Database Develop

Do you feel Google got this right?

Now I know Google has a lot of very smart people, but you would be hard pressed to prove that to me based on some of the rather inexplicable design decisions made for Android Auto, especially when you consider that one of its primary goals is to minimize distraction when interacting with Android.
Let's start with the voice button. I know it is in the top right corner of our phones and tablets, but that is a lousy reason to locate it in the same place on your car's display. For US drivers, it seems the most inconvenient place for it.
Moving on to how messages are handled, it feels as though Google wants your right hand off the wheel, and your eyes off the road. Consider that when a message comes in, Android Auto interrupts your audio to inform you of that. Does it read it to you, or offer to read it to you at that point? No. It expects you to touch the top of the screen, but you better do it quickly as it will be gone in a few seconds. Then you will most likely have to make several taps on the screen to have Android Auto read you the message, and return to the screen you were previously on.
And when it does read you a message, it tells you can reply by tapping the voice button (that one at the far right corner of the screen). Why doesn't it just ask you if I want to reply instead of requiring more physical interaction with the screen?
There are other distractions as well, albeit fairly minor when compared to the above. For instance, when my phone is connected solely via Bluetooth and I am listening to something, when I exit and then return to my vehicle, playback resumes. But if I'm connected to Android Auto, again I am required to interact with the screen. It is the same with navigation... turn off the car for any reason and you will have to reestablish your route again when you startup.
Now maybe it's just me, but having Android Auto for just a week or so, these seem like pretty big potholes on the road of usability, and some seemingly so obvious that I'm was surprised to experience them.
So, is it really just me? How do you feel about Android Auto's workflow? Do you find it unnecessarily distracting? Does it require more of your attention than it should?

AA has many issues that need to be fixed.
But I feel confident that Google WILL fix these things.
Connected cars are and will be BIG business and Google will not abandon it as they've done with some other things.
Consider how much was fixed and improved in Android itself from v1 through to 5.1.
Note that we've all been waiting for decades for something like AA in our cars. Google has been working on AA for years, and it will take years more to work out the kinks.
Plugging a phone into an AA head unit is a model that has problems but is somewhat temporary. Googles goal is to have Android itself running in the car or HU* and this solution will be superior. I think we will hear more about this at I/O; Android 6 allegedly has AA "baked in".
*Many HUs (Pioneer, Chinese) are already running Android and I think Honda is working on this now.
AFAICT, most people who have seen AA and Apple CarPlay prefer AA, so Google has the advantage here.

mikereidis said:
Consider how much was fixed and improved in Android itself from v1 through to 5.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have... which is a big reason why I bit the bullet. For me, Android was way too rough 'till JB (which is when I switched from iOS). I am hopeful AA's path will be on road with a much higher speed limit.

What are the main Android Auto advantages?

I used Android Auto for the first time yesterday in a rental 2016 VW Jetta. The Phone and Music interfaces look nearly identical to what I get when pairing bluetooth and using the Car's native interface. I'm not seeing much added functionality. As for Navigation, it is nice be able to see it on the car's display. However, since it is landscape mode, only half the screen actually displays the map since there not enough height. When comparing it to what I see on my phone, it is nearly the exact same size. The other half displays the same info I would see on the phone, actually a little less. I suppose the buttons are a little bigger. One small issue is that my phone supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2 but since I Android auto must use USB, I am left with whatever power the car ouputs. It seemed to be enough to slowly charge my phone even with Nav,Music, Phone, Bluetooth. Is it actually necessary to keep bluetooth on since the USB cable is connected? Another minor nag is that it seems to trigger night mode if I turn on the headlights which got annoying. I'd much rather it uses the light sensor.
I'm not really seeing the advantage. Am I missing some big features?
It seems its about the same to just use my phone and by doing that, I get access to more notifications and all my apps and can see my Nav plus music/phone at the same time.

Youve posted in the wrong section - this is the Android head unit forum, you want the Android Auto forum.

I think the main advantage is you don't have to mount your phone, and you can use the steering wheel to initiate choice controls. I understand what you are saying though. There is nothing life changing
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

I've used it a bit longer. I think the major issue I have found is that it is buggy and slow, at least for me. There were probably maybe 3 major issues I found.
1. From sitting down in my car til when it was fully connected and working with nav took way too long.
2. It was very buggy. When the Nav needs to talk, it lowers the volume of the music temporarily. However sometimes, it just completely stops the music with no way to restart it other than unplugging and plugging in again (which would be very distracting while driving). Even then, often it wont reconnect correctly sometimes even causing the car part to reboot
3. It blocks my ability to text. Even on the phone. I can get it to work by going to recent apps and switching but it makes it harder to do it. They shouldn't be deciding what is "safe" and what isnt. If I'm stopped at a red light, I feel it is safe enough to send a txt, but with the blocking it makes it harder. Also it doesnt consider that I may have a passenger in the car that might want to use my phone to send or read a txt. Also, it didnt seem to read google voice or show gmail notificaitons.
It could be so much better

"safe"
eng3 said:
I've used it a bit longer. I think the major issue I have found is that it is buggy and slow, at least for me. There were probably maybe 3 major issues I found.
1. From sitting down in my car til when it was fully connected and working with nav took way too long.
2. It was very buggy. When the Nav needs to talk, it lowers the volume of the music temporarily. However sometimes, it just completely stops the music with no way to restart it other than unplugging and plugging in again (which would be very distracting while driving). Even then, often it wont reconnect correctly sometimes even causing the car part to reboot
3. It blocks my ability to text. Even on the phone. I can get it to work by going to recent apps and switching but it makes it harder to do it. They shouldn't be deciding what is "safe" and what isnt. If I'm stopped at a red light, I feel it is safe enough to send a txt, but with the blocking it makes it harder. Also it doesnt consider that I may have a passenger in the car that might want to use my phone to send or read a txt. Also, it didnt seem to read google voice or show gmail notificaitons.
It could be so much better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand you may feel it is safe to text at a stop light, but most people fell this too and get caught up in the use of their devices in a car. Texting from a car should be outlawed PERIOD! Even stopped, you need to pay attention to your surroundings while in a vehicle. This is the only way to drive safely. Technological advantages like Android Auto help us band-aid the problem by getting people to look up and away from their screen to hopefully see what is going on around you. Too many people have lost their lives to others not being fully aware of what is happening on the road. I am a tech junkie, but I know it needs to be moderated to keep everyone safe. I see someone on their phone at a light and I feel they are a danger to me and everyone around. Please, stop texting all together from the car. Trust me, if you are important enough......they will wait.
That being said....Sorry (very emotional today). Android Auto does have its advantages with offering Nav in a vehicle without paying for the upgraded interior or having to pay for OnStar Nav. Plus, it keeps heads pointed in the right direction. Up. It would be nice to have it be wireless and not be tethered with a USB cable, but I understand with the amount of data that needs to be passed. Soon all features from the phone could be hands free with inventions like Android Auto paving the way.
Thank you for listening to me rant.

The advantages are:
1. Phone gets GPS signal and speed data from car head unit antenna. This is much accurate than phone.
2. AA integrates with car multimedia and you can control it with steering wheel buttons
3. You can launch Google voice control and read some notifications.
Potentially AA could be much better, but Google had capped most of the good functions:
1. Driving GPS applications are limited to online apps (Gmaps and Waze) which are not offering the capabilities of good apps like Sygic TomTom or iGo.
2. Notification reading of all notifications.
3. Integration of email.
4. Video when not moving.
Brgds
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

jisenberg said:
I understand you may feel it is safe to text at a stop light, but most people fell this too and get caught up in the use of their devices in a car. Texting from a car should be outlawed PERIOD! ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, that is a bit ridiculous. One could argue that being on a call (on a hands free phone) is more distracting. What about people that eat while they drive. Maybe we should outlaw having conversations with passengers too. Alot of distractions are dangerous, it is the driver's responsibility to behave safely. I haven't even mentioned that the driver isnt necessarily the one interacting with android auto. The passenger might be the one that wants to use the device but they are blocked out too.
Oh and guess what, a nag message isnt going to stop someone from doing what they need to do. It just makes it harder and even more distracting.
ypsmav said:
The advantages are:
1. Phone gets GPS signal and speed data from car head unit antenna. This is much accurate than phone. ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't realize this, good point, my phone's GPS reception isnt so great.
ypsmav said:
...
2. AA integrates with car multimedia and you can control it with steering wheel buttons
3. You can launch Google voice control and read some notifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't need AA. If I connect bluetooth, I can control my media with the steering wheel buttons. At least the basic stuff (play/stop, prev, next, vol)
On some cars, I found that hitting the voice button will trigger it on my phone, otherwise, its fairly easy to press the button on the screen. I can also swipe down to read notificaitons. (ofcourse everything looks smaller)

8inch vw RK3188 wheelkey issue

Hi there, i am not too sure if i need to start a new topic, but i guess this is the best way to get your expertise on my issue.
I am driving a seat leon 1p (2008) which had the RNS510 (seat media system so whitout the sd card slot) built in. Sadly the display died (full white) and i had to search for something else.
I bought me a RK3188 device (it says ERISIN in the advert, i cannot find that name on the box or device itself) with a load of nice features. Most of them are working like they should, others have some hickups and 1 is really bothering me. I have made a youtube video and the seller says they don't see whats wrong. I bought it trough eunavi on aliexpress.
Here my explanation, the leon is fitted with a large dot matrix mfd screen in the dashboard (boardcomputer) (there are versions with a smaller display)
the big display is served with the windscreen wiper handle, which has 3 buttons, up, down, and ok/reset.
When i want to reset my computer (trip, avg fuel etc.) i need to press the reset button about 3 seconds. the radio then decides to shutdown... once i release the reset button, the radio decides it doesnt want to shutdown.
Quite weird in my opinion. So i tried programming the wheelkey settings, according to the manual. first i go into wheelkey settings, then i press clear / reset.. then i need to press any wheelkey (so allso the volume up / down, next, previous etc etc.) the radio does respond to that, but not with the wheelkey settings programme. I'll try to add the youtube link here as well.
next to this, some weird things happen.
1.The display is way too bright, so i asked the seller what to do, they told me they will send a new display which i should fit myself. In my opinion not the best solution from a shop but i understand their marigins aren't enormous and they try to fix it cheap. the display hasn't arrived yet so i can't say if the new display gives the solution for me.
2. when i have the tuner on, with af-rds function, it seems to scan to any rds station once the signal gets weak. Maybe i'm spoiled, but i think AF needs to search for the station with the same ID as the one i was tuned in to.
3. the dab+ dongle and window antenna give poor reception now. this is presumeably caused by the way i fitted the aerial, on top of the ventilation shafts behind the dashboard. I want to move the antenna to behind the rear view mirror (horizontally) which will hopefully give good reception. (does anyone know if horizontal positioning of the antenna is okay for dab+ ?)
<- the issue with the MFD input
<- the whiteness of the display (cannot be edited with standard settings) it was quite cold when i made this video, it seems it is a little better now or i am getting used to it
so quite a long story and i have my fingers crossed on your response !
maybe good to let you know:
MCU version
MTCD_LM_V1.90_1
sep 23 2016 09:37:48
Android-sersion
5.1.1
Kernel-version
3.0.101+
[email protected] #90
Fri Sep 9 16:24:49 CST 2016
Build-number
rk3188-userdebug 23092016.13:30:50

Need some help with my new Phone

First of all, I love this phone. The main selling point for me was the massive battery and from there it's just getting better counting in the other features, but as always, nothing is perfect and I'm not that experienced with Android in general so figured I'd ask away here. As a disclaimer, for all the things below, I'm not interested in rooting the phone, feel free to write if rooting is the only option though and if doing so, what I am asking for would work.
Is there any way to turn off the volume warning? Like if you're going above 70%. Seems it's a lot less aggressive than on my old S9 though.
Is there any way to add a few more steps to the volume? It appears 15 is the highest volume at the moment. And the highest volume is a bit low for my taste, when listening to music. I'm using BOSE QC20's and while they sound great, I could use a few more steps. I used some App on my S9 but it didn't really sound that well. For comparison, on the PC you can put VLC on 200% AND turn up the volume on the headset as well, if you want.
What kind of screen protection would you advice? Or shouldn't I bother with that?
How water resistant is the phone? All I know is that there is no classification yet. Even it isn't, how would you rate it? Go Swimming? Drop it in a pool of water? Walk with it in the rain? Or panic if one droplet gets anywhere close to the speakers?
Can I dual charge the phone? As in, if the Fan is connected, can I put one charger in the bottom Type-C port and one into the fan?
What happens if I put the charger in the Red sideport? Not that I would, just curious as I saw a warning saying not to.
Similar to the dual charge, would a PC gaming headset work on the phone that uses 2 3.5mm pins? The sound pin would go into the fan and the mic pin would go into the bottom slot of the phone, or vice versa?
I've been trying to change the Notification sound and ringtone for Whatsapp using the same sounds I had for my S9. I've added both (Orange & Whisper) but they just don't want to work. I made them in .mp4 (aac), .mp3 & .oog formats. When I select them in the list, they are played as they should but when I get a message and/or recieve a call, the latest (standard) signal is instead used.
Update: I managed to get the notification sound to work now (Whisper). By going into the Phone Settings -> Notifications -> WhatsApp. Seems that option in there would override the App Settings. However, when I get a call now, BOTH the original ringtone and the S9 (Orange) one is played ontop of each other.
While we are on WhatsApp, how can I remove the big notifications. Like, there's 2 types. The one at the top of the screen (I want this) and then it's the big popup in the middle of the screen (that has a reply field and some more options (I don't want this). I remember it was a hassle to get rid of on my S9 so thought I'd ask.
Bug or feature? When I'm inside a program and exit back to the Home screen, I've noticed the "locked" bottom row starts jumping, as if they want to swipe up. I'm using the Two-Layer mode. Not sure if it's a bug or a feature "showing" me there's stuff down there.
Last but not least, can I move the clock on the lockscreen? It's currently in the top left corner, I'd prefer to have it centered.
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!

I've replied in line to the questions I can answer.
How water resistant is the phone? All I know is that there is no classification yet. Even it isn't, how would you rate it? Go Swimming? Drop it in a pool of water? Walk with it in the rain? Or panic if one droplet gets anywhere close to the speakers?
Not very, there doesn't appear to be any waterproofing, check the sim card tray for example, no rubber seal.
Can I dual charge the phone? As in, if the Fan is connected, can I put one charger in the bottom Type-C port and one into the fan?
You could but the phone isn't going to charge twice as fast, I think it'll likely only charge from one port but shouldn't do any damage.
What happens if I put the charger in the Red sideport? Not that I would, just curious as I saw a warning saying not to.
People say it dies but I haven't tried it, it's not the same as a C port so you'd have to force it.
Similar to the dual charge, would a PC gaming headset work on the phone that uses 2 3.5mm pins? The sound pin would go into the fan and the mic pin would go into the bottom slot of the phone, or vice versa?
No, there's no mic in option afaik.
Bug or feature? When I'm inside a program and exit back to the Home screen, I've noticed the "locked" bottom row starts jumping, as if they want to swipe up. I'm using the Two-Layer mode. Not sure if it's a bug or a feature "showing" me there's stuff down there.
Probably a feature as I think I've seen that on some pixel launchers but I don't use the stock one personally.

1) There isn't;
2) You can only set Outdoor Mode on, but the volume will go up, no volume steps wil be added;
3) I think you should go for one with good comments, since you have the fingerscan under the display and a screen protection may void It;
4) the phone is not certified for water/dust resistance. So, just avoid contact with water. Tho, I don't think some raindrop will ruin it;
5) You cannot dual charge the phone;
6) The Red sideport is a Trademark Port made by Asus exclusively for their optional accessories. So, just leave It alone if you don't wanna be sorry;
7) No such phone will ever have the drivers made for Windows/MacOs which makes the headset to work on a personal computer;
8) You can have this setted on the Sound Settings;
9) You can have this setted on the Notification Settings;
10) that's a feature;
11) you must use third part apps for that.

Thank you so much, both of you.
The volume warning is a lot less of a pain than I initially thought. The one on the S9 is rather agressive so had some bad experiences. Can't say I notice any diff with Outdoor mode but I'll try more later, suppose it's fine.
Good point about the screen protection, I'll definately keep the fingerprint sensor in mind.
The waterproofing, or non-waterproofing rather is one of the Con's of the phone I suppose. Not that it's an issue but I'd rather not care at all as I could with my old phone. Thanks for clarifying though. My dad lost his old iPhone 6 to having his phone in the rain so I kinda know the limit then (as that also lacked any kind of cert).
No dual charging, makes sense. One takes prio.
Yeah, I'll not mess with the red port. @willhemmens, dies as in "throw the phone and buy a new one" or "phone shuts off but just restart and it's fine". (Like, battery is dead/dies). Just curious here really.
I see, that's too bad. Suppose I'd have to get one of those 2 becomes 1 3.5mm cable adapters.
@NajimKiSaad, that's just for the phone ringtone/sms though? This is for Whatsapp exclusively. It's as if a WhatsApp call triggers as a normal call as well as it's own settings, kinda.
Hm, where? Settings -> Apps & Notifications -> WhatsApp -> Notifications, it's set to - Behavior: Make Sound. Same in the App itself, Popup is not enabled anywhere.
"Bug or feature? When I'm inside a program and exit back to the Home screen, I've noticed the "locked" bottom row starts jumping, as if they want to swipe up. I'm using the Two-Layer mode. Not sure if it's a bug or a feature "showing" me there's stuff down there."
Well, that's good to know. How do I disable it? I just find it annyoing.
And for the clock widget on the Lockscreen, any recommendations? I like the style of the default one, just the position is kinda off.
Once again, thanks for all the answers!

Not related to your questions but have you felt that this phone just cuts off the internet connection to Whatsapp? I don't get notifications after a while and the Whatsapp Web says that my phone is not connected to internet even though there is internet. Whatsapp only starts working when I open this app. Then, I get all the messages. I have allowed unrestricted internet access to this app and turned off battery optimization for this app. Any ideas?

That's interesting, I haven't had it as you describe it no but since I got the phone, I've noticed the "last online" doesn't always show on my friend I have on WA. Could be that she has turned it off but it works sometimes.
Looking at the top bar on the phone, I added internet speed and it says 0 B/s quite often so my guess is that it only uses internet on demand, maybe it has something to do with that?
tinyimg.io/i/RQf50YL.jpg
Think I might have seen a post about it too, could be wrong though.

Tasker, Pixel 4, and setting ring profiles when docked, based on which dock I'm using

Hey guys,
Looking to up my game with automations on my phone and set ringer profiles. I have WiFi on all of the time anyway, so I'm setting ring profiles based on being at work, being at home, night, day, etc.
But I'm thinking of kind of next-leveling it, and wanted to see just where I would start, if I need add-ons for Tasker, stuff like that.
So I have only gotten around to making a 'night' routine for Tasker. IF I'm home and IF the time is in a certain range, it goes silent. That way, if I'm lucky enough to actually be out, the phone still makes sound, but not when I'm trying to sleep. The next level I would like to try is different profiles based on what I'm doing at home or at work, using NFC. More specifically, I have a wireless charging dock at my desk, and one at home. I work IT, so I spend about half of my day at the desk, and half working the office floor. The floor is a little louder than my office (OK, a LOT louder), so I would prefer a different ring volume for each.
So when docked (At the dock at work), I'd like my volume to be minimal. As soon as I take it off the dock (But still at work), I'd like it to be mid-range. Re-dock it, goes to the low volume again. Leave work, full volume.
Similar thing I'd like to try at home. Any time of night, if it's not docked (In the home dock), it's a relatively normal volume. Dock it, and the hours fit into the specified range, and it goes silent.
I'd also like to change the behavior of the screen based on these. At work, the clock is on, at home(When I'm trying to sleep), the clock is off and the screen is dark.
So I know to do this, I need NFC tags on each charger, I've looked up interference from the chargers, and it seems to be a mixed bag. I could play with where to place the tag exactly, that's not an issue, but if I'm going to automate, I'd love to do this as automated as possible, if you know what I mean. Rather than tap it on a tag, I'd love to just set it in the dock or pick it up to activate it. So that's it. Anyone have any suggestion on a brand of tag, a specific criteria I may need to look for (I don't know if these things have ratings or anything like that), and any extensions or companions I need for Tasker to do something like this? Any help, as always, will be greatly appreciated, and feel free to ask followup questions if I was unclear on anything.

I don't really see why you NFC. Assuming you know whether you're at work or home based on the WiFi, then you can know whether you are on a wireless charger based on a profile state of power -> power -> wireless.
As a completely unrelated idea, if your P4 is rooted, and the device spends a bit of time on a charger, you might look at Advanced Charging Controller (ACC) (XDA thread

ktmom said:
I don't really see why you NFC. Assuming you know whether you're at work or home based on the WiFi, then you can know whether you are on a wireless charger based on a profile state of power -> power -> wireless.
As a completely unrelated idea, if your P4 is rooted, and the device spends a bit of time on a charger, you might look at Advanced Charging Controller (ACC) (XDA thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Part of it is on the dock in the office vs. off the dock, walking around the office. Part of it is on the dock at home, vs. plugged into power, sitting next to the TV in the living room. Same with work. If I'm working in a conference room, I might just bring a charger and cable in there, but might still want the ringer loud. SO I'm kind of compartmentalizing both work and home, based on which area I'm in.
Part of it is also playing with Tasker, NFC tags, and all of those possibilities.
And unfortunately, a Verizon phone, so they've hosed me(As usual), and I don't think, even with it being a Pixel, that I can root it. :-

Since I think your question is, do I need any plugins to read NFC, the answer is no.

ktmom said:
I don't really see why you NFC. Assuming you know whether you're at work or home based on the WiFi, then you can know whether you are on a wireless charger based on a profile state of power -> power -> wireless.
As a completely unrelated idea, if your P4 is rooted, and the device spends a bit of time on a charger, you might look at Advanced Charging Controller (ACC) (XDA thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wait, I see the part now about wired vs. unwired power. Got it!
I'll try that, see how it works for me.

Thanks, your basic tips have helped me. I now have a work day profile, a weeknight profile, and a weekend profile(Morning noisy time is later on the weekend), all based on whether it is charging wirelessly or not and where I am.