Related
Here is what I have observed:
1.) If the phone is already paired with the Pioneer, and currently connected, AA uses that pairing/connection if you then connect the phone to the USB port.
2.) If you shut the car off, leave the phone plugged in, on restarting the car you get another pairing created, and the one pairing you had before is gone.
3.) If Bluetooth is not on, plugging the phone into the USB port will turn on the phone's bluetooth, and connect to the Pioneer, usually with a new pairing.
While I guess this can be seen as a convenience to automatically turn on Bluetooth and re-pair your phone when you connect to the USB port, it pales in significance to the inconvenience associated with re-pairing my phone and resetting it up as a trusted device when I choose not to use Android Auto on a short trip. Plus you have to make sure your phone is unlocked before plugging it in anyway (or nothing happens), so it's simple to see if Bluetooth is on at that point.
And while this may be due to bugs in Lollipop 5.0, I know that if my phone is paired with the Pioneer, and I do not plug it into the USB port, that pairing auto-connects via Bluetooth as a trusted device every time.
Wish I could explain it.
Solutions Etcetera said:
Here is what I have observed:
1.) If the phone is already paired with the Pioneer, and currently connected, AA uses that pairing/connection if you then connect the phone to the USB port.
2.) If you shut the car off, leave the phone plugged in, on restarting the car you get another pairing created, and the one pairing you had before is gone.
3.) If Bluetooth is not on, plugging the phone into the USB port will turn on the phone's bluetooth, and connect to the Pioneer, usually with a new pairing.
While I guess this can be seen as a convenience to automatically turn on Bluetooth and re-pair your phone when you connect to the USB port, it pales in significance to the inconvenience associated with re-pairing my phone and resetting it up as a trusted device when I choose not to use Android Auto on a short trip. Plus you have to make sure your phone is unlocked before plugging it in anyway (or nothing happens), so it's simple to see if Bluetooth is on at that point.
And while this may be due to bugs in Lollipop 5.0, I know that if my phone is paired with the Pioneer, and I do not plug it into the USB port, that pairing auto-connects via Bluetooth as a trusted device every time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a similar experience when I was using Android Auto. I tried it once to see what it was like, and thought it was nice but noticed that it took over my device anytime I plugged it in to USB, which I thought was excessive. But since Pandora has not released a compatible version of their program, I stopped using it. I had to remove the Android Auto application off my phone to get it back to just a normal trusted device. Peace.
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
Background
- Couple of years ago Google have launched Android Auto, but up till recently the only way to connect your device to the car/head unit was to plug in a USB cable. As of 2018 this starts to change, BUT it looks like you will need to get new hardware for this and older cars/head units won't be upgraded to support this, neither phones with older OS.
Concept
- Since many of us will like to have this wire free but not ready / willing or have the possibility to upgrade the units/cars/phones I have thought of a way to achieve this, by using a small auxiliary device, like for example a very cheap and basic Android TV stick, which can be plugged in/mounted in the car and which can fulfil the roll of a Wifi antenna for your car.
This app should allow you to transform any android powered device into a Wifi receiver for your Android Auto compatible Car/Headunit. Please do not confuse Android Auto, with Android powered headunit (usually Chinese, like MTCB, MTCD, Joying, etc).
AAGateWay Documentation.
Beta released (04.01.2020)
What is it?
AAGateWay is a an app which should allow you to use an auxiliary (slave) device to connect your existing Android Auto compatible car to your phone (master) using a hotspot created on your phone.
How to use it?
SLAVE SETUP
1) Install the app using XDA Labs (Only on SLAVE) : https://www.b3itlabs.com/prod.php?id=3
2) Configure
FOR BOTH ROOTED AND NOT-ROOTED SLAVES
CASE 1: Master is running Pie or higher
Pair Master and Slave over BT (do this from the normal BT settings)
Open app
If slave is ROOTED and ONLY if you are using a TV STICK convert the app to system app. (if app not visible after conversion, reboot device)
Enable the start tethering option (If asked make sure you manually configure the hotspot, to have the name HUR and the password AndroidAutoConnect)
Select the masters phone BT MAC
Exit
CASE 2: Master is running Android 8 or lower
Create a Wifi hotspot from the master
Connect slave to it
Reopen AAGateWay and select the masters hotspot from the "Phone Wifi SSID" list
Slave is ROOTED - This will give a much bigger compatibility with cars, it should work with any car/unit (but depends a lot on the slave used, read below)
Slave is NOT ROOTED - This mode won't work on all cars and it has caveats.
MASTER SETUP
CASE 1: Master is running Pie or higher
Install WiFi Launcher for HUR (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.borconi.emil.wifilauncherforhur)
Make sure WiFi Launcher is version 2.1 or higher!!!
Open WiFi Launcher
FOR Android 10, set permission location to ALWAYS!!!!!!
Select slaves BT from the BT list and exit
DO NOT ENABLE ANY OF THE OTHER OPTIONS!!!!
If you do not want to use WiFi Launcher you can use the following Tasker task to launch AA on any condition you want: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UO-Z5P0oQpHEdrQjYqvSM48L1TI-K5g8/view?usp=sharing
CASE 2: Master is running Android 8 or lower
Open Android Auto, go to Settings, scroll down tap the version 10 times, then from the 3 dotted top right corner select start headunti server.
Exit Android Auto
Leave the Headunit Server running
When you get into the car turn on the hotspot on the master (or use Tasker, automate or anything else do that for you)
CONNECTING
Go to the car, plug in the slave to the car's USB and start the car
Slave is ROOTED
Nothing should happen, car should NOT detect the phone (SLAVE) at this stage. If the car does detect the slave being connected, it means your slave doesn't allow a proper USB toggle, in which case you should try enabling non-root mode.
Master is Pie and above
If you selected to tether from the slave, at this point you should see the slave turning on the hotspot, otherwise you might see the slave trying to connect to a Wifi network.
Slave will notify master
Master will automatically start WiFi Launcher
Master will connect to slaves hotspot
Master will start AA on the phone and notifies slave
Slave will enable USB
If you are using a phone as slave you will get a prompt if you want to use AAGW as the default app for this action, make sure you select ALWAYS ans yes. (TV stick should work automatically)
Projection should start
Slave is NOT-ROOTED (or running in non-root mode)
You will get a prompt to use AAGateWay for this action, make sure you select always.
Car should display a splah-screen saying waiting for master. (on some car's screen you might see a scrambled image)
After splash-screen is displayed, the slave will start tethering, or will try to connect to the masters hotspot depending on the setting.
Once a network connection is established between the 2 devices, you will see the AA icon turning on on the master and Android Auto should be displayed on the car's screen. It is possible that the screen will stay /turn black, if that happens, you can try to press the home button on the infotainment system, then re-open Android Auto on it.
Troubleshoot and getting help
As the thread has so much information it will be really nice if we can try to stick to one format of troubleshooting, by using one of this 2 templates:
Master is running Pie or above and slave is tethering:
Running in root mode: (Yes/No)
If running in non-root mode, is the splashscreen visible on the car: (Yes/No)
If running in non-root mode, did you set the masters BT inside AAGW app?: (Yes/No)
Did the slave actually turned on the hotspot on the slave: (Yes/No)
On the master did you select the slaves BT in the Wifi Launcher app?: (Yes/No)
When the master connected to the car's BT did the Wifi launcher app started up?: (Yes/No)
Did the master connected to the slaves hotspot?: (Yes/No)
Did the AA icon appeared on the master at all (in the notification bar)?: (Yes/No)
Master is running Oreo or below and master is tethering:
Running in root mode: (Yes/No)
If running in non-root mode, is the splashscreen visible on the car: (Yes/No)
If running in non-root mode, did you set the masters BT inside AAGW app?: (Yes/No)
Did you select the masters hotspot name in AAGW?: (Yes/No)
Have you started the Headunit server on the master?: (Yes/No)
On the master did you select the cars BT in the Wifi Launcher app?: (Yes/No)
When the master connected to the car's BT did the Wifi launcher app started up (notification bar)?: (Yes/No)
Did the master turned on the hotspot?: (Yes/No)
Did the slave connected to the masters hotspot?: (Yes/No)
Getting rid of all automation and manually starting it all (regardless of Android version on master and slave):
Uninstall AAGW on the master
Start the headunit server from within Android Auto on the master
Create a hotspot on the master
Open AAGW on the slave and make sure it's not set to tether
in AAGW make sure you select the masters hotspot
If AAGW is set to non-root mode make sure you select the masters BT (just press the button AAGW will do a BT scan of nearby devices and you can pick it from the list)
Go to the car and plug the slave in
Start the car
If slave is running in ROOT mode, slave will first try to connect to the masters Wifi and you will see a notification on the master that AA is running, only then the car should recognise a plugged in device.
If the slave is running in non-root mode, first you will see a splash screen on the car, then you will see slave connects to masters Wifi (if not already connected), then you will see AA starting on the master.
How do I collect a bug report / logcat
Open Settings > About phone.
Scroll down to the Build number.
Tap the Build number 7 times in quick succession until "You're now a developer" appears.
Return to the Settings menu and select Developer options.
At the top of the screen, make sure 'Developer options' is set to On (green).
Scroll down to Debugging and enable both USB debugging and Bug Report Shortcut on (green).
Tab on Logger buffer sizes: Default setting is 256K. Select 16M to help capture more information for debugging. Of note, it can affect the apps performance especially with lower spec phone, so change it back after you have finished submitting bug reports.
On slave make sure you enable debugging inside AAGW, on master open Android Auto go to developer settings and make sure force logging is enabled.
Reproduce the problem
Hold the Power button down until the menu appears.
Select Take bug report. and wait for the device to capture the bug report.
Tap the 'Bug report captured' notification when it appears.
Send the bug report by email to [email protected]
Know problems, workaround:
- Latency & lag. This will be really down to the devices you are using. I have tested it with a MK808B Plus, it work’s ok most of the time but occasionally you will get the odd lag. I’ve also tested it with a Nexus 7 tablet, and there was no lag at all, so device does matter, as well as probably ROM.
- I get random disconnection. There can be 2 causes for this, one the USB connection fails between the car and the auxiliary device, or the Wifi fails between the phone and the auxiliary device. In my tests I saw a few Wifi disconnections without any reason on the MK808, but non on the Nexus. Changing the tethering option from WPA2 to Open did help with this.
- App is closed without error or reason. The app runs in a background process, with a minimal interaction with the foreground, some devices/OS will kill background apps. I saw this happening on Nokia and I saw this happening on OnePlus as well. Try disabling battery optimisation for AAGateWay, that might help.
- I just cannot get it to work… Try using a phone, that will at least give you some visual guidance. Make sure that your device connects to the phone Wifi hotspot, make sure that AA Headunit server is running on the phone (try to force stop Goolge Play Services, stop and restart the headunit server)… All fails contact me
- Nothing happens on the master, using Wifi Launcher for HUR app. In this case, try to manually start the headunit server on the master, and manually turn on a hotspot, then reconfigure you're slave to connect to the masters hotspot (even if the master is running Pie or higher).
Device compatibility:
Master:
Any phone which normally works with Android Auto
Slave with ROOT:
- Tested and know to work: - MK809V, Nexus 7 (depending on rom), Sony X Compact (depending on rom)
-Tested and not working as expected: Pixel 2, MK808B
- While root is necessary, not all phones can toggle USB port on and off by software. And there can be other problems, for example on some devices when you turn off the USB the phone loses the ability to detect the power connection as well, which is use as trigger to start the whole process. It is almost impossible to predict if a phone will be a good slave candidate or not.
Other things
- Xiaomi phones (MIUI makes a mess), try not to use it for Slave
- Generally older phones (pre oreo) are more likely to work fine as a slave device.
Any suggested slave?
- Yes, use an MK809V TV stick, as the experience with it, is pretty slick and it should work out of the box. If you get a MK809IV try to get the one with Android 5.1.1 as the one with Android 7.1 has problems with the tethering.
FAQ.
Q: Can I use this with any car and phone combination?
A: Assuming your car is already Android Auto compatible, then YES.
Q: Can I also automate the start of the Headunit server?
A: Only with a rooted phone, using the following shell command: am startservice -W com.google.android.projection.gearhead/com.google.android.projection.gearhead.companion.DeveloperHeadUnitNetworkService
Q: Can I use Wifi-Direct to connect instead of WIfi?
A: No.
Q: Does the traffic come out from my monthly data allowance?
A: NO, traffic between auxiliary device and phone hotspot does NOT count as internet traffic, HOWEVER if you do have other apps on the auxiliary device which download updates, etc in the background that WILL be counted as internet traffic. So I suggest double check the apps on the aux device and disable all those which aren’t needed.
Q: Will the car/head unit provide enough power?
A: It should provide at least 500mA that’s the standard USB current, while I cannot guarantee that will be enough in all cases, it should do, assuming you do turn off all unneeded services on the TV stick.
Q. What about start up time?
A. It will depend a lot on the device you are using. A low-entry TV stick boot time is about 1 minute, which can be a bit too much for an initial car setup. As mentioned earlier, these devices usually have 2 USB ports, you can for example connect the power USB port to a continues power supply in the car, in which case the boot time will be non-existent since the device is always running. If you are using a phone, the phone battery will probably hold the charge just fine for a couple of days, if you disable all apps on it and you set up a profile to go into aeroplane mode when it’s not charging. Tasker or Automate are your friends for that. If you cannot connect the TV stick to a continues power source, you might consider using a small portable power pack which powers the tv stick (should hold power for a few days) and the power pack can be charged while the car is running.
Q. Can I decrease boot time for TV Sticks/Phones by removing all unrelated software.
A. Yes, actually quite a lot. Once you have your configuration ready and everything is working as expected, you can uninstall/disable all packages beside this ones:
package:android
package:com.android.apkinstaller
package:com.android.providers.settings
package:com.android.packageinstaller
package:com.notriddle.null_launcer (or any other launcher, but NULL launcher has no memory consumption, no app drawer no nothing, perfect for headless - see: https://github.com/notriddle/null-launcher )
package:com.android.inputmethod.latin
package:com.android.settings
package:uk.co.borconi.emil.aagateway
package:com.android.shell
package:com.android.systemui
Easy way to list / disable all apps will be using a computer and following commands
Code:
adb shell pm list packages
This will list all installed packages
Code:
adb shell pm disable xxxx
where you replace xxxx with the package name (Ex: com.android.shell )
Q. Will using Wifi 5Ghz give me better performance?
A. Well if both of your devices support it, SURE!
Q. Is the source code available?
A. Sort-of, please see: https://github.com/borconi/AAGateWay this is only for the sketch, however new version does contain code which lift restrictions on 3rd party apps in Android Auto. To prevent the abuse of this by some, further code won't be updated to GitHub, however if you want to build your own version, please do contact me for details.
Guarantee or Warranty
- Due to the fact that there are so many possibilities and combinations of cars, head units, slave and master devices, there is no way for me to test all of them, however if you did purchase the software and you are not able to get it to work for any reason, please email me on [email protected] and I'm more then happy to refund the purchase.
Teaser:
VERY interested in the progress on this, Emil. For one, this would allow me to charge my Samsung using the Quick Charge adapter in my cigarette lighter, rather than relying on the anemic power output of my truck's USB port. Or if I want to get fancy, I could install a wireless charger and use that.
Thanks for all of your hard work.
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Hi Emil,
What about original headunits that have integrated Wifi, but do not have Wireless Android Auto enabled? Is this something that you could enable to work as well?
Another great idea.
Definitely interested..
thanks.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I thought of you instantly when I saw this thread on Reddit, but didn't imagine that you were the creator.
Congratulations and thanks again!
Jackos said:
Hi Emil,
What about original headunits that have integrated Wifi, but do not have Wireless Android Auto enabled? Is this something that you could enable to work as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly no, that will require altering the firmware on the car and each unit is different. It is possible that those unit might get an official update for Wifi support, but although I'm not 100% certain, I think it will only work with 5Ghz Wifi network, so if you're unit is 2.4Ghz only probably it won't get the update.
If I will ever have times (something which I never have ) I might look into adding this to some units out there, but that is so far down the line, that realistically speaking probably will never happen.
Very interesting idea. I have a couple of these android sticks here and maybe even a modern mediabox that might offfer a bit more performance. I guess you want to power it from the USB socket from the car. Not sure how much current you can draw from these ports.
What is the pc below the radio doing?
This is awesome news! looking forward to progress!
lukesan said:
Very interesting idea. I have a couple of these android sticks here and maybe even a modern mediabox that might offfer a bit more performance. I guess you want to power it from the USB socket from the car. Not sure how much current you can draw from these ports.
What is the pc below the radio doing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Performance is not really needed the slowest device should work just fine. You can theoretically disable all processes and apps, so even a device with 512Mb ram will do.
Indeed I'm taking power directly from the headunit/car in the demo I use an MK808B powered directly from the Sony XAV-100 which only provides like 500mA, so should do (especially if you kill all apps which can use CPU and turn of everything but Wifi on the stick).
The PC is the power source , to lazy to make a separate power switch so I powered the Sony from my PSU directly
Emil Borconi said:
Performance is not really needed the slowest device should work just fine. You can theoretically disable all processes and apps, so even a device with 512Mb ram will do.
Indeed I'm taking power directly from the headunit/car in the demo I use an MK808B powered directly from the Sony XAV-100 which only provides like 500mA, so should do (especially if you kill all apps which can use CPU and turn of everything but Wifi on the stick).
The PC is the power source , to lazy to make a separate power switch so I powered the Sony from my PSU directly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, got the Mk802, 808 etc etc so I might finally have a good destination for those. Lazy and working is a combo that also works. :good:
Wondering if there is like a beta test thing, or is it complex to get it up and running? I'm pretty sure a lot of people are seriously interested in this. It would offer the freedom of charging your phone the proper way.
lukesan said:
Ok, got the Mk802, 808 etc etc so I might finally have a good destination for those. Lazy and working is a combo that also works. :good:
Wondering if there is like a beta test thing, or is it complex to get it up and running? I'm pretty sure a lot of people are seriously interested in this. It would offer the freedom of charging your phone the proper way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that far away, the only problem this will be braking my fix for obd2aa, so I need to make the 2 things compatible. I also need to do find a way to set the defaults without plugging into the car, you won't really be able to plug in a HDMI screen when you plug it in the car.
I've started fully rewriting my HUR app moving all the code from C to Java, once that is done and I fix other issues with obd2aa I will be pushing this forward
Ideally I will like to have a release available before I go on holiday on the 17th of July but not sure I will manage to do it all by that time.
Emil Borconi said:
Not that far away, the only problem this will be braking my fix for obd2aa, so I need to make the 2 things compatible. I also need to do find a way to set the defaults without plugging into the car, you won't really be able to plug in a HDMI screen when you plug it in the car.
I've started fully rewriting my HUR app moving all the code from C to Java, once that is done and I fix other issues with obd2aa I will be pushing this forward
Ideally I will like to have a release available before I go on holiday on the 17th of July but not sure I will manage to do it all by that time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, sounds like a bit of an issue that you can't really test since we'll have no screen. Well maybe a sort of a config txt file. Most of us will have to clear the thing on a tv screen or monitor anyway because a lot of crap is installed on these devices. I guess it makes sense to have something that can show if the stick is getting data from the phone. There is always a way.
Emil Borconi said:
Not that far away, the only problem this will be braking my fix for obd2aa, so I need to make the 2 things compatible...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No offense to obd2aa, I use it daily, but I'd be interested in this even without it
Where is the APK to give it a try ?
Emil Borconi said:
Currently only a placeholder for those interested in the project while working on development.
Background
- Couple of years ago Google have launched Android Auto, but up till recently the only way to connect your device to the car/head unit was to plug in a USB cable. As of 2018 this starts to change, BUT it looks like you will need to get new hardware for this and older cars/head units won't be upgraded to support this, neither phones with older OS.
Concept
- Since many of us will like to have this wire free but not ready / willing or have the possibility to upgrade the units/cars/phones I have thought of a way to achieve this, by using a small auxiliary device, like for example a very cheap and basic Android TV stick, which can be plugged in/mounted in the car and which can fulfil the roll of a Wifi antenna for your car.
This app should allow you to transform any android powered device into a Wifi receiver for your Android Auto compatible Car/Headunit. Please do not confuse Android Auto, with Android powered headunit (usually Chinese, like MTCB, MTCD, Joying, etc).
If you are interested in this project please simply subscribe to this thread and follow the updates.
Teaser:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm interested, I have a Tahoe with AA and an Android stick. Your project sounds great, can't wait!!
You should have it by the 17th of July, I'm just in the middle of rewriting another app, once I completed that I will focus on this one. I'm going away on a holiday on the 17th of July so I'm really pushing to have it out there by then.
Having the same XAV-AX100, and I was pissed off when I heard that in order to use wireless android auto it needs to be replaced.
Great idea, can`t wait to test it.
Do you think it can works also with windows stick.? Or only android?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
jeromeo01 said:
Do you think it can works also with windows stick.? Or only android?
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of a windows stick... Any link/reference? In theory it can work with almost anything but since Android Auto need Open Accessory, Android device will be the preferred option, having all the classes already available.
Emil Borconi said:
Never heard of a windows stick... Any link/reference? In theory it can work with almost anything but since Android Auto need Open Accessory, Android device will be the preferred option, having all the classes already available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its exactly the same.
Mini PC stick, but using windows 10 as OS.
Just a little bit more expensive. But I already have one to try. [emoji6]
https://www.windowscentral.com/best-stick-pcs
Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
Just got my Moto X4 and it won't connect to my car stereo via USB like it should. Bluetooth works just fine for the most part (it does blank out for a few seconds every once in a while), but I want to connect to AppRadio on my car stereo for better sound and functionality.
I have a Pioneer AVH X3800BHS stereo in my car that has an AppRadio mode that I'm trying to connect to through USB, but the phone has to be in MTP mode. I'm able to click USB settings and see the option for MTP, press that and the phone automatically talks to the car stereo for a second and launches the AppRadio app but then immediately reverts back to charging only mode.
Is there any way to force the phone to stay in MTP mode, or does anyone have any thoughts on what's wrong? I have seen that a lot of people have had issues connecting to Android Auto, so I wonder if the same issue is causing this.
Stuff I've tried:
different USB cables
USB debugging on/off (restarted phone after changing)
Uninstall/re-install AppRadio app
in developer settings- changing Select USB Configuration setting to MTP, PTP, RNDIS, Audio Source (i've tried all the options just to see if would work.. it didn't)
swearing at the phone
turning Bluetooth off
resetting car stereo
turning off fingerprint login
activating car stereo as trusted device
Btw, the phone connects to my PC just fine and stays in MTP mode.
I can't think of anything else to try unless there's a way to force the phone into MTP and somehow make it stay there!
Is this just not going to work until possibly the Pi update? I've thought about rooting and trying another ROM but would prefer to keep the phone stock at least for a while.
Hi everyone and sorry if my first post has been covered before, but I couldn't find a post that exactly replicated mine.
I have a Kenwood Head unit, model number DMX8020DABS which is Android Auto compatible. My phone is a Samsung A20e running Android 10.
I cannot for the life of me connect my phone to the head unit either by usb cable or wirelessly.
I have had a friends phone iphone connected to the carplay on the unit and also a Samsung Galaxy S10 also, both connected wirelessly as soon as the bluetooth connection was made. This leads me to think my phone is not compatible. I have read about various compatible phones connecting wirelessly and can't see mine in a list anywhere, but I have also read any Android phone with Android 10 should be able to connect via usb cable.
I obviously have the Android Auto app built in to the Android 10 software, one question is do I need to download the Android Auto for phone screens app also?
When I plug my phone into the usb connection to the head unit the phone acknowledges it and the Android Auto app comes up and says follow instructions on car screen, but when you press Android Auto on the kenwood unit the wheel just keeps spinning and it says 'processing' and nothing happens. I have tried resetting the unit, uninstalling/re-installing the AA app, restarting the phone, everything.
Am I missing some settings, not set properly? One thing I noticed in the phone, when you connect the phone and pull down the drop down menu on the phone if you tap on the usb connection settings a screen comes up usb controlled by connected device or this phone, it is set to this phone, and one of the options is Transferring files / Android Auto with a button next to it, when I try to activate that button it won't check it just goes off, even though this is preset in the settings>developer options>networking>default usb configuration where the button is checked.
I have been trying for days to get this to connect. As an aside, my bluetooth connection is fine the unit can make calls and play spotify from my phone, it's just Android Auto that's not working.
Do I need a to get a new phone? Any ideas or advice would be welcomed. Thanks for reading.