Android auto, why is this so difficult.

Revoltos · 05-01-2022, 03:50 AM

Hey all.

So, in my endeavour to get a decent intergrated experience of android auto in my car I have tried most methods currently available. (Probably would of been cheaper to just get an Iphone hey)

Basic EBT (enhanced bluetooth) to control music through my original NBT 4. No mapping options other than the BMW map which I couldnt update due to the known issue with some NBT 4 units. RTTI has expired due to 2G combox (2013 car)

Andream MMI which is a birds nest of wires and I found to be very buggy and crashy and then it failed anyway. Bit of a shame really because the full control of spotify was nice and the use of google maps or waze was also good. The UI was different to NBT so had to adjust to that. Plus, no matter how you messed with it, sound was garbage.

So, went with an NBT 5 4gb retro fit. New BMW maps are ok but dont have rtti so not very intuitive when traffic is bad. Sound is great as its now handled by the audio fisher dsp.
Android screen mirroring is a total waste of time. Its dumb, tiny and offends me because its so pointless.
So, I downloaded the AAidrive app and coded 6NR. I now have Spotify semi intergrated and I can search library etc and it does show album art. Its alot better than just EBT but falls short of what the MMI gave (the best bit of the MMI to be fair)
I cant use google maps or waze through the AAidrive app either.

So, final stage. Has anyone seen or tried one of these?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394020619...mis&media=COPY

Im keen to hear your thoughts and experiences if you have. Please could you share?

Ive listed this all out as im sure there are owners who have the same issues and might be confused as to the options available and some of the pro's and cons to them.
Thanks for reading.

Wires · 05-01-2022, 08:26 AM

Never tried that. I ended up getting a 10.25" Android Head Units off Aliexpress for my EVO4. with EVO4 it back feeds into the 3.5mm audio port. With EVO5 it should be all digital.

Looks great, it's touchscreen (pretty much mandatory in my books for using AA). The wired AA worked great with it, wireless was a bit flakey sometimes due to low wifi signal strength from the unit. With the Android HU, you can toggle back to iDrive when you need it, and then either with a console button or screen tap, it goes back to Android.

Bought a AAWireless dongle and plugged that into the USB port of the AA display. That was a game changer. Just works, and works perfectly -- even with multiple phones. I initially bought the first AAWireless unit to fix connectivity to our Audi MMI, and while playing with it, I had to "steal" it for my use and order another for my wife's car.

Revoltos · 05-01-2022, 09:44 AM

Just referencing your last paragraph. Is the thing I linked to pretty much the same as your AAwireless dongle? Or was the one you were using solely for use with the Android screen?

daxtor · 05-01-2022, 06:57 PM

I don't think F30 generation headunits are compatible with AA at all. Like others I instead a 10.25" Android head unit and have access to AA (via headunit reload), and all Android apps. No dongle of any kind needed.

Revoltos · 05-03-2022, 02:03 PM

Daxtor, Yeah your right. I re-read that ebay item I linked and its like the module Wires has used if you already have an android screen.

05-01-2022, 03:50 AM	#1
Revoltos Second Lieutenant 53 Rep 268 Posts Drives: BMW F30 335i Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: England iTrader: (0)	Android auto, why is this so difficult. Hey all. So, in my endeavour to get a decent intergrated experience of android auto in my car I have tried most methods currently available. (Probably would of been cheaper to just get an Iphone hey) Basic EBT (enhanced bluetooth) to control music through my original NBT 4. No mapping options other than the BMW map which I couldnt update due to the known issue with some NBT 4 units. RTTI has expired due to 2G combox (2013 car) Andream MMI which is a birds nest of wires and I found to be very buggy and crashy and then it failed anyway. Bit of a shame really because the full control of spotify was nice and the use of google maps or waze was also good. The UI was different to NBT so had to adjust to that. Plus, no matter how you messed with it, sound was garbage. So, went with an NBT 5 4gb retro fit. New BMW maps are ok but dont have rtti so not very intuitive when traffic is bad. Sound is great as its now handled by the audio fisher dsp. Android screen mirroring is a total waste of time. Its dumb, tiny and offends me because its so pointless. So, I downloaded the AAidrive app and coded 6NR. I now have Spotify semi intergrated and I can search library etc and it does show album art. Its alot better than just EBT but falls short of what the MMI gave (the best bit of the MMI to be fair) I cant use google maps or waze through the AAidrive app either. So, final stage. Has anyone seen or tried one of these? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394020619...mis&media=COPY Im keen to hear your thoughts and experiences if you have. Please could you share? Ive listed this all out as im sure there are owners who have the same issues and might be confused as to the options available and some of the pro's and cons to them. Thanks for reading.
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05-01-2022, 08:26 AM	#2
Wires Brigadier General 1660 Rep 4,903 Posts Drives: 2016 340i xDrive Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Calgary iTrader: (0)	Never tried that. I ended up getting a 10.25" Android Head Units off Aliexpress for my EVO4. with EVO4 it back feeds into the 3.5mm audio port. With EVO5 it should be all digital. Looks great, it's touchscreen (pretty much mandatory in my books for using AA). The wired AA worked great with it, wireless was a bit flakey sometimes due to low wifi signal strength from the unit. With the Android HU, you can toggle back to iDrive when you need it, and then either with a console button or screen tap, it goes back to Android. Bought a AAWireless dongle and plugged that into the USB port of the AA display. That was a game changer. Just works, and works perfectly -- even with multiple phones. I initially bought the first AAWireless unit to fix connectivity to our Audi MMI, and while playing with it, I had to "steal" it for my use and order another for my wife's car.
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05-01-2022, 09:44 AM	#3
Revoltos Second Lieutenant 53 Rep 268 Posts Drives: BMW F30 335i Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: England iTrader: (0)	Just referencing your last paragraph. Is the thing I linked to pretty much the same as your AAwireless dongle? Or was the one you were using solely for use with the Android screen?
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05-01-2022, 06:57 PM	#4
daxtor Private First Class 19 Rep 142 Posts Drives: EBII F30 335i Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	I don't think F30 generation headunits are compatible with AA at all. Like others I instead a 10.25" Android head unit and have access to AA (via headunit reload), and all Android apps. No dongle of any kind needed.
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05-03-2022, 02:03 PM	#5
Revoltos Second Lieutenant 53 Rep 268 Posts Drives: BMW F30 335i Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: England iTrader: (0)	Daxtor, Yeah your right. I re-read that ebay item I linked and its like the module Wires has used if you already have an android screen.
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