Intro:
For many years I used to use 1 DIN headunit connected via BT with my android phone. Phone was nicely mounted in bracket hard fixed to the dashboard.
So, I was getting into the car, putting phone into the bracket, starting the car and phone was connecting BT with headunit automatically. Could do phone calls, playing music etc. in 10 secs. Done, finished. No extra configuration, setting up, pressing buttons...
If I needed to use Google Maps, I had to use the phone screen, but it was ok with me, just two clicks.
But... I've upgraded my car and I have to redo my car-audio-phone connectivity
And now..
I'm browsing the market of 2din android based headunits (HU) for a couple years now. They are getting better and better, having more and functions (too many?) etc. Are they not to complicated in daily using? I seen many YT videos where people showing many options of their HUs, but there is completely nothing about daily using.
I'm thinking to purchase one of the latest Joying 2DIN HU and connect it to my android phone via BT, but "The more I know, the more I know I don't know"
That should cover my phone calls and music needs, however I have some doubts I cannot find answers to:
1. Does HU will connect to my phone every time by itself (BT) once paired?
2. How do you Guys, use Google Maps? Screen-mirror (via wifi using phone's "external display" option) or preinstalled in HU Google Maps app?
If phone's mirror, can it be turn on by itself automatically to see my phone app on HU screen without getting into phone's settings?
If preinstalled app, how HU can connects to my Google account? Does it mean I need to buy extra SIM card? Or it can use my phone's data, if so, does it mean I have to go into phone's settings and create a hotspot?
3. DVR, again, does it can be turned on once HU is up by itself, or do I have to turn it on by myself? I hope it has the time loop feature like proper DVR cams do?
4. Parking camera, does it turn the camera on (and screen) once I put R gear on?
Does the latest headunits can be driver friendly or it's still to early and I expect too much?
Thank you for all your answers.:good:
I can speak for Joying (see footer):
1. Yes, it does. It does not show contact names (only numbers) right after start, but they appear after 1st call
2. I can not see any reason using screen mirror (or Android auto) on HU with Android 6+ - PlayMarket apps are almost all yours on HU. My Google account is accessible via WiFi hot spot (USB dongle (auto) or Phone - you have to start hotspot on it), I can pay for apps from HU.
3. Joying DVR does start automatically. It has some issues making additional files until GPS locks, but anyway "ends" still can be put together. One drawback - J.DVR only uses 20Gb on max allowed 32Gb card - too bad.
4. Reversing camera works properly if connected properly, everything is on screen when R gear is on, including dynamic parking lines.
And you certainly should read this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74092359&postcount=3
But, still it's chinese, be prepared
Related
I’ve been going around in circles trying to choose the correct Android head unit. It either has this but doesn't have that or does this but doesn't do that. For the past few years, I’ve had a Parrot Asteroid. I love it’s bluetooth, hands-free and ipod capabilities. It also got me interested in having the full Android os in my car (Parrot doesn't provide this).
So, I decided to make a list of exactly what I'm looking for, and enlist the advice of those who have hands-on experience with various Android head units to find the one I really want. I’m looking for a unit with the following (or, as close as I can get):
Bluetooth that downloads my contacts from phone to unit and allows me to receive and make calls from the unit. I have an iPhone 7. Voice activated calls would be nice, but not required.
Bluetooth that plays iPhone music, AND displays music info on unit and can be controlled (forward, back) from unit.
Full android o/s with ability to download and run apps from Playstore.
Usb, microphone, sd and bluetooth accessible to Android o/s and apps.
(In my research, I have discovered that a unit may have a built-in mic , usb and bluetooth; however, while the unit firmware can access them, apps running under Android o/s can’t)
Ipod capability -- Once iphone is connected via usb, I can search and play phone music library from the unit itself.
(All the video examples I have been able to find show a phone connected to a unit, and while the music plays on the unit, it is controlled on the phone)
I have read a lot about the Newsmy Carpad, and while the Android o/s functionality is exactly what I want, it is not clear from the videos I’ve seen how the Bluetooth (for phone and music) works in the real world, or if it even has ipod capability.
Interested in any suggestions about any units with which folks have real experience making calls and listening to music.
Thanks!!
a. I am a normal user, mainly need to use Bluetooth for phone calls, GPS maps and spotify. I realized that the caller apps does not allow me to put short cuts (quick dials) to my favorite numbers. Is there any way I can do it?
b. It is rather useless to have a headunit if there is no internet connection. I have my HP for WiFi tethering, and also a WiFi dongle. Both doesn't work well because the head-unit can only detect WiFi upon restarting the system. I am not sure why, If I were to shut off my engine, start it up again. The system will not be able to detect WiFi.
c. My head-unit comes with Zlink (apple car-play). Okay, this is funny. I connected my iPhone to the head-unit, but upon connecting to zlink, the Bluetooth connection is cut.
d. I intend to get the ELM327 so that I can see those cool gauges. But can the head unit support both ELM 327 and my iPhone Bluetooth simultaneously.
e. Lastly, do I really need to root it to get it perform? I am not good in all these.
For advice pls.
MCU: 2019-01-23
Can someone give me some advise pls
Hi Tweakmax,
i have the same version as you have. i bought mine from Isudar and is currently installed in my skoda.
A)I'm also not verry happy with the dialer app. First of all, the app is called bluetooth and has a bluetooth icon while it is a dialer. The contacts showed up after 2 hours!! The default launcher does not support custom widget elements such as a shortcut to person. I suggest installing an other launcher.
b) I'm not expierencing this problem.
C) My usb ports don't work. How did you manage to install car play? I have android Auto. By the way. Why do you want to use car play if you have an android head unit?
D) I can confirm that the ELM327 is working. Make sure to unpair the OBD2 dongle from your phone. Then unplug/plug the obd2 adapter.
E) root is not required. You can install other launchers and install APK's.
Hi All,
I'm about to attempt to upgrade my Harley RoadGlide's radio.
REEAALLLY like the fact that it will be a all-in-one solution (GPS/Radio etc)
Here is the plan:
Joying 8.8" 4gb /32gb Android 8 unit
Adaptor for 1 DIN radio ( Harley factory is a off the wall size more like a 1-1/2 DIN )
Module to retain handlebar controls (Works like a steering one)
Marine amp (with the remote power on a manual switch so I can shut the speakers off)
Bluetooth transmitter to send music to headset if needed
Before anybody points out the obvious, yes I know the unit is not marine grade..
This leads me the my first question:
How much heat does the display generate?
I was thinking on taking the bezel off, wrapping the whole back in vinyl up and over the edge of the glass and then putting the bezel back on. This would seal the display part since there is not reset/mic/pwr holes in the glass..
Mating the display with the body will be thru a custom device with seals to prevent water getting in at the connectors.
As for the "main" body it is pretty much protected being in the fairing. I will need a heatsink/fan but I think it will be ok.
Now on the operational question:
Can a bluetooth headset be connected directly to the unit? (For listening to music)
Any tips/advice?
Anybody ever done this?
Thanks !
Ok.. just ordered the 8.8" single din 4gb model.
Was 25% off. Black Friday sale. What can go wrong ??
Good thing about that model is that it is solid glass.. no reset/mic holes.. should make it easier to weatherproof.
The fun will begin when the unit gets here.
Lots of config/testing to do before I shoehorn that puppy in the bike.
I'll post pics if people are interested.
Been testing a couple of GPS apps on my tablet right now ahead of the integration and so far Sygic and Osmand are the best I found. Following a preplanned route is a must( ie to not deviate from the plan) , so if anybody has insight please point me in the right direction ?
Patiently awaiting the arrival of the unit...
The beast is here!!
Just received my unit ?
Got to say it is very well packaged
Will setup and start the testing soon.
Stoked!!!!!
Update/ Questions
Hi All,
Well.. the testing is going well.
So far i am able to get all my music audio to the Bluetooth headset by using a transmitter connected to the RCA output.
I had to use an external USB power for the dongle because the transmitter is "recognized" as a USB keyboard by Joying
I am using the soft button on the unit to turn the amp on/off when I want to use the headset.
I am able to use ZLink as well to connect the phone to the unit.
To have the headset capability for phone, I need to have the headset paired with the headset first.
Then I connect the phone to the unit using ZLink/Android Auto on 1 USB input
I can use the radio's display to control the phone and make calls.
All audio/mic is done by the headset. Yeah!
Only 1 problem.. The Joying keeps on wanting to connect Bluetooth to the phone.. Pops a request every so often..
Any way of turning this off? Only happens when Zlink is active...
If I connect the radio to the phone, it kicks the headset off...
Any way to disable Bluetooth entirely on the unit?
Unit is now rooted and I have installed JET.
Waiting for my handlebar controls converter in order to test "steering" functions.
Cheers!
Junior_1967 said:
Any way to disable Bluetooth entirely on the unit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't you do that from the settings? Simply switch off Bluetooth?
Or is that when Joying keeps nagging to switch on Bluetooth? ("wanting to connect" can mean to connect because BT is active, or first wanting to switch it on and then connect)
I tried..
The Zlink app automatically turns bluetooth on I believe.
The bluetooth is off in my Joying settings.
It only happens when the Zlink window is "active"
So when I first connect I press cancel on my phone when the request comes in.
All good until I minimize the windows then re-activate it. Then another request comes in from the Joying unit...
I tried to disable the bluetooth in the app settings and Zlink refuses to open.
There is no "access to bluetooth" in the Zlink app settings..
Really more of an annoyance then anything else as I can just cancel the request...
Would really be nice to have some decent bluetooth settings on the unit to be able to connect any devices or change settings.
Or have some ZLink settings to not start bluetooth on demand since it's already been taken care of by the headset...
Thanks for the suggestion
Cheers,
Problem solved! Android Auto using headset instead of Radio for audio
Hi have solved the problem of Bluetooth wanting to connect all the time.
Solution: First time the popup comes in on the phone when connecting USB to the radio (I used Headunit Reloaded but ZLink should be the same), accept and enter proper password (0000)
Once connected, on the phone Bluetooth settings change Joying Radio to No Phone, No Media.
The next time it will not ask to connect and won't kick out the other Bluetooth (Headset)
Android Auto has to be in developers mode to not care which Bluetooth it is using:
To enable it, open the Android Auto app on your phone and choose About from the left menu. Tap the About Android Auto header text about 10 times and you'll see a prompt to enable developer options. Accept it, then hit the three-dot Menu button and choose Developer settings-> Application mode "Developer"
On to the next challenge!
Cheers!
This sounds interesting. Any pics on the install?
Yes pics please, what are doing are weather proofing the head unit or are you a fair weather rider
So I purchased this head unit
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8-8-NAVI...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
i also picked up the dab and the carplay/android auto dongle(this is a must other wise it is mirroring and that does not allow touch control on screen or allow you to lock your phone like aa does)
The fitting was easy and all plug and play (did not fit the camera yet)
So how did it peform?
When they supplied the head unit the software which was needed to use the android auto was not installed(link which was cam up with not licensed) and way installed AutoPlayBox and connected fine and works a treat
Good points
Andoid auto works just plug in phone and after a short 30 secs delay the HU boots fine and goes into AA quite quickly.
The android seem quick and not laggy
There is a EQ on the HU but if you turn it up to far it distorts all the audio really badly. but turned up to 4-6 it plays very well with lots of presets.
talks to can bus so you can see your speed / rev / mpg etc etc#
Can get back to the bmw main menu really easy and back to android
Wish i had not bought the dab receiver as i am playing via tuned in or amazon music through AA
Now here are the bad points(NOW BE AWARE I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE DEVICE WHEN RUNNING ANDROID AUTO IT WORKS VERY WELL)
Bad points
DID NOT COME WITH ANY INSTRUCTIONS IN THE BOX , HAD TO GO FIND THEM ONLINE
the dab app is terrible it plays but you press back or try and start another app with audio ie maps , and it crashes
If selecting navigation from the main menu it kept minimizing all the time (seems to have stopped today so fingers crossed).
the music app built into to interface is lets say terrible, cannot find a way play play lists , stop and start the music etc etc.
The device some time starts with the bmw screen instead on the android screen(no brainer to swop it back over ) just a pain
the wifi on the device is truly bad, sat in the car with my phone on my knee , my phone gets 4 bars , the head unit cannot even get a signal, putting my phone on hotspot and sitting it right above the HU is the only way for me to get a wifi signal (but using only android auto from my phone so no great loss)
the gps puck they supply is quite bad ( i use lots of gps pucks for small models) it seems to want to fix and unfix position all time not very good quality i would say
Would i purchase again
yes i would
but would not buy the dab receiver and would not fit the gps on the HU (even though it come with it as a waste if your using carplay or Andoid auto)
its was easy to fit which was good and works well
Hi, can you please provide me the link for the autoplaybox app as I can’t find it online
Thanks
NOTE: I tried to post a fully detailed write-up of my issues, with screenshots and links, but because I'm a new member the forum won't let me post this with those URL's in the post. Since there's no way to upload and attach images, I'm happy to provide all of this via alternative means, or update the post with the original links if an admin is willing to remove this restriction from my account (I promise I'm not a spammer of any kind)
Hi all,
First time poster here with some unique issues (at least for me) with one of the newer Android stereo units. (AA0495B)
I've already contacted AUTOPUMPKIN customer support and they were absolutely no help in solving this; I've also done my own testing and tinkering but haven't been able to get anything working so I'm hoping someone here with more knowledge of these Android units can help.
Late last year I got an AUTOPUMPKIN Android 9.0 unit (AA0495B) for my track car; the main reason I got it was to run my track timer apps directly from my car instead of having to run it from my phone in a dash mount as most do; the specific app I use is Harry's Laptimer. Now obviously this app was programmed with phone use in mind, but after a bit of doing I was able to get it working completely on the Android stereo unit, so my questions aren't around that app, but rather some secondary hardware related issues using the unit. Overall this stereo unit has been great and free of any major issues like ones I've seen on other XDA posts about other Android stereo units. The app works, connects to my GoPro over WiFi flawlessly, and records track sessions and syncs to video perfectly. My issue is that the HLT app also supports connecting to other kinds of devices via bluetooth for additional data capture, such as the XGPS160 for obtaining more accurate GPS lap data (The 160 captures GPS coordinates at 10Hz rather than the 1Hz of the AA0495B and most Android phones) and I'm having issues getting the stereo unit to connect to the XGPS160 device.
There are several problems in getting this to work, but to keep things simple I'll start with the first problem and then work down layer by layer as each issues is solved; hopefully, if we can get it to work, this thread can serve as a guide for others to get this stereo unit to connect to this and other GPS devices.
PROBLEM #1 - Getting the AA0495B unit to pair and connect to the XGPS160 over bluetooth
So obviously the first step is to get the XGPS160 connected to the head unit over BT. The instructions for this are fairly straightforward and in the XGPS160 manual which I followed. The AA0495B unit has its own custom UI for managing connections to bluetooth devices rather than using the native OS bluetooth menu. The native OS bluetooth menu can be found in the system menu, however when attempting to use it to pair to devices, no devices are detected. If we instead use the main menu Bluetooth button to open the custom BT interface and then hit the search button to scan for devices, the XGPS160 shows up when ready for pairing, so we know the BT radio is picking it up at least. I then click on the name of XGPS160 and press the Connect button to pair the device. After a few moments, the device name now shows as an "available device" meaning it is paired to the unit (at least in theory). We can then click on the name and click the Connect button again to attempt to connect the device. This is where it stops, as it never shows as being connected. For comparison, the UI does show blue "connected" icons when the stereo is connected to my Galaxy S9. It appears this custom BT UI will only show the blue symbols when the connected device is a phone; I also have an OBDII dongle paired and it will never show as connected from this screen, however apps like Torque Pro are able to make the stereo unit connect to it and pull OBD data from the car. I was hoping that maybe this was a case of this custom UI simply not showing that the device was connected when it actually is, like the OBDII device. I attempted to run the "Bluetooth GPS" helper app to see if I could get it to connect; however the XGPS160 doesn't even show up in the list of available devices, whereas the "OBDII" dongle is listed even though it's not currently connected. Presumably this menu is pulled from the OS's list of paired devices, so if I had to guess, perhaps the XGPS160 isn't really paired even though the Pumpkin custom BT UI shows it as paired?
In contrast, I was able to connect the XGPS160 to my Galaxy S9, update its firmware via the phone app, and install and run the helper apps to pull data from it, so there aren't any problems in the device itself, but appears to be an issue with the stereo unit.
Here are the About Machine details from the unit for reference:
Builder Number: 201907091031
Kernel Version:
4.4.167
#44 Mon 07 1 10:07:31 CST 2019
uboot-06 28 2019-18:00:06_M11 1024x600
MCU Version: CSN2_06252019_163051
CPU and Memory size:
64-bit 8-core Cortex-A53 1.5GHz
4GB TC:29C TGT:29C F0:1200M F1:816M
Model & Hardware: PX5
Android Version: 9
So with all that, does anyone have recommendations on next steps? I'm a software engineer by background (though not in smart devices) so I shouldn't have trouble performing any troubleshooting steps necessary.
thanks!
Figured out the issue
Circling back to update this one for anyone else who comes across this issue. Here's the response I got from Autopumpkin support
"After checked with our engineer,sorry to tell you that our headunit cannot connect to SkyPro XGPS160.the reason is car stereo Bluetooth is equivalent to a Bluetooth headset and it can only be connected passively.sorry about this."
So yeh, seems they cheaped out on the bluetooth module and that's the problem. Now if only I could find a way to disable it and use a USB bluetooth dongle I have instead.
I also have the problem with a Kingbaets K1+ Android 8.1
Unfortunately, it is only possible to establish the Bluetooth connections up to Android 6.0.
Later Android versions have a "castrated" Bluetooth interface.
My consequence was that I bought an OWNICE C500+ with Android 6.0.
With this device, Bluetooth hardware can pair with PIN input.
It works perfectly.
Dealers at aliexpress