I've recently bought the new vw golf with the android auto function. I've updated my galaxy note 3 to the latest lollipop 5.0 UK version so i can use AA.
The phones initial connection is fine. Open the AA app, connect USB to car, car recognises the phone via AA. Phone changes connection type to USB instead of Media. AA app then prompts a few questions (as its new connection to the car) and then AA is good to go on the car screen.
All is well until the next time i hop into the car and connect the USB to the phone. you would a expect that as my phone made an initial connection, the car should be able to pick it up and AA will then load up. However the car display will keep going into a loop where it tries to read my phone but connection keeps failing. likewise for my phone it will keep shifting between connection as media and connection as USB (which is the connection type for AA). AA wouldn't load at all on my phone. i go into the app and tried connecting again but the app will just quit by itself. i've tried USB debugging, no luck. i'm using the samsung original USB cable so didn't think there would be issue here.
the funny thing is that i figured that in order to get AA to connect successfully is to go into the app and go to the settings to forget the car that i initially had it connected to. so next time i plug in the usb and go into the app, it will start the new connection prompts and voila it will work again. but next time i plug in the phone it will just go back to the connection loop and won't be able to trigger AA to load on the phone.
there was only one time that the phone managed to connect to the car and load AA without the need to forget car and connect as new. its very hit and miss and i'm not sure whether this is a bug in the app or the car's.
anyone else having similar connection issues?
AA is buggy but I'd have to say......
rafalucas said:
I've recently bought the new vw golf with the android auto function. I've updated my galaxy note 3 to the latest lollipop 5.0 UK version so i can use AA.
The phones initial connection is fine. Open the AA app, connect USB to car, car recognises the phone via AA. Phone changes connection type to USB instead of Media. AA app then prompts a few questions (as its new connection to the car) and then AA is good to go on the car screen.
All is well until the next time i hop into the car and connect the USB to the phone. you would a expect that as my phone made an initial connection, the car should be able to pick it up and AA will then load up. However the car display will keep going into a loop where it tries to read my phone but connection keeps failing. likewise for my phone it will keep shifting between connection as media and connection as USB (which is the connection type for AA). AA wouldn't load at all on my phone. i go into the app and tried connecting again but the app will just quit by itself. i've tried USB debugging, no luck. i'm using the samsung original USB cable so didn't think there would be issue here.
the funny thing is that i figured that in order to get AA to connect successfully is to go into the app and go to the settings to forget the car that i initially had it connected to. so next time i plug in the usb and go into the app, it will start the new connection prompts and voila it will work again. but next time i plug in the phone it will just go back to the connection loop and won't be able to trigger AA to load on the phone.
there was only one time that the phone managed to connect to the car and load AA without the need to forget car and connect as new. its very hit and miss and i'm not sure whether this is a bug in the app or the car's.
anyone else having similar connection issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is your radio hardware and not the AA app. But you never really disclosed what phone you are using and if it has been modified or what so there is no clear help answer that I can assist you with.
hi, i've got the Note 3 (SM-N9005) running stock lollipop 5.0 (baseband N9005XXUGBOI2). my phone was previously running 4.4.2 kitkat with root.
the connection is very hit and miss. it will keep trying to read my phone when plugged to the car and the phone will keep shifting between "connected as a media device" or "connected as a USB accessory". When its connected as usb accessory, the phone screen will black out for a second and then goes back into the previous screen which is usually home page of the launcher. i think the "blackout" might be the phone trying to boot or load android auto app but gets disconnected as it tries to get in.
i have to plug the usb in and out a few times and sometimes by lottery, it will establish a successful connection and AA loads on the car screen. i've found that if i open the app first on the phone and then plug in the usb, it will have higher chance of getting a successful handshake.
hope this makes sense.
I have the exact same issue: VW App-Connect in a new 2016 vehicle with a Galaxy S5 running Lollipop. Very annoying because once the two are connected it does work reasonably well.
rafalucas said:
I've recently bought the new vw golf with the android auto function. I've updated my galaxy note 3 to the latest lollipop 5.0 UK version so i can use AA.
The phones initial connection is fine. Open the AA app, connect USB to car, car recognises the phone via AA. Phone changes connection type to USB instead of Media. AA app then prompts a few questions (as its new connection to the car) and then AA is good to go on the car screen.
All is well until the next time i hop into the car and connect the USB to the phone. you would a expect that as my phone made an initial connection, the car should be able to pick it up and AA will then load up. However the car display will keep going into a loop where it tries to read my phone but connection keeps failing. likewise for my phone it will keep shifting between connection as media and connection as USB (which is the connection type for AA). AA wouldn't load at all on my phone. i go into the app and tried connecting again but the app will just quit by itself. i've tried USB debugging, no luck. i'm using the samsung original USB cable so didn't think there would be issue here.
the funny thing is that i figured that in order to get AA to connect successfully is to go into the app and go to the settings to forget the car that i initially had it connected to. so next time i plug in the usb and go into the app, it will start the new connection prompts and voila it will work again. but next time i plug in the phone it will just go back to the connection loop and won't be able to trigger AA to load on the phone.
there was only one time that the phone managed to connect to the car and load AA without the need to forget car and connect as new. its very hit and miss and i'm not sure whether this is a bug in the app or the car's.
anyone else having similar connection issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe Verizon phones were having USB connection issues because of some special app they had that did stuff over USB, and an update fixed it.
Some USB connection issues can be solved by changing the mode of USB: MTP, Charge Only, etc.
Some issues can be worked around by enabling (or disabling) USB debugging. This is under Developer settings after Dev mode is entered by tapping Build number 7 times.
Hi Mike, I've got an Australian stock unbranded note 3.
i've spoken to the vw dealer and apparently vw is working diligently for a software upgrade to the car's infotainment system which may or may not fix the connectivity issue.
it's just frustrating that in order to get a consistent connection, i have to go into the app and "forget" the car, then it will go through the new connection prompts.
i'm hoping the next app update might fix the issue but at the moment its unclear whether its the app, or my phone or the car's problem.
I have similar issues with my 2016 Skoda Fabia Combi. I'm guessing the infotainment system in the Skoda is pretty much the same as in the Volkswagen. Many parts are because Skoda is owned by VW. After tons of trial and error, I've had some success connecting my LG G3 but first let me tell you how I ended up in the current situation.
I have tried to connect thee different android devices (LG G3, HTC One M7 and Nexus 7 tablet all running Lollipop) with bunch of different USB cables. The result is always the same. On the phone I see black screen flashing before it returns to home screen and nothing else happens. From the recent apps view I can see that the black screen was AA trying to launch. CarPlay with iPhone works fine.
I live in Finland so I have sideloaded the AA app and at first I thought that the issue is caused by AA not being officially available here yet. After searching this forum and other android forums I found out that other people are having the same issues in countries where AA is supported so maybe this is not the case. Obviously it's not also a device problem because I get exactly same results with different devices from different manufacturers. Only common nominator seems to be the VW/Skoda infotainment system? Correct me if I'm wrong here..
In the Skoda smartlink menu you can choose your preferred connection protocol from Android Auto and Mirrorlink. This affects the order the car attempts to establish the connection. I read from a Skoda forum that someone had a successful connection after he had changed these options around so I tried it. I checked Mirrorlink as a preferred method and tried the connection: no luck. I changed back to AA as preferred method and to my amazement after this the AA launched on the phone and I had a successful connection! If the VW has similar option I suggest you VW guys also try this.
My current situation is that most of the time the phone does not connect at first try but after changing the preferred method around it does. I have also other issues with AA. After connecting I cannot adjust the volume first from steering wheel/stereo volume knob. Spotify audio goes to a wrong channel at first (I can hear it only when i activate voice command) After changing music app to Google Play Music and then back to Spotify it starts working normally and I can also adjust volume. And of course the restriction on browsing your Spotify library. It is the most stupid thing I've ever seen at that level of software development.
rafalucas said:
Hi Mike, I've got an Australian stock unbranded note 3.
i've spoken to the vw dealer and apparently vw is working diligently for a software upgrade to the car's infotainment system which may or may not fix the connectivity issue.
it's just frustrating that in order to get a consistent connection, i have to go into the app and "forget" the car, then it will go through the new connection prompts.
i'm hoping the next app update might fix the issue but at the moment its unclear whether its the app, or my phone or the car's problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Auto dealers tend to know almost nothing about software and smartphones. They know how to sell cars, and the mechanics tend to know how to fix them mechanically, more or less.
And they can almost always say that there is likely an update due at some point.
If you, or anyone having a problem on the car/HU side, has a USB OTG cable and a bit of time to test, you should consider trying my Headunit app; see my sig.
If you get it working you can get a better idea if your car HU is at fault.
I wonder if there are car stereo shops where you can plug your phone into a Pioneer AA unit, like 4100NEX, and see if it works OK on that.
I've had my 2015 Seat Leon (also VW group) for four months now and also having trouble with Android Auto through the SEAT 'Full Link' connection. It seems to be russian roulette whether it'll make a connection and start AA when you plug it in. Sometimes you'll get a 'Connection failed' message, other times you will see the system try AA, fail, then try MirrorLink then fail on that too (as my Nexus 5 doesn't support MirrorLink). As others have said you see the phone screen go black then crash out and goes back to the home screen.
The only solution I have is to restart my phone and try again. Its almost my routine now to restart my phone just before I know I'm about to go for a drive. It beats having to sit in the car watching my phone reboot before I set off!
I didn't know you can change the USB settings on the phone, so I'm going to go through the various settings in developer options to see if any of these help. I'm thinking 'Charge only' might be useful, unless AA needs MTP or network connection to operate?
seems like i'm not the only one! sounds to me its more and more likely to do with the vw made headunit (could be the firmware). I just tried a mate's phone with the AA app but it also went in a connection loop before finally establishing a handshake with the phone. hopefully next firmware update to the car's headunit may be able to fix but but i won't bet on that happening anytime soon.
guess everyone has to trial and error and find ways to establish a successful consistent connection. for me is to forget the car and establish a new connection to the car.
still frustrating as ever and i don't want to have to spend 2 - 3 mins each time before i drive to wait for AA to load.
anyone else having connection issues with other car makes?
rafalucas said:
anyone else having connection issues with other car makes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With my Pioneer or my Headunit app, one of the biggest issues is quality of the USB cable and USB connections.
Testing with different/known high quality cables is worthwhile.
nimdy said:
'Charge only' might be useful, unless AA needs MTP or network connection to operate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Charge Only" is what I try to aim for. Despite it's name apps like Android Auto can use the USB in this state.
AA does not need or use MTP or network connections via USB. Trying to use USB for other things, like network connection, would only be possible via a USB hub, but it's a crap-shoot whether that would even work.
mikereidis said:
With my Pioneer or my Headunit app, one of the biggest issues is quality of the USB cable and USB connections.
Testing with different/known high quality cables is worthwhile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've tried various cables but i find the original samsung cable that came with the phone the most "consistent" in establishing a successful connection.
mikereidis said:
"Charge Only" is what I try to aim for. Despite it's name apps like Android Auto can use the USB in this state.
AA does not need or use MTP or network connections via USB. Trying to use USB for other things, like network connection, would only be possible via a USB hub, but it's a crap-shoot whether that would even work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll give this a go tonight
PHEW. I thought maybe it was just me. I have just purchased a Skoda Fabia 2016 with Android Auto (I imagine this will be the same underlying system for VW/Skoda/Seat/Audi). I find that sometimes, I plug it in and then it magically works fine. Other times it can't connect to the device and tries to connect to MirrorLink instead....which also fails. I'm using a Samsung Note 3 official UK lollipop build - but rooted. When it fails, I have to go through the process of telling it that I want to connect to the device.
Incidentally when it has connected, it's rock solid every time (well with one random crash & reboot of the car's entertainment system).
It's just annoying. I want to get in my car, plug it in, AA to launch and that's it!
What's also slightly annoying is that there's no button to go right to AA on the dash. I have to go to 'Menu' and find Android Auto in that menu to launch back into it if I go to something else within the car's entertainment system. Grr! Not anything anyone can do on here, but just venting!
jonboyuk said:
PHEW. I thought maybe it was just me. I have just purchased a Skoda Fabia 2016 with Android Auto (I imagine this will be the same underlying system for VW/Skoda/Seat/Audi). I find that sometimes, I plug it in and then it magically works fine. Other times it can't connect to the device and tries to connect to MirrorLink instead....which also fails. I'm using a Samsung Note 3 official UK lollipop build - but rooted. When it fails, I have to go through the process of telling it that I want to connect to the device.
Incidentally when it has connected, it's rock solid every time (well with one random crash & reboot of the car's entertainment system).
It's just annoying. I want to get in my car, plug it in, AA to launch and that's it!
What's also slightly annoying is that there's no button to go right to AA on the dash. I have to go to 'Menu' and find Android Auto in that menu to launch back into it if I go to something else within the car's entertainment system. Grr! Not anything anyone can do on here, but just venting!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy s6 Stock firmware and my octavia android auto 1.4 work very well.
No luck with LG G3
Good day everyone, I just purchased a 2016 VW GTI and I have an LG G3 with Lollipop 5.01 rooted. and I can not get it to work with mirrorlink or android auto. Mirror link default or AA default. I tried different cables, plugged in car on before the car was on. MTP, PPP, charge. The head unit does see it as an LG phone but nothing works.. usb debugging on or off.. Kind of bums me out. Oh I keep getting a make sure the phone is unlocked message I turned screen lock off, and the phone is awake when I try to connect.
mikereidis said:
If you, or anyone having a problem on the car/HU side, has a USB OTG cable and a bit of time to test, you should consider trying my Headunit app; see my sig.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! This is the best option for check if the problem is the HU/car or the phone.
From my point of view typically the most issues are related to the phone (ROM, AA app, etc.). For example, with my previous Lollipop 5.0 one month ago... the AA was inestable. With a new 5.1 phone and with the last AA app version (upgraded 1 week ago) I don't have any problem.
Please, try this before post about problems. Sometimes the problems isn't the car or the Head Unit. :angel:
Hi all. Further to my last post, I'm also sure it is a device/ROM issue. It doesn't work all the time, but most of the time the workaround for me is to open the open apps list, swipe them all off to close them, including AA app, then re-open AA. This increases the chances of my phone connecting to the car, but every so often I get a connection error and have to try again a second/third time.
I think I may have asked before, but is there anywhere we can report these bugs to? AA is technically beta (as with most Google products) so I'm sure they would welcome our bug reports.
Connection Memory ?
Hi,
I have the same experience as many others that the connection to AA is very random. I've tried:
Different phones (Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 on stock Android 6.0)
Different USB cables
AA app on and off
Screen locked and unlocked
All without being able to see a pattern. Sometimes it connects automatically in 15 seconds, sometimes automatically in 1 minute and sometimes I need to manually push the connect on the HUD (VW Passat 2106).
The only thing that is consistent is that once you are connected to AA and then disconnect, if you re-connect the phone it works flawless every time ! It seems to be working even if the re-connect happens after a few minute (e.g. not rigth away). So it seems that either the HUD or the phone has some sort of connection memory. Once it expires the connection problem reappears.
Anyone else that can confirm this ? Any ideas on where the problem can be ? I guess this rules out the USB cabel as suggested by many.
// J
Hello,
I kindly request your support for this issue. I can not connect my Moto Z (XT-1650-03, Type: M1B90) Android Auto to my VW Golf 2016.
- Stock Android 7.0, all related apps including the Play Services up to date.
- Recently updated to 7.0, but same behavior as 6.0.1 (factory version)
I read that this could be a cable issue but I already tried 4 cables without success (including stock cable).
Problem: Android Auto is not connected with my Moto Z phone.
Question:
Am I missing something?
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Behaviors:
- The phone is always charging while the cable is connected to the car.
- When the cable is connected, the car and the phone attempt to connect but the connection is broken afterwards. The car displays that the connection is on going and the phone prompts to me the connection type, after some seconds the connection is "broken" before it was finished
- Sometimes after several tries I can see my phone listed in the car for less than a second and then the connection is "broken".
- The default connection for USB is set for MTP in my Moto Z, but, the charging mode is always triggered first when connected.
- I can only see in my car "Reading USB device" which keep flashing.
- In my phone I can see an upcoming notification about this connection and then it disappears. This notification flashes every ~5 seconds.
- I can connect my phone with the PC and connect it as MTP to copying files and the connection is never lost (using the same cables).
Cables:
All cables were Male USB Type A to Male USB Type C.
1. Moto Z Stock Cable:
The connection is started but never finished, the phone and the car keep trying to connect while the cable is connected.
2. Belkin USB-IF Certified 2.0: Same as the Moto Z stock cable. Bought from amazon:
3. Generic 'White' Cable: No connection at all.
4. Generic 'Black' Cable:
Similar to Moto Z stock and Belkin cable, the only difference is that this cable sometimes the connection was finished and the Moto Z was listed in the car phone list for a brief moment (~1 second).
All the cables are 3 Feet lenght but the Belkin which was 6 Feet lenght.
Additional Information:
I purchased the Moto Z one week ago, before this phone I had a Moto X 2nd (XT-1097) which was working correctly with my car. I tried several micro USB cables for the Moto X without any problem (stock and other brands).
Using the same car and my Moto X 2nd I tried two android versions:
- Stock Lollipop 5.x, worked OK but the contact pictures were not synced.
- Custom CM14.1 Nougat 7.1, worked OK (contact pictures synced correctly).
Have you got Bluetooth connected before you start?
Have you got app connect on the head unit?
Mtp is a red herring in my experience.
Sony z5, 2016 golf with nav pro and app connect working well.
Sent from my sumire using Tapatalk
I have a Skoda Octavia VRs with same head unit and it works flawlessly with a HTC 10 (personal) but is always problematic with my work Moto G Play. Both are running versions of Marshmallow.
Sometimes the Moto G will stop working mid way through a navigation session which seems to be a result of the head unit "losing" the Moto G.
I have got it to work by uninstalling the AA app on the Moto G and reinstalling then ensuring i follow ALL on screen requests on the Moto G (both AA and system requests) before it works. However i have little confidence in it working..........
I have a Skode Superb with the same head unit. One of the problems most people have is with the clock of the headunit. You have to set the time to "Automatic (GPS)" or something alike. My headunit is in dutch so unfortunately I can't tell you what the exact words are. This might solve your problem.
Hi, I had the same issue on Polo 2016.
In my case, the issue was the connecting mode on the Android phone.
If you have in notification area the shortcut to change the USB connecting mode while cable connected, try to change it to MTP or other (mine worked with MIDI).
If you don't have it, just enable the Developer mode (tap 5 times on Compilation Number on Settings App > About).
Then on Settings app under developer options, check on network section the USB mode; switch there to more appropriate mode.
Hope to have helped.
Hello,
Thanks for your support and sorry for the delay, I was pretty busy. I already tried everything that you suggested without luck:
@goRt: Yes my car has App Connect, in fact the android auto works fine with my Moto X CM 14.1. I tried with bluetooth on and off.
@freenfast: I uninstalled the android auto app, even I performed a factory reset for my Moto Z and for the car, afterwards I only installed the android auto and it didn't worked.
@ljo13: I could not find that option in my car, I searched in all the menues without luck. In date & time menu I only found the summer time option and time and date formats.
My car do not have an in built navy, so, it is possible we have a different HU. My phone is set to get the cell network time zone.
@bluryfusion: In the past I only tried with MTP, but, unfortunately it didn't worked. If I select as default other connections, then, the car displayed "USB device not supported" and then the connection is automatically changed to MTP again. I tried with: Charging, PTP, RNDIS, Audio Source and MIDI.
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The android auto connection is only possible with MTP with my phone and car, but, the problem is that the connection is broken every single time. Sometimes my device is recognized by the car for a brief moment (~1 second) and then the connection is broken and it tries to connect again; so, what I see in my phone and car is an 'inifnite' loop of Trying to connect -> Connection broken -> Trying to connect.
Note: I also get a new Belkin USB 3.1 type A to Type C cable and it's the same issue.
Hello,
A little update, I found that in the notification access I had two Android Auto entries:
1. Android Auto
2. Android Auto (Car Mode)
When you install the AA into your phone, you are prompted to activate the first one only, meaning that the Car Mode remains inactive.
Anyhow, I activate both entries and still the same behavior
To find this, open Settings > Apps > click cogwheel > Special Access > Notification access
Sorry to resurrect an old thread here guys, but I think I have found the solution to this problem...
I was having the same issue with my Ford Sync 3, would work with my old Moto x play but would just disconnect when trying to load android auto with my new Moto z play
After playing about with both phones, I noticed on my Moto x that when connected I would get a Google play services notification saying that my car was now connected, which wasn't happening g on my Moto z
Checking the Google play services version number I noticed that my Moto x (which is on lineage 14.1) is running a later version then my Moto z (which is on stock 7.0 ROM). A quick Google gave me a link for the latest version of Google play apps apk, after installing android auto now boots up fine on my Moto z!!!
Hi guys,
so I have this problem that Android Auto connected to my headunit drains battery in my phone faster than it is being recharged. To fix that, I decided to try to use an active USB hub. I found one that is being powered through USB, so I decided to power it from my 12V socket, and see if it will help me, hoping that I will be able to get better amperage. Simple enough. I have issues with connection though. The headunit "sees" Android device and asks me if I wish to connect using Android Auto or Mirrorlink. My Android device also sees headunit, I'm getting all usual notifications, that I would get by connecting the phone directly. When I select "Android Auto" in my headunit, Android Auto on my phone starts briefly but is getting instantly closed, and my headunit gives me an error message, telling something along lines "Make sure your phone is unlocked".
As devices kind of "see" each other, I'm wondering if there is anything I could try to do Android-side, to make it working. I'm also wondering what can be issue here exactly. Do you have any ideas guys?
I have:
- Seat Ibiza from 2017, with Full Link.
- Android 5.0.2
- Unitek active hub. Unfortunately I cannot link to it, because that's my first post.