Is it possible to add Bluetooth capability to a device via USB?

They make them. I have a six dollar USB adapter for my computer to use bluetooth.

But, your car headset would need the drivers to see it. It might or might not have them. Your best bet here is to google the model of your stereo and bluetooth and see if anything pops up.

Maybe something like this would work if you have a free AUX input.

@johnpowell It’s not a headset, it’s an in-dash car stereo. My guess is whatever USB adapter would have to have the drivers built-in.

When I say headset I mean the box permanently affixed in your dash. It is what us oldies called them.

@johnpowell The device that you linked to, it seems that it could be plugged into the USB port OR the AUX input, correct?

Not entirely sure. But it does have a male USB port. It is six bucks. Worth a try.

Thanks, @johnpowell. The short story is that I’d like to play music that’s on my iPad through my car speakers, which are better speakers than ones on my iPad.

My car stereo has an Aux Input that uses a standard headphone plug; I use that to route my phone/GPS/MP3 player through my speakers. It also has a USB port, but (at least on my radio) that port is power-only and cannot be used for input.

My last car lacked either, but the factory radio had a tape deck (which was a big thing back in ‘85 when the car was made) so I used a headphone-to-cassette adapter to do the same thing.

There are also short-range FM transmitters that plug into a headphone jack; tune your radio to a certain station and it will pick up the signal… though I always found the fidelity on those a bit lacking and thus only use it as a last resort.

As for drivers….

/takes deep breath

Those dongles generally only do “plug and play” with the most recent couple of versions of Windows. They may or may not be usable by Linux, and if so, may or may not require voodoo to do so. But since your car stereo probably runs neither, there likely won’t be any drivers, which may or may not be needed anyways. In fact, it’s possible that it’s a power-only USB port like mine. Or maybe it’s already set up for iOS (many stereos are set up for iPhones) and all you need is the USB-to-iPad cable like the one you use to sync it to your computer.

So, with all those bolded items of uncertainty in the previous paragraph, we are right back at the question of, “What type (make and model) of car stereo do you have?”, unless you have an Aux Input that takes a standard 3.5mm stereo plug (the same that is used on most headphones).

If all else fails. It plugs into your headphone jack on the iPad and transmits a FM signal that you can tune into on your cars stereo.

@jerv To answer your question, ”What type (make and model) of car stereo do you have?”, it’s a JVC KD-R530 (after-market) unit. It has both an AUX and a USB port on the front of the unit. The USB can be used for input. So, with an iPhone/iPod/iPad, if I want a wired connection, I have 2 choices: headphone jack to AUX, or Lightning to USB. For greater convenience, I was wondering about the possibility of a wireless connection.

JVC does sell a Bluetooth adapter, but it must be connected to an AUX/BT (Bluetooth) jack on the rear of the unit. But after mounting, the rear of the unit is not accessible. So, I was wondering if there was a dongle or similar gizmo that would work.

@johnpowell and @jerv The FM transmitter is another intriguing idea!

Bluetooth is “cleaner” than FM, and I think that the ease (and safety!) of using the stereo to control the iPad would mitigate the slight inconvenience of a physical plug. But if you don’t mind taking your eyes off the road (or are not the driver anyways) then I think the Bluetooth dongle is your best bet. I think that that stereo would “play nice” with it. At worst, you’re only out $6, and you might be able to return it anyways!

My car has a dock on the windshield in the corner of my vision allowing me to keep my eyes on the road at all times and automatically plugging in the USB to charge while I drive. If you could safely dock an iPad the same way I dock my phone then the act of docking would automatically plug it in, thus being quite convenient. Sadly, I think having something that size in that location would impede visibility; an iPad is much larger than my smartphone. I hope you have your playlist set before you start your trip!

Thanks, @jerv. In my car, it’s the passenger who operates the stereo. With Bluetooth, there would be the additional flexibility of allowing someone in the back seat operate the stereo!

Okay, Bluetooth would make more sense for you then. I’m just used to being the only person in the car.

Another neat thing with Bluetooth is that we wouldn’t be limited to iPhone/iPad. Any mobile device with Bluetooth capability would work. Theoretically, anyway. We’ll see.

Well, you’re not limited with Aux In either. Anything with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack would work with those; iPhone, iPad, Android, “dumb” portable MP3 player, old cassette Walkman, and laptops to name a few.

Of course, with Aux In, you are tethered by a cable.

Aux. OK, good to keep that in mind. Thx.

It won’t work. USB Bluetooth is working only with PCs.