Do I need Apple MFi certification to write an app that communicates with a Made for iPod car radio over USB?

Question

My car radio is Made for iPod and displays track info, can skip forward and backward, pause, play etc.

iTunes Match content does not appear when the radio takes control. Can I build an app that can transmit this info to the radio without being certified with MFi? I'm not sure of the correlation between ExternalAccessory.framework and the MFi program requirements.

For what it's worth, Pandora's iOS app sends track information over USB to my car radio, but other iOS music apps do not. I am trying to figure out if it's a developer shortcoming or if Pandora is MFi certified.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

According to what I read at MFi Program Enrollment: Frequently Asked Questions the answer appears to be no, you don't need to join MFi:

I want to develop an iOS app that communicates with an MFi accessory. Do I need to join the MFi Program?

No. iOS app developers do not need to join the MFi program. Everything app developers need is in the External Accessory Framework, which is provided in the iOS SDK. To access the iOS SDK, please join the iOS Developer Program: https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/.

Now getting the specs of your car radio in order to develop a matching App would be another thing altogether.