putting the thumb drive in the music system, consider checking the file system. If it is not in the exFAT format, change it. Here is a quick tutorial that will help you:

Make Sure That the USB Drive is Not Higher Than 32GB

Getting a large-sized thumb drive might seem like a great idea. After all, the more the capacity of the USB stick, the higher the music you can store in the drive. However, most Toyota entertainment systems can’t detect USB drives that are higher than 32 GB.

So, if you are trying to play songs with a high-capacity USB stick, such as one that is 128 GB, you will not be able to see the songs inside the drive.

That said, you do not have to change the USB stick entirely! You can partition the thumb drive into a 32 GB stick. You will find an in-depth tutorial for that later down the discussion.

Ensure That the Music Files are in MP3 Format

Another reason that can explain the issue is that your music files might not be in MP3 format. For example, you might have the songs in FLAC format.

However, most Toyota music systems only support MP3 audio files. So, even if the system recognizes the USB drive, it might not show any music.

So, what do you do when you have all your music files in a different format? Well, you can convert all the music audio files to MP3 format. And the good news is that you might not even need software to do that. Here is a quick tutorial that you can refer to:

Alternatively, you can remove all the music audio files from the thumb drive, re-download the songs in MP3 format, and copy and add compatible files to the USB drive.

Try Another USB Cable

Are you using a USB cable for installing the USB stick? Well, there is a chance that the USB cable might be faulty.

In such cases, all you can do is change the cable. And when you are getting a new USB cable, try to get something high in quality. That will make sure that you do not face any issues with thumb sticks in the future.

How Do You Partition a USB Drive?

Large USB drives can become a little challenging to work with. But there is not much to worry about. Partitioning these drives is pretty straightforward.

Partition The USB Drive On Windows

You just need to go through these steps to partition the USB drive on Windows:

• Open Disk Manager Through Run
• First and foremost, you need to open the disk management tool on windows. Follow these steps to do so:
• Press Windows + R at the same time
• Type “diskmgmt.msc” in the dialogue and press ok

Convert Your USB Flash Drive If Necessary

As mentioned earlier, you must use an exFAT thumb drive for the Toyota music systems. So, if your USB drive is in a different format, you should change it at this step.

But remember, when you change the file system of your thumb drive, you need to perform a quick reset. Therefore, backup any important data beforehand.

• Right-click on the USB drive and click on “Format.”
• Select the “exFAT” from the “File System” menu
• Click ok
• You will return to the initial screen, where you need to click OK again.

Right-Click on the USB Drive and Then Select Shrink Volume

After the format, you will return to the original disk management tab. You need to locate your USB drive again and right-click on it. A menu will pop up, and you will see an option called “Shrink Volume.”

Enter the Desired Amount of Space and Click Shrink

At this point, you need to input the size that you want your USB stick to be. For this case, you need to enter 32 GB.

However, this input needs to be in MB. So, you need to multiply the desired number by 1024. That means 32 GB will be 32,768 MB. After putting the number in, press “shrink,” and you will be all done.

Partition The USB Drive On macOS

To shrink or partition the USB drive in a Mac OS system, you need to go through these simple steps:

• Connect the USB drive to your laptop
• Head over to Disk Utility by going through Applications and to Utilities
• Find your USB flash drive and select it
• Click on the partition icon on the toolbar, which is the icon that looks like a pie chart
• On the pop-up window, select partition
• Select the “+” icon to add a new partition
• Drag the edges of the pie chart and adjust the partition size; it should not be higher than 32 GB
• In that window, you can go ahead and select the format of the partition, which should be exFAT
• Press apply, and you should see a confirmatory pop-up where you need to click “partition” again

Partition The USB Drive On GNOME

Like the other operation systems, partitioning or shrinking the USB sticks in Linux is pretty straightforward. Take a look at these steps:

Open the GNOME Disks Utility

The easy way to open the GNOME disks utility is to type “disk” on the Application menu. From the results, click “Disks.” However, if you do not have the disk tool installed, you must install it first. These are the steps:

• Open the terminal by pressing “Alt,” “Cntrl,” and “T” at the same time
• Type the command “sudo apt-get install gnome-disk-utility” to get the tool

Select Your USB Flash Drive

After you get to the disk tool application, you will need to select your USB flash drive. One of the easiest ways to do that would be to consider the size of the USB drive. For example, if your USB drive is 128 GB in size, look for a drive with 128 GB capacity.

Delete the Current Partitions

Before you make a new partition, you will need to carry out a quick format. But before you do that, ensure to back up any data in the USB drive. And to delete all the partitions, you must select the drive and press delete.

Create a New Partition

At this point, you need to press the “+” icon on display. It will let you create a new partition. The system will ask you for the size of the partition. Remember, it needs to be lower than 32 GB. Also, you need to input the size in MB. So, for 32 GB, you need to enter 32,768 MB.

Finish the Process

After entering the desired size, you must enter the volume name and select the file system format. Select “Other”in the type section and select the exFAT format. Then, press “create,”and you should be all done.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why are Some Music Files Not Playing in the Car USB?

The car system can only recognize specific file formats. For example, some Toyota music players can only playback MP3 files. So, check the car audio system’s compatibility and ensure the compatible files are in that specified format.

• Why is the Car Audio System Saying That There is No Music?

The car’s audio system might not read the music files if there are issues with the format. That is why it is essential to check whether the songs you have in storage are in the correct format.

• Can the Toyota Audio System Play Music from Any USB Sticks?

The Toyota music system will recognize any USB sticks as long as they are in the exFAT format, are less or equal to 32 GB in size, and is in the USB 2.0 interface. So, if you are planning to get a new USB stick, check these factors.

• Why My Car’s Audio System Can’t Play Some MP3 Files?

MP3 files are mostly compatible with all car’s audio systems. However, if the file gets corrupted, the audio system will not be able to read it.

To verify whether the file is corrupted, connect the USB drive to your PC and try to play it from there. If the PC can’t play it, you can conclude that the file is corrupted.

• How Much Does It Cost to Replace the Stereo System of the Car?

Depending on the model of the stereo display system, it will cost you anywhere from $200 to $500 to replace it. However, you should also note that some high-end systems cost thousands. Those will have some special features.

Final Words

So, what explains the “There are no songs available for playback Toyota”? In most cases, it is due to problems found in the USB drive.

The thumb drive can also be too large for the audio system. But as you can see, you just need to go through a couple of troubleshooting steps to fix the issue.