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!

Use car headunit without android auto

I'm thinking it may be possible to make an app that mirrors what is shown on the phone screen to the car headunit by emulating the Android Auto communication protocol. Touches on the headunit screen could be transmitted back to the phone for interaction with the apps. Most of what Android Auto does is screen display over USB and some touchscreen interaction with the user so it may not be hard to get some of the features.
Does this already exist? If not, do we know if anyone is working on this?

Yes, this is possible.
I am not aware of anyone planning to do this. Google would surely ban an app on Play that does this, as they did with my AA Headunit app. So, along with IMO little demand for this, there is little financial incentive to do this.
I've considered doing this myself, but I'm concentrating on my Headunit app at this time.
Most people with Android Auto compatible HUs will IMO want to use AA (or Apple Carplay if iPhone), rather than mirroring over AA protocol. If they want true mirroring, there are open protocols for this.
(One exception might be for cars with factory AA compatible HUs, if those HUs do not support mirroring.)
I think devs may be more friendly to using open mirroring protocols, rather than using a secret, undocumented protocol that will get the apps booted from Google Play.

mikereidis said:
(One exception might be for cars with factory AA compatible HUs, if those HUs do not support mirroring.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is specifically what I'm thinking about. Maybe I want to look up yelp reviews, watch a youtube video, or browse the web on my car headunit while parked when the headunit does not specifically support streaming other than android auto. There is some added value to having a car with an android auto capable headunit if there is a way to do things not supported by google/the car manufacturers.
If the protocol is simple enough, this may be possible with a rooted device. Since it sounds like android auto is pretty much video/audio streaming over USB, this may not be hard to do.
How a developer can get money doing this is another question. This certainly would be something you could not sell in the play store. I'd certainly donate for a good app but I know that is a difficult way to make money unless you have a large audience.

communication between Auto and phone
Is anyone still working this?
I am interested in knowing how the communications between Android Auto and phone is? Communications seems complete gibberish. Are they using any particular Android protocol for communication?

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

Headunit just to display android Auto

Hi to all,
I use Android Auto on my phone everyday. I have an old car and I would like to have a head unit that support Android auto so I only have to connect my phone, but besides the comercial ones from Pioneers and the such, the Android units like Xtron, Ownice,etc has the capability?
I have read a lot, but there is no definite answer.
Thanks in advance

ezmendriz said:
Hi to all,
I use Android Auto on my phone everyday. I have an old car and I would like to have a head unit that support Android auto so I only have to connect my phone, but besides the comercial ones from Pioneers and the such, the Android units like Xtron, Ownice,etc has the capability?
I have read a lot, but there is no definite answer.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can DIY with this https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...elease-openauto-source-androidautotm-t3748563

Yes I can, but I am not the only one using the car. I want to maintain the radio functionality and integration. That is why I prefer to replace the headunit for something better that supports androidauto when I use the car.

ezmendriz said:
Yes I can, but I am not the only one using the car. I want to maintain the radio functionality and integration. That is why I prefer to replace the headunit for something better that supports androidauto when I use the car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The MTCD headunits can run the Headunit Reloaded app which enables Android Auto..

leonkernan said:
The MTCD headunits can run the Headunit Reloaded app which enables Android Auto..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you already have a pure android HU, what is the point of android auto? AA only makes sense on OEM or non-android-based HUs. It's very limited, unless you hack it to run AAmirror.

Hisma said:
if you already have a pure android HU, what is the point of android auto? AA only makes sense on OEM or non-android-based HUs. It's very limited, unless you hack it to run AAmirror.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is easier just to enter the car and connect a cable to obtain the integration over the same unit and configuration like calendar, contact and messages. AndroidAuto give me all that I need in a day to day.
Evidently, these units need internet in order to give must of its features, the options are to give internet to the unit somehow with the same phone with the hotspot or cable. Obviously the easier is to it have its own sim card, but that will means another line that will be underused.

Question The good old Android Auto Vivo Problem

Hey Guys,
i searched the Web for a possibility to get AA running on my X70 Pro+ with Origin OS Ocean....
Unfortunately there are only Posts and Threads about the X60 and other Vivo Phones and so on .
The issue seems to be the same.
Has anyone found a workaround to get AA running on Origin OS....?
I was hoping for Android 12 to get the Phone going, but no Idea what time we will get Android 12 and if Vivo sets permissions for AA then.
Cheers and greetings from Germany

Hi,
Right now, there is unfortunately no way to get Android Auto working. After Android 10 Android Auto only trigger car installation of it is a system application. Since there is not the case with Vivo and you couldn't mount AA as a system, you are out of options to make it work.
There is a slight, but really a slight option that it might work with the new Coolwalk version which will be available later this year.
Otherwise, the head unit direct version is also in preparation.
If you want the working AA now, the only realistic option is to buy an Android CarPlay dongle, or using a spare phone with older Android version as a buffer triggered from your phone hotspot (or with a separate sim card).

piskr said:
Hi,
Right now, there is unfortunately no way to get Android Auto working. After Android 10 Android Auto only trigger car installation of it is a system application. Since there is not the case with Vivo and you couldn't mount AA as a system, you are out of options to make it work.
There is a slight, but really a slight option that it might work with the new Coolwalk version which will be available later this year.
Otherwise, the head unit direct version is also in preparation.
If you want the working AA now, the only realistic option is to buy an Android CarPlay dongle, or using a spare phone with older Android version as a buffer triggered from your phone hotspot (or with a separate sim card).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for the detailed explanation

Im looking for an EZ solution too
But from my knowledge the only work around right now is root the phone and make AA an system app
which is not EZ for vivo since it does not allow to unlock bootloader

There is simply no chance to run AA with x70 pro+ now. The only viable solution are android dongles running on past Android versions and triggering car AA. Or even better - if you have or can buy cheap an Android 8, 9 or 10 phone with full gps and at least 4g ram (could be with broken screen or scratches), you can use it as an interface.

The only way to have android auto to work on your vehicle is to have the one with Funtouch OS (which I have), other than that, you will waste your time in trying to find a way to make it work..

piskr said:
Hi,
Right now, there is unfortunately no way to get Android Auto working. After Android 10 Android Auto only trigger car installation of it is a system application. Since there is not the case with Vivo and you couldn't mount AA as a system, you are out of options to make it work.
There is a slight, but really a slight option that it might work with the new Coolwalk version which will be available later this year.
Otherwise, the head unit direct version is also in preparation.
If you want the working AA now, the only realistic option is to buy an Android CarPlay dongle, or using a spare phone with older Android version as a buffer triggered from your phone hotspot (or with a separate sim card).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will a dongle fix the connection issue?

piskr said:
Hi,
Right now, there is unfortunately no way to get Android Auto working. After Android 10 Android Auto only trigger car installation of it is a system application. Since there is not the case with Vivo and you couldn't mount AA as a system, you are out of options to make it work.
There is a slight, but really a slight option that it might work with the new Coolwalk version which will be available later this year.
Otherwise, the head unit direct version is also in preparation.
If you want the working AA now, the only realistic option is to buy an Android CarPlay dongle, or using a spare phone with older Android version as a buffer triggered from your phone hotspot (or with a separate sim card).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My head unit is after market and supports wireless. I know that my x fold won't hook up. Are you saying if I get carplay dongle I can hook my vivo wifi to it and it will work?

Sonicsoul25 said:
My head unit is after market and supports wireless. I know that my x fold won't hook up. Are you saying if I get carplay dongle I can hook my vivo wifi to it and it will work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The head unit has to support Android Auto. Then you can choose from a variety of dongles. Even though they have more or less the same chip, they are different. Each producer tries to squeeze the most from the device, and they have a different approach.
Basically, you must avoid those, which don't clearly stated that some version of Android is installed. Without Android you gain nothing, it's only wireless connection - for IOS.
Most of them have Android 9 or 10, though in the last time 11 appears as well. That is really interesting, because with Android 11 you must have AA as a system app in order to trigger it on a head unit. It looks like producers now solve that issue.
And surprisingly, the core you get on the head unit, if everything goes ok, is not Android, it's IOS. In that core you have android apps including Google Play.
Since, as I said, every unit has a unique configuration, it's not possible to recommend any. The device that I bought is not in the market anymore, for example.
The very piece that you buy must play well with your car head unit and everything what is behind. And behind is a lot, managing systems for settings, audio and other customization.
You must be aware, when you connect AA dongle, it cuts every other setting related to its management out.
Therefore, the biggest issue might be that you'll lose calling via Bluetooth functionality. Because callings (and old style sms) goes different way than other features. My dongle does support calling but in limited way, without Assistant support and with custom made phone app, where the contact selection is rather difficult. And the next flaw is that it doesn't get along with my car audio system, therefore woofers are not engaged. The dongle doesn't have an equalizer, and I can't remedy it.
There is noticeable lag when starting apps and with commands, but otherwise there is no lag when running. Music, video and Gmaps function without glitches. Yes, you have YouTube, Netflix and any other video app you might be subscribed to. And video runs well with a decent resolution. You can load apps from store or as a sideload. And you can play local files, stored either in the dongle memory or on USB.
That's my experience, others may have different. You don't have necessary to buy a dongle, you can use an old phone with Android from 8 to 10 as a driver. Because, as you may already guess, your actual phone serves only as a hot spot (wireless and if you're lucky bluetooth too - tethering) to provide a signal for AA dongle.
If you want to buy a dedicated device, select one which has reviews from the users with as much as possible similar circumstances and priorities as you have.

piskr said:
The head unit has to support Android Auto. Then you can choose from a variety of dongles. Even though they have more or less the same chip, they are different. Each producer tries to squeeze the most from the device, and they have a different approach.
Basically, you must avoid those, which don't clearly stated that some version of Android is installed. Without Android you gain nothing, it's only wireless connection - for IOS.
Most of them have Android 9 or 10, though in the last time 11 appears as well. That is really interesting, because with Android 11 you must have AA as a system app in order to trigger it on a head unit. It looks like producers now solve that issue.
And surprisingly, the core you get on the head unit, if everything goes ok, is not Android, it's IOS. In that core you have android apps including Google Play.
Since, as I said, every unit has a unique configuration, it's not possible to recommend any. The device that I bought is not in the market anymore, for example.
The very piece that you buy must play well with your car head unit and everything what is behind. And behind is a lot, managing systems for settings, audio and other customization.
You must be aware, when you connect AA dongle, it cuts every other setting related to its management out.
Therefore, the biggest issue might be that you'll lose calling via Bluetooth functionality. Because callings (and old style sms) goes different way than other features. My dongle does support calling but in limited way, without Assistant support and with custom made phone app, where the contact selection is rather difficult. And the next flaw is that it doesn't get along with my car audio system, therefore woofers are not engaged. The dongle doesn't have an equalizer, and I can't remedy it.
There is noticeable lag when starting apps and with commands, but otherwise there is no lag when running. Music, video and Gmaps function without glitches. Yes, you have YouTube, Netflix and any other video app you might be subscribed to. And video runs well with a decent resolution. You can load apps from store or as a sideload. And you can play local files, stored either in the dongle memory or on USB.
That's my experience, others may have different. You don't have necessary to buy a dongle, you can use an old phone with Android from 8 to 10 as a driver. Because, as you may already guess, your actual phone serves only as a hot spot (wireless and if you're lucky bluetooth too - tethering) to provide a signal for AA dongle.
If you want to buy a dedicated device, select one which has reviews from the users with as much as possible similar circumstances and priorities as you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the wealth of information. I Think I will just use my spare phone to run it. Until another solution arises.