ADD BLUETOOTH TO AN OLD RADIO
Once you’ve tried streaming photos from your phone, you can use a similar process to stream audio to a radio.
Many modern radios have Bluetooth built in but, if yours doesn’t, it’s easy to add it if it has an auxiliary input (this is sometimes labeled AUX). You’ll need a cheap Bluetooth receiver, like this £12.99 Taotronics Bluetooth 5.0 receiver ( www. snipca.com/35221, pictured right), and an appropriate cable. This outputs the signal it receives via a 3.5mm jack. You can easily pick up a cable with a jack at each end (£5.99 from www.snipca. com/35207) or, if your radio has a pair of phono connectors, a jack-to-phono cable (for example, www.snipca.com/35208). You should be able to use the same cables to connect the receiver to a standalone speaker that lacks Bluetooth, or use the speaker’s built-in cable, if it has one and it’s terminated by a 3.5mm jack.
Connect the Bluetooth receiver to your radio or speaker and switch to the
auxiliary input. Now open the Bluetooth menu on your phone. On IOS, you’ll find this by opening Settings and tapping Bluetooth. On Android, open Settings and tap ‘Connected devices’ followed by ‘Connection preferences’, then Bluetooth.
Make sure the Bluetooth receiver is switched on, and pair it with your phone. On IOS, your device will automatically search for the receiver and, when it spots it, will list it in the Other Devices section at the bottom of the Bluetooth screen. Tap it to pair. On Android, tap ‘Pair new device’ to start your phone searching for the device. When it spots it, tap it to pair. You only need to perform this pairing operation once. Afterwards, your phone will recognise and trust the Bluetooth device. Choosing it from the Bluetooth menu (see screenshot above) will select it as the output device for whatever audio is playing.