RB5 Unit Skipping Tracks on iPhone

[piccarp27]

Hello! I recently updated my 2012 SE (which had the 4.3" uconnect) with an 8.4" RB5 unit taken from a 2016 Journey. Everything works as expected except one issue: when I have my iPhone 15 plugged in (which uses USB-C to USB-A cable), the skip track button will sometimes (usually) skip two or more songs. A song will play for a few seconds and get skipped. Sometimes it even skips randomly when I don't press the button. I'm not entirely sure why this happens as my old 4.3" uconnect always worked perfectly with my phone using the same port and cable. The skipping of tracks works perfectly with CDs. Is this an issue of the 2012 media hub USB port being too slow for the 2016 RB5? This is a bit of a make-or-break for me because USB audio is very important to me. Any help would be appreciated!

[John/Horace]

Skipped track on the 8.4 dash screen triggers it, and the steering wheel  radio control as well ? Have you tried to use phone Bluetooth link  instead of hard cable to see if it changes anything. 

 

Yeah jumping tracks is critical; love Radio Paradise free app with downloaded blocks on phone. No advertising and several music styles to choose from. One of the oldest streaming sites from even AOL days.

[piccarp27]

2 minutes ago, John/Horace said:

Skipped track on the 8.4 dash screen triggers it, and the steering wheel  radio control as well ? Have you tried to use phone Bluetooth link  instead of hard cable to see if it changes anything. 

 

Yeah jumping tracks is critical; love Radio Paradise free app with downloaded blocks on phone. No advertising and several music styles to choose from. One of the oldest streaming sites from even AOL days.

 

Yes this weird skipping bug happens regardless of whether I use the on-screen controls or the wheel buttons. I am not able to test the Bluetooth as I did not bother installing the hands free module in my car when I upgraded. My research right now suggests the 2012 uses a lower speed USB port while the 2016 my radio was pulled from had a faster USB port which is confusing the unit.

[John/Horace]

Above my pay scale. Charger/Ram forum has the technocrats. Bluetooth 5.3 current version way diff than 2012. Streaming platforms like Spotify have lot of hidden functionality. Bluetooth card not super pricy. Cheers.

[piccarp27]

If anyone comes across this thread having the same issue here is the answer:

The radio was acting irregularly because my 2012 Journey SE has the original USB/AUX module (part number 68068293AA). This older port uses the iAP1 protocol for talking to iPhones as an iPod. This was fine because my 2012 4.3" radio used the iAP1 protocol. My new 2016 RB5 radio unit uses the updated iAP2 protocol. Because the older USB port does not understand this protocol nor have the speed to process it, the iPhone playback becomes very buggy and messy. I needed to upgrade my USB/AUX hub to the revised part (part number 68068293AC). 68068293AC is the later revision of the USB/AUX hub which uses the high speed iAP2 that the 2016 radio unit expects. NOTE: Many sellers on eBay and similar sites say 68068293AC in their listing but are actually selling 68068293AA and 68068293AB hubs. DO NOT buy these.

 

Installing the new USB/AUX hub is pretty easy if you follow these directions: https://youtu.be/lIBVzMRS5Io?si=xL2TL_Xsq-gR-D-j

 

The two wires coming from the USB/AUX hub connect to a wiring harness that can be accessed if the center console is removed. The wiring harness should be forward past the gear shift on the driver side. Just follow the wires coming from the USB/AUX hub and you'll be set!

 

[piccarp27]

On 3/18/2026 at 1:21 AM, piccarp27 said:

If anyone comes across this thread having the same issue here is the answer:

The radio was acting irregularly because my 2012 Journey SE has the original USB/AUX module (part number 68068293AA). This older port uses the iAP1 protocol for talking to iPhones as an iPod. This was fine because my 2012 4.3" radio used the iAP1 protocol. My new 2016 RB5 radio unit uses the updated iAP2 protocol. Because the older USB port does not understand this protocol nor have the speed to process it, the iPhone playback becomes very buggy and messy. I needed to upgrade my USB/AUX hub to the revised part (part number 68068293AC). 68068293AC is the later revision of the USB/AUX hub which uses the high speed iAP2 that the 2016 radio unit expects. NOTE: Many sellers on eBay and similar sites say 68068293AC in their listing but are actually selling 68068293AA and 68068293AB hubs. DO NOT buy these.

 

Installing the new USB/AUX hub is pretty easy if you follow these directions: https://youtu.be/lIBVzMRS5Io?si=xL2TL_Xsq-gR-D-j

 

The two wires coming from the USB/AUX hub connect to a wiring harness that can be accessed if the center console is removed. The wiring harness should be forward past the gear shift on the driver side. Just follow the wires coming from the USB/AUX hub and you'll be set!

 

 

EDIT: Started acting up again even with the new USB. I give up. Back to the 4.3" screen I go. Music off my iPhone in high quality is too important to me. It seems that the RB5 8.4" system tries to make its own queue and competes with my iPhone for a queue while the old 4.3" system just let my phone handle everything. Shame because I went all out with the 8.4" upgrade--I installed the satellite antenna on my roof and even got the brand new Garmin map data for the nav system working (North America NT 2027.10 was fully installed and working on the unit).