Wireless Android Auto

[nlee]

A few people have previously mentioned they wish the new RAV4s had come with wireless Android Auto. I've just been reading about a new Android Auto wireless dongle coming out under the Motorola brand. There are already a few options for wireless CarPlay and a couple of start ups that do wireless AA ( that never seen to be in stock) but this is the first mass produced option.

It looks like it goes on sale on Friday but only in the US. The website has a UK price of £89.99 but no indication of when it goes on sale in the UK. 

Maybe one to keep an eye on reviews as it's released over the pond if you want wireless AA and prepared to pay the price. There's a few articles about it if you Google it. It's called the Motorola MA1.

[ernieb]

Thanks, the problem I see is that the dongle still needs to connect to the head unit via a USB so I might just as well connect my phone and know it’s a wired solid connection. Would be better if there were two USB’s but as the PHEV only has one it’s a little restricting. Interesting development though.

[philip42h]

1 hour ago, ernieb said:

Thanks, the problem I see is that the dongle still needs to connect to the head unit via a USB so I might just as well connect my phone and know it’s a wired solid connection. Would be better if there were two USB’s but as the PHEV only has one it’s a little restricting. Interesting development though.

The head unit is expecting and only supports connection via USB so I guess there aren't going to be to many alternative options without more drastic surgery to or replacement of the head unit. I suspect that adding a two-way USB hub might work but, again, would depend on what the head unit supports.

[Firecycle]

I would rather save £90 and connect my phone plus its charging at the same time. I'm pretty tight when it comes to this sort of thing though 

[nlee]

I'm not sure whether I would go for it yet, it might depend on those early reviews. One article I read made the argument that the wireless connection was more stable. I'm not sure of the logic behind that. I think if I had one, for shorter journeys the phone would stay in my pocket. These are the sort of journeys I probably couldn't be bothered to use AA for now. For longer journeys I'd probably use the wireless charging mat or the usbs under the arm rest.

[Nick72]

Been looking at this. Could save a faff but then again I still have to select android auto if I want more than just the AA music through the head unit anyway. 

[ernieb]

5 hours ago, philip42h said:

The head unit is expecting and only supports connection via USB so I guess there aren't going to be to many alternative options without more drastic surgery to or replacement of the head unit. I suspect that adding a two-way USB hub might work but, again, would depend on what the head unit supports.

I’ve tried a number of different USB splitter both powered and unpowered none work on the PHEV Head Unit.

[nlee]

On 1/26/2022 at 5:21 PM, Nick72 said:

Been looking at this. Could save a faff but then again I still have to select android auto if I want more than just the AA music through the head unit anyway. 

I changed a setting in Android Auto on the phone and now it will always open straight to AA and the last used app whenever I plug in.

The setting is "Start Android Auto Automatically". It was set to "Default (set by car)". I set to to "Always". There is another option, which is "If used on last drive" which is self explanatory.

[forkingabout]

I've got a AA Wireless unit from Indiegogo that works perfectly with my current vehicle ( 308 T9 with NAC Wave 2 ) 

The infotainment unit boots up, Android Auto selection screen shows & you just press the symbol to connect to the phone. 

You do need to connect the AA Wireless unit to the USB port that is used for Android Auto on your vehicle - mines hidden behind a dash panel for a stealth install. 

On first install / set up you need to adjust the AA Wireless unit settings in the smart phone companion app to suit your vehicles infotainment unit preferences. 

Has anyone investigated / checked to see how many USB ports are supported / can be plugged in to the back of the Toyota infotainment unit?

If there's a spare port available / supported then a stealth install could be possible.

[ernieb]

I’ve not tried the back of the Head Unit but using the front point I’ve not been able to get a splitter, powered or unpowered to work effectively. My previous car, Subaru XV, had two ports and this I found very useful, AA/phone in one and media USB in the other.

[nlee]

1 hour ago, ernieb said:

I’ve not tried the back of the Head Unit but using the front point I’ve not been able to get a splitter, powered or unpowered to work effectively. My previous car, Subaru XV, had two ports and this I found very useful, AA/phone in one and media USB in the other.

I installed an aftermarket head unit with AA in an old Freelander as I couldn't even get the OEM system to hold a bluetooth connection for more than a few seconds. The new unit had two USB inputs that you could use one for AA and one for media but when AA was running it ignored the other media input. So even if you could get a splitter or there was another input in the back of the Toyota system, there's no guarantee you could use both together.

[philip42h]

In the navigation manual it states:

• If a USB hub is plugged-in, two devices can be connected at a time.
• Even if a USB hub is used to connect more than two USB devices, only the first two connected devices will be recognized.
• If a USB hub that has more than two ports is connected to the USB port, devices connected to the USB hub may not charge or be inoperable, as the supply of current may be insufficient.
• When an Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connection is established, the other USB port can be used only for device battery charger.

Which sounds consistent with observations made above ...