Database Users

NEW 2018 Subaru Outback

Hello Everyone,
I traded in my 2014 Subaru Outback for a new 2018 Outback. In my 2014, I removed the original stereo unit and put in a fantastic Android HU with SYGIC GPS, that unfortunately won't fit in my new car. (The old unit is for sale, just sayin')
For the past two weeks, I've been looking to replace the crappy "Starlink" unit in my new 2018, but I'm having difficulty finding one that will install with the current faceplate. I contacted the company that I bought the original one from, and they said that their engineers are working on it, and will take about 6-8 weeks to come up with one. Has anyone found a suitable HU for a 2018 Outback? The issue I have with the HU that came with the car is that the only way to communicate with it is through Bluetooth using a smart phone via the USB input or with Bluetooth. That means wires. It also means having a smart phone, which I don't and NEVER wanted to have. I use the original Motorola V3 RAZR Flip Phones for a number of reasons, and they work just fine.
OR - Does anyone know how I can hack into this "Starlink" unit that came with my car? All I want to do is perhaps root it, or at least install some of my own apps and also to be able to use my hotspot and download stuff. There has to be a 'code' or certain buttons to press to get into this machine, but I haven't been able to find anyone smart enough to figure this one out. I'd be happy to compensate anyone who can help. I did just that with the older HU, so if you can help, just let me know.
Thanks in advance.

Hi justacafe,
I'm in the same situation (OB 2018).
Did you succeed to solve this issue?
Thanks,
Yoni
justacafe said:
Hello Everyone,
I traded in my 2014 Subaru Outback for a new 2018 Outback. In my 2014, I removed the original stereo unit and put in a fantastic Android HU with SYGIC GPS, that unfortunately won't fit in my new car. (The old unit is for sale, just sayin')
For the past two weeks, I've been looking to replace the crappy "Starlink" unit in my new 2018, but I'm having difficulty finding one that will install with the current faceplate. I contacted the company that I bought the original one from, and they said that their engineers are working on it, and will take about 6-8 weeks to come up with one. Has anyone found a suitable HU for a 2018 Outback? The issue I have with the HU that came with the car is that the only way to communicate with it is through Bluetooth using a smart phone via the USB input or with Bluetooth. That means wires. It also means having a smart phone, which I don't and NEVER wanted to have. I use the original Motorola V3 RAZR Flip Phones for a number of reasons, and they work just fine.
OR - Does anyone know how I can hack into this "Starlink" unit that came with my car? All I want to do is perhaps root it, or at least install some of my own apps and also to be able to use my hotspot and download stuff. There has to be a 'code' or certain buttons to press to get into this machine, but I haven't been able to find anyone smart enough to figure this one out. I'd be happy to compensate anyone who can help. I did just that with the older HU, so if you can help, just let me know.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Resolution
yonihertz said:
Hi justacafe,
I'm in the same situation (OB 2018).
Did you succeed to solve this issue?
Thanks,
Yoni
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Yoni,
Yes, but I haven't installed the unit yet. Here's what I did:
1) I ordered the dash face plate (#95-9909), wiring harness (#70-1761) and antenna adapter (#40-LX11) from metraonline dot com
2) The Android head unit I finally decided on is the Pumpkin Android 9.0 Universal Quad-Core 7" TouchScreen Car Radio DVD Player RAM:2GB/ROM:32GB
I've spoken with the folks at Metra about their parts and they guaranteed the fit, and indeed they do. I'm waiting on delivery of the Pumpkin Android 9.0 unit from China. The good news is that I've been consulting with Matthew at 4diyers.com who has a great review and installation video of the Pumpkin Android 8.0 unit and says that the 9.0 Android OS has some major new features and upgrades. You can see his video at: youtube dot com/watch?v=fyeewMstsjo[/url]
I'm not anticipating any major hang-ups in regard to the wiring part of the installation, but I'm not opposed to changing out the amplifier if that's what it takes. The speakers should be okay. So......I do plan on doing a video of the install procedure and I'll send you a link to it once it's finished. In the end, even my Subaru dealer thinks that Starlink 'infotainment' unit really sucks. No one likes it. I belong to the outback forum and the same there......they hate that unit. Good luck.
Mike
P.S. They wouldn't let me post an actual url…...hence the 'dot com'

COOL!
Very useful information - Thanks.
Looking forward for the video / to hear how the process was.
BTW, did you mean #95-8909 instead of #95-9909?
Good luck,
Yoni
justacafe said:
Hi Yoni,
Yes, but I haven't installed the unit yet. Here's what I did:
1) I ordered the dash face plate (#95-9909), wiring harness (#70-1761) and antenna adapter (#40-LX11) from metraonline dot com
2) The Android head unit I finally decided on is the Pumpkin Android 9.0 Universal Quad-Core 7" TouchScreen Car Radio DVD Player RAM:2GB/ROM:32GB
I've spoken with the folks at Metra about their parts and they guaranteed the fit, and indeed they do. I'm waiting on delivery of the Pumpkin Android 9.0 unit from China. The good news is that I've been consulting with Matthew at 4diyers.com who has a great review and installation video of the Pumpkin Android 8.0 unit and says that the 9.0 Android OS has some major new features and upgrades. You can see his video at: youtube dot com/watch?v=fyeewMstsjo[/url]
I'm not anticipating any major hang-ups in regard to the wiring part of the installation, but I'm not opposed to changing out the amplifier if that's what it takes. The speakers should be okay. So......I do plan on doing a video of the install procedure and I'll send you a link to it once it's finished. In the end, even my Subaru dealer thinks that Starlink 'infotainment' unit really sucks. No one likes it. I belong to the outback forum and the same there......they hate that unit. Good luck.
Mike
P.S. They wouldn't let me post an actual url…...hence the 'dot com'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

yonihertz said:
COOL!
Very useful information - Thanks.
Looking forward for the video / to hear how the process was.
BTW, did you mean #95-8909 instead of #95-9909?
Good luck,
Yoni
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes....sorry, the 95-8909. The inside dimensions are a perfect fit for that Pumpkin Android 9.0. Have you had a chance to check that unit out? By the way, I was going to get an Android head unit from Seicane dot com. It's a 10.35 Inch Touch Screen, but I would have had to change out the heater/air control unit (3 dials instead of the two in my car) because it wasn't long enough by about 15mm. It seems it fit the years 2015-2017. If you go to their web site, check out the unit, Model:S081992K. I went round and round with these people about updating that product to the latest Android OS and I would have gladly changed out the heater controls. The other thing I didn't quite like about the unit is there's no SD card slot and only 16GB ROM. That meant that my maps program would be internal, instead of the on SD card, (I use SYGIC) which would have eaten up a lot of that 16GB. Otherwise, it's a nice unit and I definitely like the 10.35 inch screen, however it's twice as expensive as the Pumpkin. There ya go....!

New E-Tong unit released. Identify hardware?

A new unit was just released for the 2004-2008 Acura TSX, which is a first as removal of the stock radio removes the dual zone climate controls as well. This is an awesome surprise for the TSX community, as before we were stuck with a god awful replacement for the stock CC system if we wanted to use a double din.
Anyhow, I've reached out to E-Tong and a representative sent me some images of the About Device screen. I was hoping the community here might shed some information based on what little info I have.
This is the unit in particular:
2004-2008 Acura TSX Android Head unit - Ebay
Android Version
6.0.1
CPU Info
CPU: Intel ATOM 4QuadCore, GPU4D: Mali-450 MP4
Baseband Version
SF3GR_M-26.3_cpeg_rk_r2p_bc2_20160629_111639
Sytem Info
APP 1024x600 2017-11-06 11:29:04
MCU Version
2016-12-21 11:51:45 XYB_(R66_47)_90_C921m30_V1.0_(BenTianOT)
BT Version
6.0.1-23
CAN Version
Unknown
Car Application
Car Application information
Serial Number
000000
Wi-Fi MAC address
0a:0b:20:5c:36:10
Machine Response Code
11010030313647453200129022d0b100
Now I'm assuming this has an Intel Sofia 3GR, particularly the Atom x3-C3200RK, as no 3G connectivity is listed for the unit outside of "support 3G dongle". I'm basing this on the Mali-450, lack of native 3G support, and 3200 in "Machine Code Response". Other than that, I'm guessing.
Assuming I'm correct, would the Sofia 3GR with 1GB RAM on 6.0 be adequate for Pandora/Spotify and Waze? I have no real other desired usage outside of that and rare bluetooth calls, with maybe the exception of playing some movie files for my kids on long road trips via a USB drive.
If so, anything to be aware of up front? I'm assuming I should be prepared to remove the unit cover and add a heatsink and fan assembly to the SoC package already. Suggested mods or tweaks?
Any and all information appreciated. I'll be relaying this information to my TSX forums as well. Thanks everyone!

Anyone have any insight?

Hey there, i just bought a radio from aliexpress for my 2003-2007 honda accord and all my info lines up with yours. I was wondering if you found out any information on it? Do you know the firmware to use to update the MCU? Thanks!
** EDIT if you care still lol
Are unit is joying software. If you look on their forum you can find a screen shot that matches ours. I ran that update and ran the root for joying devices from here and it worked great. I got viper4android installed and got some custom mods installed and it's working great.

doyouknowthemuffinman said:
Hey there, i just bought a radio from aliexpress for my 2003-2007 honda accord and all my info lines up with yours. I was wondering if you found out any information on it? Do you know the firmware to use to update the MCU? Thanks!
** EDIT if you care still lol
Are unit is joying software. If you look on their forum you can find a screen shot that matches ours. I ran that update and ran the root for joying devices from here and it worked great. I got viper4android installed and got some custom mods installed and it's working great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am thinking of buying this unit, how is it in your TSX? I currently have a non-nav TSX so I don't know if I will need to mess with the wiring harness or not.

Any help?
I have the same unit, and the clock and GPS doesn't work anymore. I wanted to reset to factory or try and upgrade it. I have it in my TSX now.
Can you advise any suggestions or recommendations?
On every start up the time goes back to 2013, 11:00pm. The only way to fix it, is go find a wifi, since GPS doesnt work.
I tried contacting XEOWYN, with no luck. I regret buying this.

doyouknowthemuffinman said:
Hey there, i just bought a radio from aliexpress for my 2003-2007 honda accord and all my info lines up with yours. I was wondering if you found out any information on it? Do you know the firmware to use to update the MCU? Thanks!
** EDIT if you care still lol
Are unit is joying software. If you look on their forum you can find a screen shot that matches ours. I ran that update and ran the root for joying devices from here and it worked great. I got viper4android installed and got some custom mods installed and it's working great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be a long shot, but I'm having issues with my unit and would like to try and update the firmware and/or software. I'm currently on android 6.0, been seeing the newer models are on android 8.1. I tried searching through the joying forum as you suggested with no success.... Is there any possible way that you could lead me to a specific solution? Thank you for your time and good day to you.

Got the same device, but still on Android 5.
Joying firmware gets looped on MCU update, if I remove the folder with MCUs and the update binary, it stops with "OTA package and app package need to be updated at the same time"
Any advice?

Rooting a Pioneer AVIC head device and replacing the OS

Hello people
Last year (2019) I purchased a Pioneer AVIC-Z710DAB head unit for my car. After realizing that the maps on the GPS are very old and awfully expensive to update, I really want to root the device and install an Android- or Linux based custom rom. Obviously I do not want to install a custom rom that does not provide equal functionality to the Pioneer system, but I don't want to keep the Pioneer system any longer as the GPS functionality is useless with old maps and the also old available updated maps are $150. I realize that the rooting and installation of a new system will require some time / work, but this does not matter a long as it's possible to do it!
Does anyone know if there is such a thing as custom roms that support functionality such as Bluetooth mobile devices, GPS, DVD / CD / MP3 discs, DAB+ and rear view camera etc?
Where can I find this rom and installation instructions? I have searched online for hours, but so far I have only found one page containing broken links.
As I am a new member on this forum, I cannot share this link in this post. But the page title is "The AVIC development MOD", from around 2016 and all links are broken / not working.
Any information is highly appreciated!
Best regards,
The norwegian guy

You won´t find anything...
Custom ROM will not be shared in here. There is no community for it.
Nearly all Pioneer head units have a proprietary OS. It seems to be android based.
May be this helps: http://bestandroidtoroot.com/post/pioneer-car-navigation-avic-z710dab-jupiter

rigattoni said:
You won´t find anything...
Custom ROM will not be shared in here. There is no community for it.
Nearly all Pioneer head units have a proprietary OS. It seems to be android based.
May be this helps: Link
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rigattoni said:
Thank you for your reply :laugh: I'll certainly consider trying this one! Perfect!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hello. Still have not tried the link I was given by rigattoni, but I was wondering if anyone has any update on this?
I am now considering to buy a new head unit with Android OS. but this seems like a risk. Most of the ones I have seen are to me previously unknown Chinese brands and I do not trust any Pioneer head units with Android OS to work with Google maps and/or Waze amongst other apps!
- Is there any way to replace the OS of a Pioneer unit with Android OS with working standard Android apps and Google Play?
- If not; Are the Chinese head units with Android OS any good? Example brands are Erisin and Eonon, which seem to come with Android 10.
Thank you in advance!

Hi, have y'all seen this info/forum yet? It refers to information regarding development for the Pioneer head unit(s) OP was asking about. Edit: Going back over, I see OP specifically mentions this forum. Well thank you
The AVIC Development Mod
Introduction WhatIsBypass, AdamOutler and myself presentThe AVIC Development ModWe have eliminated the barriers to development on all AVIC units including Android Auto. You can now create your own ROM on an SDCard and boot directly into it. Weve broken all the security and obfuscations, and weve ...
avic411.com

Unknown Android Head Unit - Firmware Help

Hi all. I inherited an Android Head Unit, and would like to learn about how to stay on top of firmware updates as the need arises. I'v done a good amount of searching, and I could use some help. In particular, It seems to be running an MCU that I cant find much reference to. The software that it is running is MTCE_AW_3.75b_1. This is a PX6 (1280x720) model running Android 10.
I'm willing to do the legwork to figure this out, but was hoping that some of you may be able to set me off on the right track. Thanks in advance.

yawtuh990 said:
Hi all. I inherited an Android Head Unit, and would like to learn about how to stay on top of firmware updates as the need arises. I'v done a good amount of searching, and I could use some help. In particular, It seems to be running an MCU that I cant find much reference to. The software that it is running is MTCE_AW_3.75b_1. This is a PX6 (1280x720) model running Android 10.
I'm willing to do the legwork to figure this out, but was hoping that some of you may be able to set me off on the right track. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you need is the Malaysk MOD - it's the one package that'll do magic for your head unit.

China headunit flash Android Auto.

Hi all,
Some time ago I found a thread on here that directed people how to reimage the head unit with an Android Auto. Is this possible for all head units, or are there things to watch out for? I tried searching but could not find the relevant info(Could be on me).
If I go into About Device of the Head Unit all it shows me RK3368 as name, no more info. All I can find is a thread how to update a headunit with the PX5 to Android 10, which it is already running. If possible I'd really like to flash Android Auto on it, as the current solution feels a bit like a bandaid solution.

Bump

Found some more info. It's a S32F0 MCU, with a PX5 board.
Still trying to figure out if it's MTCB or MTCD and if I can flash Android Auto on it. Any help would be appreciated

DragonSlayer3X6 said:
Found some more info. It's a S32F0 MCU, with a PX5 board.
Still trying to figure out if it's MTCB or MTCD and if I can flash Android Auto on it. Any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay so here is an obvious question - why on earth would you put Android Auto on a real Android device? Android Auto is a scaled down version of true Android with some "lite" functionality and support for some basic apps. Android Auto is for those who (for some reason) can't install a proper Android Head Unit.
To put it simply, you can do everything on your Android that you can on Android Auto but not the other way around.
You have S32F0 as MCU, meaning it's not MTCx. Luckily for you, you can still use the only mod that matters - Malaysk. Forget anything else. With Malaysk you can customize your head unit with nearly no limitations to make it fast, user friendly and overall just awesome.
Go to this thread and follow it's instructions.

iceblue1980 said:
Okay so here is an obvious question - why on earth would you put Android Auto on a real Android device? Android Auto is a scaled down version of true Android with some "lite" functionality and support for some basic apps. Android Auto is for those who (for some reason) can't install a proper Android Head Unit.
To put it simply, you can do everything on your Android that you can on Android Auto but not the other way around.
You have S32F0 as MCU, meaning it's not MTCx. Luckily for you, you can still use the only mod that matters - Malaysk. Forget anything else. With Malaysk you can customize your head unit with nearly no limitations to make it fast, user friendly and overall just awesome.
Go to this thread and follow it's instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Ice,
Thank you for you answer!
My main reason is the ability to mirror screen. I don't have a 4G dongle attached to my radio, as that is quite expensive over here. So I was thinking to be able to use my own phone as mirror onto the radio to navigate, play spotify etcetera.
For example I can copy my phonebook to the head unit, unfortunately both me and my wife use the car, which causes a very long contact list with duplicates etc.
What I've seen with friends is that Android Auto fixes some of those issues, as you don't run a seperate instance of the phonebook or whatever, but it's a mirror from your phone.
I've seen Malaysk's post, but also read in the thread there are quite some issues and support is flaky at best. Are those posts stirring sh*t for no reason, or do they have a point?
Finally, the seller claims my headunit is real Android 10, with build number 205150. I cannot find anywhere if this is real Android 10, or the so called fake android 10.

DragonSlayer3X6 said:
Hi Ice,
Thank you for you answer!
My main reason is the ability to mirror screen. I don't have a 4G dongle attached to my radio, as that is quite expensive over here. So I was thinking to be able to use my own phone as mirror onto the radio to navigate, play spotify etcetera.
For example I can copy my phonebook to the head unit, unfortunately both me and my wife use the car, which causes a very long contact list with duplicates etc.
What I've seen with friends is that Android Auto fixes some of those issues, as you don't run a seperate instance of the phonebook or whatever, but it's a mirror from your phone.
I've seen Malaysk's post, but also read in the thread there are quite some issues and support is flaky at best. Are those posts stirring sh*t for no reason, or do they have a point?
Finally, the seller claims my headunit is real Android 10, with build number 205150. I cannot find anywhere if this is real Android 10, or the so called fake android 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mirror screen functionality on Android Head Units is shaky at best.
You don't need 4G dongle - hotspot from your phone to give access to the Internet on your head unit - that way you can run any Android app on the head unit, Spotify, YouTube, Internet Radio etc etc. Make sure to give full permissions to your phone
Use BlueTooth on your phone to use handsfree calling. Use Google Voice to dial any number (no need to mess with Contact Books), your wife can do the same and your Android Head Unit will not sync contacts back to your phone
I know Malaysk developer as I'm also a Russian-speaker and his work is exemplary. If anything, his firmware is by far more stable and effective compared to anything you get from factory. People who complain about it, simply do not have the right skills of installing it and using it. Spend some time with Malaysk tutorials - well worth it. Malaysk also offers ROOT natively and Viper4Android which means you can tweak most parameters on your head unit and considerably improve the sound in your car.
Doesn't matter what Android version you have. You should go with Malaysk firmware for Android 9 (most stable). You will need to get a "rollback" software to successfully install it if your Android is anything but version 9. For that you'll need to purchase MOD Installer Pro 2 for €10
Whatever is possible to do your Android Head Unit will only be possible with Malaysk. If Malaysk can't support it, then it's simply not doable.
You can also look into "profiles" on your Head Unit. I.e one profile will have your stuff, and the other one will have your wife's.