Depending on the age of your Subaru, no Lightning cord is necessary for using the stereo's Bluetooth button.  Make sure your phone is appropriately connected via Bluetooth (you can see your phone's contacts on the stereo's phone app).  Start playing a music streaming app (iHeart Radio, Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, YouTube Music, Apple Music, etc.).  Turn on the stereo and wait for it to boot up.  Select Bluetooth as the audio source.   If your car stereo has Apple CarPlay, a sync cord is required.  I think that Apple CarPlay came with the 2017s to 2022s.  Wireless Apple Car play might have come out with the 2023s. If your Subaru doesn’t have Apple CarPlay/the phone’s gps map isn’t broadcast (maybe 2017, definitely 2016 and older models) to the stereo screen and the stereo has an Aha app, Pandora app and a general Bluetooth input, you’ve got to connect the phone to the stereo with a lightning cord and plug it in the armrest usb.  All bets are off for folks with USB-C iPhones (iPhone 15 and newer) because they'd have to get a USB to USCB-C sync cord and Apple might not allow those to transfer data.  Maybe someone with a middle aged Subaru but a new iPhone will chime in. ... View more

Please try connecting your phone to the USB port.  The USB port will be in the armrest or in the cubby hole under the stereo where you'd stash your shades, phone or Butterfinger.  Plugging your phone in a 12-volt charger won't work.  Start the app on your phone and play a station/playlist plug your phone in the USB port change the stereo's source to Pandora enjoy full functionality of the phone's app by using controls on the stereo's face or steering wheel buttons Sometimes I receive an error message on the stereo.  I turn off the stereo, unplug the Lightning cord/sync cord from the phone, close the app/swipe up, re-open the app, start playing a playlist/station, turn thee stereo on.   ... View more

Have you tried factory resetting the stereo? ... View more

Sometimes the phone, between Bluetooth, Pandora and phone, need to be reset. Give these a shot: Bluetooth: forget your car on your iPhone and delete your iPhone on your stereo. Reconnect/reinstall/reintroduce your iPhone to your Subaru   App measures: 1) Sign out of the Pandora app on your iPhone. Close app/swipe up. Sign back in. Attempt to use Pandora on stereo.  2) if signing out and then back in doesn’t  work, delete and then reinstall the app    Sometimes, I have to unplug and the plug back in to the USB port and then the iPhone and stereo resume working together when I first start the car. That solution inconsistently works and I don’t know the conditions when it works.    At least Pandora has people acknowledging and replying to our trouble tickets unlike Aha.  :[ ... View more

My wife and I own a couple of 2016s: Impreza and Forester.  The correct method to play Pandora through the 2016 stereo's Pandora app is to connect the iPhone and car via Bluetooth and plug a lightning cord into your iPhone and the USB port in the Subaru’s armrest or the one in the hole under the stereo (where you stash your phone or shades or Butterfinger).  Step-by-step instructions: Have the stereo tuned to the Pandora app. (either tune to the stereo Pandora before shutting off the ignition or turn the key to accessory, wait until the stereo finishes booting up and connecting to your iPhone, tune to the stereo Pandora app and then shut off the ignition) Plug lightning cord to your iPhone and car's USB (in the armrest or in the hole under the stereo where you put your shades, iPhone or Butterfinger. Plugging iPhone into a 12-volt charger/cigarette lighter charger won’t allow Pandora to fully function. You’re stuck with playing your iPhone’s Pandora through the stereo’s general Bluetooth connection) open the Pandora app on your iPhone and start playing a Pandora station  start the car  control the app with the stereo’s buttons  downloading the Starlink app to your iPhone might not be necessary for playing Pandora through the stereo, it wasn’t necessary for 2016 Subarus.  The next time you want to use Pandora, you’ve got to start with step 1 above. I haven’t any good luck with having Pandora work when the iPhone app is open but not inactive/not the app filling up your screen if I don’t start at step 1 each time I get in the car. If you get to your destination, make a call/take a pic/look up something on Safari/use a non-Pandora app at your destination, you’ve got to make sure the iPhone Pandora app is open, active and filling your iPhone screen before starting your car when you return to the car. ... View more

My wife and I own a couple of 2016s: Impreza and Forester.  The correct method to play Pandora through the 2016 stereo's Pandora app is to connect the iPhone and car via Bluetooth and plug a lightning cord into your iPhone and the USB port in the armrest or the one in the hole under the stereo (where you stash your phone or shades or Butterfinger).  Step-by-step instructions: Plug lightning cord in your iPhone and car's USB Turn on the stereo, select a Pandora station on your iPhone, wait until the iPhone and stereo connect via Bluetooth, select Pandora on the car stereo, control the app with the stereo's buttons: skip song, thumb a song, read song title and artist, see list of your Pandora stations, select a new station, delete a station add a station.  [This method is strictly for iPhones and 2016s.  There's a possibility that the Starlink app is needed on the iPhone for 2017 and newer Subarus.  I expected this awkwardness (using a cord and Bluetooth) from Android but not from iPhones.  There's only one iPhone operating system instead of 100 flavors of Android!)   Androids play Pandora through a 2016's stereo Pandora app without a USB.] Downloading the Starlink app isn't required for playing the Pandora app through the 2016 Subaru Impreza stereo Pandora app. I hope that somebody chimes in with instructions for 2017 and newer Subarus.   ... View more