Help me find a phone case that lets me listen to music in my car!

October 17, 2017 9:15 PM

I'm looking for a phone case for my iPhone 5S. The problem is, to listen to music in my car I need to plug it in, and the part of the cable that touches the base of the phone is large enough that it isn't compatible with many phone cases. Here's a picture of the phone plugged in, and a picture of what the current case covers.

You may note some problems with the current case; I'd like to find one that's sturdier (and prettier would also be a bonus) but has an open base so that I don't have to take it off to plug in my phone. Any suggestions would be welcome, thank you very much!

posted by shirobara to Technology (6 answers total)

Best answer: If that's a lightning-to-30-pin adaptor that's causing you trouble, you could replace it with an adaptor that has a cord. Apple makes an expensive one and here's a cheap one. Those oughta work with most cases
posted by aubilenon at 9:30 PM on October 17, 2017 [5 favorites]

I have this Speck case where the bottom 1/4 folds back to make it a stand, but it also give you access to the whole bottom of the phone. I love this case! Found it at TJ Maxx or Marshall's a few months back for like 6 bucks.
posted by jabes at 7:48 AM on October 18, 2017

The cheap adapter that aubilenon links to has some question/answers that say it will not handle data, just power. Some of the reviews do mention audio working, though. You need to make sure any adapter you buy will handle both data and power. Or else, can you replace the cord with a lightning version?
posted by soelo at 8:45 AM on October 18, 2017

Give up on adaptors. The 3 foot long Amazon Basics Lightning-USB cable is two bucks cheaper than the adaptor aubilenon links to.

If you'd rather not patronize Amazon, there are still a lot of options in the sub-$10 range (Monoprice is good and even cheaper, but shipping will cost more). Just make sure it's got MFI certification; very few of the extremely cheap cables are.

Once you have that, you can use any case that strikes your fancy, and they will also be able to provide more coverage around the periphery your phone. There is no downside.
posted by ardgedee at 3:35 PM on October 18, 2017

Can you take an otherwise just-right-for-you case and grind off the excess at the bottom with a Dremel or similar tool?
posted by kmennie at 10:46 PM on October 18, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers! aubilenon had the solution -- now I can get whatever case I want!
posted by shirobara at 7:22 AM on October 26, 2017