Database Develop

[Q] Mirrorlink

Is there any way to get mirrorlink working on the Nexus 6?

Not sure what mirrorlink is. Do you mean Miracast? If so, I don't believe it works. Chromecast works great for screen mirroring your Nexus 6 to a HDTV.

Found this searching for compatibility... One application for MirrorLink for those that didn't know is Pioneer head units like the AppRadio so you can mirror your phone's screen onto it...

any luck?
Is MIrrorlink compatible with the nexus 6? If so, anybody know how to enable it?

My understanding....
spillytime said:
Is MIrrorlink compatible with the nexus 6? If so, anybody know how to enable it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have been told neither Mirrorlink nor AppRadio are compatible with Lollipop in general and the nexus 6 specifically. Your only option at this point is Android Auto which works well if you have the supporting HU from Pioneer. However, at this time, not many developers have made their applications compatible with it. When the 2016 car models start rolling out with AA preinstalled in their HU, then I believe we will see a flood of apps moving into the platform.

Google needs to start supporting MirrorLink on Nexus phones. I have a Nexus 6 and the Pioneer AVH-4100NEX.
Android Auto has been a horrible experience so far. It worked at first, for a couple of months, and then I don't know why (Android update maybe?) but suddenly it stopped working and hasn't worked since.
Even when it did work, there were some VERY annoying things:
1) if your phone is plugged into the USB cable, Android Auto launches, and as long as you're still plugged in I couldn't find any way to temporarily get out of Android Auto (such as if I want to check my email or some other app on the phone). Or if I want to listen to a YouTube video (or watch it from my phone, lets say I'm the passenger ok?), then I'd have to un-plug the USB which means my phone isn't charging.
2) The other really annoying thing is that Android Auto limits developers in how many screen clicks user would need to do to get to content (including, clicking the down arrow to browse through a long list). Where this is a problem for me for example, is my Spotify playlists. Android Auto will only display about 10 or so of my playlists.
So I find myself disconnecting the phone from the cable and just streaming over bluetooth.
In fact at first I was really upset that my phone was no longer launching Android Auto at all and stopped working with my Pioneer AVH-4100NEX, but now that I am just able to leave the phone charging all the time and have full access to my phone apps, all my spotify playlists, and am just streaming over bluetooth I'm not really sure I want to fix Android Auto.
What I really want at this point is to just MIRROR my phone screen to my head unit. This way no matter what I want to watch or listen to, it doesn't matter if "Android Auto" supports it or not. I can put on YouTube videos, or anything I want.
So this gets me back to Mirror Link, I don't know why Google or Motorola is not supporting it, MirrorLink from what I've seen should be another viable option for Android users (and for now I think a better option than Android Auto)
I'll be posting this reply as a separate topic as well, here and in Google's forums because it needs some attention.
Thanks

Ill repost this here as well
You have to take into account the many laws in different places concerning cell phones and driving. In some places you can get a ticket just for having your phone in your hand while driving. And now they are cracking down even harder on it. Also some OEM have been known to block some cars from working with devices like that. It was found that one samsung device had a list built into the OS that blocked a number of different cars from working with Android Auto. This I can only assume came from the Car manufacturer.

If I had a nickel for all the distracted drivers around me, well, I'd have a lot of nickels!

Alternate Thought: Why not build in the mini android pc into the car

I know I'm missing something about AA, but let me ask this newbie question anyway. Oh silly me ..... what is/are the advantages of AA ..... what if users like me are happy with our car sound and video system but just want a Google centric pc and display in the car. You can buy Android mini pc like Minix, Tronsmart and others for around $200 USD or less. 16:9 HD displays with usb touchscreens have dropped in price, so mount one instead of the Garmin type Navi screens.
Yes, for connectivity you do need a wireless technology bridge from LTE to cat5 wired. But really (!), for $500 or less you get great Android system built into your car and you get to operate your sound system seperately. You can mirror or even 'sidesync' between car pc and phablet/phone if you want. Heck, with those smart TV type boxes you can watch all kinds of stuff. With a little thinking, you can connect audio into your existing sound system. You can use any number of ODBII devices to connect to your car's port and run the Torque app on your car Android pc to have all kinds of car diagnostics and live meters. You have almost the entire Google ecosystem available like any other device (almost).
What does Android Auto get you?
I apologize for asking such a seemingly silly question. Why does everything have to become so complicated and expensive?

The promise of Android Auto and its current reality don't quite match up yet but it is very early and I think it is a matter of time.
AA (and CarPlay) is meant to surface the most important functions of your smartphone and provide a more integrated and less distracting way of interacting with those functions. More integrated in terms of working with steering wheel functions (e.g. volume, next/prev, voice command, etc) and current media playback (e.g. pausing or muting existing audio to deliver turn-by-turn instructions). Less distracting in terms of simplified UI with less touching/typing required and more dependence on voice commands. It also eliminates non-essential notifications while driving (I don't need to see the latest Instagram post until I am parked thanks).
I think it also showcases to auto OEMs what is possible with some good design thinking. I own a 2014 VW with the most unintuitive, cumbersome, slow, frustrating navigation you could imagine. An Android Auto head unit that provides an excellent Google Maps nav experience is light years ahead of a system like that.
Dropping in a smartphone Android interface into a dashboard misses much of what AA is meant to deliver. It may be somewhat more integrated but it is no less distracting.

SCKoman said:
I know I'm missing something about AA, but let me ask this newbie question anyway. Oh silly me ..... what is/are the advantages of AA ..... what if users like me are happy with our car sound and video system but just want a Google centric pc and display in the car. You can buy Android mini pc like Minix, Tronsmart and others for around $200 USD or less. 16:9 HD displays with usb touchscreens have dropped in price, so mount one instead of the Garmin type Navi screens.
Yes, for connectivity you do need a wireless technology bridge from LTE to cat5 wired. But really (!), for $500 or less you get great Android system built into your car and you get to operate your sound system seperately. You can mirror or even 'sidesync' between car pc and phablet/phone if you want. Heck, with those smart TV type boxes you can watch all kinds of stuff. With a little thinking, you can connect audio into your existing sound system. You can use any number of ODBII devices to connect to your car's port and run the Torque app on your car Android pc to have all kinds of car diagnostics and live meters. You have almost the entire Google ecosystem available like any other device (almost).
What does Android Auto get you?
I apologize for asking such a seemingly silly question. Why does everything have to become so complicated and expensive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your "build your own Android mini-PC" idea will seem VERY complicated to "regular people".
Regular people can buy a new car with AA HU installed, and simply plug their stock Android phone in. Or buy an aftermarket HU and have any of thousands of shops install it for you. How may shops will build, configure and install a custom mini-PC ? Mp3car.com MAY do it for $10,000.00 or more I guess... (See their website for custom work.)
Android Auto, after a few years of fixes and new apps supporting it, will hopefully provide a "just works" solution.
Android/computing enthusiasts may prefer to build their own systems and spend many hours tinkering etc. Or they may just want a "just works" solution here too.
Different audiences, different requirements.

Good points .... marketing savvy ... I like.

Accessing SD card that is in the car from android auto

Hi all,
I'm thinking about buying a new car equipped with android auto. This car comes with an SD card slot where you can store music to use with the regular infotainment system. I was wondering if that SD card can also be accessed from android auto? I currently have a 16 GB Nexus 5X so it would be nice if I could use the SD card in the car, while driving.
I'm asking here because I'm sure the sales people don't even know what android auto is, so I don't really trust them.
Thanks.

My car stereo (Pioneer AVIC-F77DAB) has an SD card slot and I can't access it through android auto. I have to go into the stereos main screen to access music/video from SD card. Hope this helps

wallacerp said:
My car stereo (Pioneer AVIC-F77DAB) has an SD card slot and I can't access it through android auto. I have to go into the stereos main screen to access music/video from SD card. Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answer, I was kind of expecting this but I wanted to make sure. If anybody has a different experience please let me know.

wallacerp is correct.
AA has no way at present to play audio sourced from the headunit, whether CDs, SDCard or AM/FM/HD/Sat etc.
Maybe in some future release 1-3 years from now.
There are strings within the AA code indicating Google might be experimenting with this. But it's in Googles interest to have us using Google Play Music. (Though deals with auto OEMs to share car data with Google could shift that interest.)

Hi,
Peharps, in the future a new release of the AA protocol will include this., However, HU manufacturers can implement this AT TIME:
* Share the SD content using DLNA over the WiFi. Typically, you mobile and your HU can be connected by WiFi, additionally to AA USB connection. On this wireless network you can use any PLAYER App compatible with AA that can play from DLNA sources... in this case the HU.
I found this solution quite complex but viable... I do something similar in my VW.

manos78 said:
Hi,
Peharps, in the future a new release of the AA protocol will include this., However, HU manufacturers can implement this AT TIME:
* Share the SD content using DLNA over the WiFi. Typically, you mobile and your HU can be connected by WiFi, additionally to AA USB connection. On this wireless network you can use any PLAYER App compatible with AA that can play from DLNA sources... in this case the HU.
I found this solution quite complex but viable... I do something similar in my VW.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, OK. But a bit complicated and potentially fragile I think.
I am not aware of any aftermarket AA HU that supports Wifi, never mind DLNA on top.
I presume your VW HU does, but I'm not sure about others.
My first thought was using flash USB connected to the phone, but I think it goes the wrong direction to use a hub to share the USB needed for AA. In theory AA over Wifi (or USB hub'd ethernet ?) could free up the USB, but it's not clear that Google will support AA over IP officially any time soon.

mikereidis said:
wallacerp is correct.
AA has no way at present to play audio sourced from the headunit, whether CDs, SDCard or AM/FM/HD/Sat etc.
Maybe in some future release 1-3 years from now.
There are strings within the AA code indicating Google might be experimenting with this. But it's in Googles interest to have us using Google Play Music. (Though deals with auto OEMs to share car data with Google could shift that interest.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's kind of a no-brainer that people would want to listen to FM radio and use navigation at the same time. Same goes for an SD card or CD you might have in the car. As it is I'm leaning towards buying a cheaper car model and just using a mount for the phone when I need it. Especially since I have no guarantee that if Google does implement this in the future, it will work with my car.

This guy has a mode button on his device that allows him to switch between Android Auto and his normal infotainment system. That's at least an option, but I'm not sure if it works the same on the one that comes with VW cars.
https://youtu.be/Mw7BYxyC_3Q?t=13m31s

sorin7486 said:
This guy has a mode button on his device that allows him to switch between Android Auto and his normal infotainment system. That's at least an option, but I'm not sure if it works the same on the one that comes with VW cars.
https://youtu.be/Mw7BYxyC_3Q?t=13m31s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a standard Pioneer AA HU feature. I would have thought other HUs can do the same, but maybe some don't.
sorin7486 said:
Well, it's kind of a no-brainer that people would want to listen to FM radio and use navigation at the same time. Same goes for an SD card or CD you might have in the car. As it is I'm leaning towards buying a cheaper car model and just using a mount for the phone when I need it. Especially since I have no guarantee that if Google does implement this in the future, it will work with my car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My negative reply was about not being able to control FM and other HU sourced audio from the Android Auto screen UI.
Pioneer HUs (at least) allow you to start FM (or whatever), then start AA and FM will continue playing. FM will pause or drop volume when using AA navigation, so that's a crude form of basic "integration".
But you have to leave the AA UI in order to deal with FM etc on the HU screen (buttons might work, I've never actually tried this.)
So there is no seamless integration that allows you to control FM etc on the HU screen while staying within the AA UI. And most of us find it a bit jarring to switch between UIs, so we try to stay within one UI, which effectively means the AA UI.
It may be a "no brainer" that we all want seamless integration, but that doesn't mean that Google will support it.
Google music services compete with FM radio. This is why Google has never supported FM on Nexus devices. Google also killed attempts to create standard FM radio APIs for Android (while pretending to support them).
Basically, Google wants us to use Google Play Music from within AA and purposely makes it difficult to access FM/HD/CD/etc... in a seamless manner.

Yah, I have a feeling that most HUs have AA as just another app of sorts instead of AA taking over completely. That was my impression because ever review only really shows the features of AA, not how you would use it day to day. And I get what you're saying about the radio but I think cars are a bit different: the people who listen to the radio on their phone have usually been a minority, while almost everyone uses it in the car. In any case, if AA doesn't take over completely I see no reason for them or the car companies to integrate other car functions into AA.
thanks for the reply

Android auto without Google?

Hi
Sorry these are probably stupid questions, but I'm having such a hard time finding answers for them.
Is Android Auto a proprietary system that only works with Google's software?
If I have a rooted LineageOS phone without Gapps, will I be able to connect my phone to a car with Android Auto?
Is Android Auto just an app that runs on a smartphone? Then I would guess I should be able to get any app to display on the car's screen? Based on search results I'm assuming that's not so easy, or maybe not possible at all. Then what's the technical limitation preventing me from displaying whatever I want on the head unit and getting input from it? Is there encryption involved?
Thanks in advance.

AA is a client-server app. The head unit of your car should be compatible with it, that is, it should be manufactured to support AA. From the phone's point of view, the AA app should be installed from Google Play store, if the OS is less or equal to Android 9, or it is built-in the OS from Android 10. I do not know if AA could work in your OS, but you can try. Download the AA apk from apkmirror and try installing it. If you do not have a car with an AA compatible head unit, then don't even think to try.
Not all apps in Google store are compatible with AA, they have to be built to work in AA.
In principle, what AA does, is mirroring your phone's display on your car's infotainment display.
Sent from my SM-T860 using Tapatalk

Thanks. By client-server do you mean phone-car or phone-car-internet?
I'm less concerned right now whether I can get the apk working or not, and more whether I'll be able to develop on it in the future.
Is the Android Auto app open source? Where is the source code?
Basically what I'm asking is "Can I develop my own software to run on my phone and interact with the car's infotainment system without using any proprietary software?"
My car doesn't have Android Auto. I'm trying to decide whether my next car should have it, or whether it's going to be doomed to be obsolete 3 years after I buy it and I should just get an older model without Android Auto.

The client is your phone and the server is the head unit supporting AA. If internet is used by the apps, then you'll need an internet connection also, but AA itself does not require internet. The only thing it does is mirroring.
If your car does not support AA, then your only option is to replace / install the head unit with one that supports AA.
As far as I understand, AA is open source: https://source.android.com/devices/automotive/start/what_automotive
So you will be able to develop apps that will run on AA too. But you will still need the support on car's head unit. AA works wired (usb cable connecting your phone with the head unit) or, in the newly-released Android 11, wireless, provided that the head unit supports it. It should work wireless in Android 9 and 10 also, but only with certain Google or Samsung devices.
This is AA users forum: https://support.google.com/androidauto/community?hl=en
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

Hello,
I have the same situation: LineageOS (Android 11), no GApps, no google services, no Google Account, No Google playstore.
When I understand you right, I only need the Android Auto apk. (and of course some apps, that support Android Auto, like Mapfactor navigator, Spotify...)
The Android Auto app (which mirrors the GUI of my user app to the Cars display) doesnt need neither a mobile data connection nor any of the Googel services (google push and so on).
Can someone confirm this?

Is it possible to make an app that simulates Android Auto?

I currently use Screen2Auto and while it is working overall I'm still having issues.
I'm not a developer or anything, just an end user.
I'm curious why no one has come up with an alternative to Android Auto. I.e., an app that will run on an unrooted phone, make the car's headunit think it is interfacing with Android Auto, and allow you to mirror any app that is on your phone.
Are unrooted phones just too locked down to operate an app like this?
Is there a special key or something that the car's headunit requires for communication?
Is it just too onerous of a job to make an app like this?
Just curious. Seems like there would be quite a demand for an app like this.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitspice.automate ... this was an awesome attempt to do exactly what you are looking for. It was intended to be an AA replacement, and I was an early adopter/beta tester. The biggest problem was they were never able to find a way to get it to the head unit *legitimately*.The next biggest problem was that everytime they came up with something better than AA, Google would make changes and break it. Several times functionality would have to be changed / removed because of changes to Google's Terms of Service.
Ultimately it becomes a battle between Google's unlimited (seemingly) resources and the developer writing the app.

I'm looking for something a little different than the above. I'm looking for something that mirrors your phone's apps on the car's touchscreen.