Android Auto and listening to radio and music

[Andrew56]

I have been reading the manuals in preparation for collecting my new Yaris Design.   They seem to say that if I use Android Auto (with Waze as a satnav), I will not be able to play music from a USB stick.  I would however be able to listen to streamed music from apps supported by Waze, but these seem to require a subscription and significant data useage.

Does using Android Auto for this purpose also prevent use of the radio?  Any comments appreciated.

[ICF]

"Does using Android Auto for this purpose also prevent use of the radio? "

I use google maps and listen to the radio at the same time.

[flash22]

only 1 usb device is allowed at any one time as AA takes up the whole usb bandwidth  when connected

AA and radio no issues, AA and audio off your phone - possibly

[ISP]

I use Tomtom go or Google maps. As I have spotify i use this for listening to favourite music. music is downloaded to my phone which does not use data with no issues, however do pay a subscription for spotify.  As others have said using radio not a problem. 

[Cyker]

I believe you can copy the usb stick music to your phone (Or a microsd card if you have one of those increasingly rare phones that has a microsd card slot!)  and play it through that when using android auto.

[RedToyota]

Yaris Cross Dynamic with Smart Connect system allows USB Stick to be used in single USB port with Android Auto via wireless connection. No problem switching between USB stick, Android Auto apps, Radio or Phone.

The single USB port does mean you cannot charge the phone while working this way

[Andrew56]

Thank you for your replies which are very helpful.  At the end of the day I would still have the option of using the phone in standalone mode - assuming I could find some safe way of attaching it where I can both see the phone and where it is not obstructing either my view or something else.  I also know such objects can become a danger in case of an accident, particularly if hit by an airbag.

[Starensis]

I use Waze and also play pre-loaded music via my phone. Apple Carplay.

[ZZYGY]

I loaded all my music to my Android phone and play it with the free Musicolet app available in Google Play store. The app does not use any data and does not connect to the internet but works perfectly with  Android Auto and bluetooth. I also use it at home with a soundbar.

[ChrisEB]

As other posters have said AA use the full USB bandwidth. I've got music on my phone on a 128GB SD card and use the Musicolet with AA and it works perfectly!

[RobN-RG]

It also very poor software design by Toyota.  My other car (Ford Focus) has two USB sockets.  I can connect phone to one, and USB stick to the other.  Their software happily plays music from USB stick while using Waze off my phone. Toyota also don't allow use of a USB hub - again, down to poor software/hardware design.  This would have got around the one USB socket issue.

[Andrew56]

Now I have got my vehicle (which I am very pleased with) I have found I can play music already on the phone using the VLC app, whilst using Waze.  This was not obvious to me from reading the documentation.  Thank you for all your replies.

[RickyC]

Yes,  I too used VLC, then I discoverd Musicolet.  It's free and without ads.  It worths a try. 

The only problem I had ( but I had the same problem also with VLC ) is that sometimes it doesn't starts automatically when i connect the USB cable.