Still cant get Android Auto to work

[smokie]

I've got a number of cables and don't have any issue. USB3 cables work fine for me

 

[BarryH]

Before I regale my experience Never try to connect AA when the phone battery is more than 75% full. Every Android phone has some point in its State of Charge when the Data connection in the phone via the USB cuts off. For some, it's as low as 80% SoC while for others it is 95%+ but it will happen.

I've had tons of issues and after over a year of frustration with my Honor 10 Lite on Android 10 which only connected on three occasions I tried an old iPhone8 which connected to CarPlay every time and I almost went to the Darkside. I then tried my wife's old Galaxy A7 (2018) and AA connected immediately even on Android 9. Also my sister-in-law's Galaxy Note 8 connected first time. So a trip to the dealer and he spent the best part of an hour with no success (and a host of leads and high-grade ones too). Then he trawled the Huawei site and Honor 10 lite had No mention of compatibility So I bought a newly released Samsung Galaxy A52 5G and just like the Honor before it the A52 would neither connect to AA nor Sync Phonebook Contacts nor Call history although Bluetooth connection would alow. Then one day the AA began intermittently connecting and I went back to the dealer. I got the dealer to talk to MG Motors about the issue and they blamed the phone so I then spent over an hour and a half talking to Samsung while they remotely connected and ran loads of tests checking that all the hardware was working and all the software was up to date. The conclusion was that the phone was perfect and the issue was a software incompatibility and Android Auto Driver on the MG Head unit. Samsung said keep trying and one day there might be an update on the phone drivers, Google's Android Auto config or MG Head Unit and I would find it working - Not a great solution TBH.

Back to the dealer and I plugged the phone into an MG5 (LR) and AA connected perfectly and so did Phonebook Contacts sync but not the Call history. So clearly MG's issue. Subsequently, I have tried a ZS Facelift and everything worked AA, Contacts and Call History.

My latest position is that following my last service in February and I presume Head Unit updates, I can most days get an AA Connection but not Phone Contacts or Caller History. if it doesn't connect remove the USB Type C from the phone and flip it over and perhaps plug it fully in then ease it back until meeting resistance seems to get it working.

However, I also ordered back in November an "AAWireless Adaptor" via Indiegogo which everyone says works solidly. It was due for March delivery but the lockdowns in China have delayed the shipments by about 6 weeks so it is now scheduled for late this month.

AA is not a perfect solution via cable connection and I think Google has shifted their focus towards inbuilt Carinfotanment systems followed by Wireless AA and I suspect they are putting very little resource into the legacy cable connected AA issues.

 

[BarryH]

Hi,
Do you know which wireless dongle and where from.
Jeff

Your car should connect via the phone's Bluetooth by Pairing it to the car's Infotainment system / Head Unit.

If you want to wirelessly connect Android-Auto then you will also need a Wireless Android-Auto Dongle such as "AAWireless" then the dongle connects using both WiFi and Bluetooth to your phone and the Dongle plugs into the Data USB (not the Power Charging USB on ZS Gen 1).

 

[BarryH]

Got the latest version from the app store

I hope this isn't too obvious but if you've got a Gen 1 ZS only one of the front USB sockets is a data USB and the making isn't clear as to which it should be. On the Right-hand Drive (UK) Gen 1 it is the USB socket nearest the driver only which AA will work. The other USB is for fast charging only.

 

[smokie]

I hate to explode another statement but my phone connects every time to Android Auto, despite it's charge state. I can't explain why mine might be working and others aren't but I do think folk should be careful not to make statements of absolute fact when they only have their own experience to work with.

I must admit I've not come across the data connection being cut off at certain point either, though I maybe it does something like that when you drop below your Low Battery threshold - but that'd be more like 15% than 75%.

 

[Geo68]

Mines works as well but the only time I use it is for satnav, I find it too much of a distraction when driving so only have the radio on.

 

[Ozzie1989]

A new version of Android Auto has been released in the last few days that was on beta trials before that. It also has the cable test feature. Are you all trying that?

 

[Barrie]

I have a Gen 1 ZS and AA works everytime even with 100% battery state ( thats the phone not the car ). I use an Oppo phone and my wifes Samsung works just the same. My previous Huawei also worked no problem. You cant make these kind of generic "battery level" statements with just your own experience.

 

[Lguk]

The state of charge issue is resolved in one. If the newer Android OS versions, can't remember if it's 11 or 12.

Mine works 99% of the time and those it doesnt are when I don't allow the infotainment system to fully boot before plugging the cable in.

 

[Gomev]

...

I must admit I've not come across the data connection being cut off at certain point either, though I maybe it does something like that when you drop below your Low Battery threshold - but that'd be more like 15% than 75%.

Wouldn't a high cut-off point be a problem since the phone also charges while connected.
I've not found anything elsewhere about this cut-off.

 

[smokie]

Absolutely - but that's not to say there hasn't been a bug in a previous version of Android - or even a flakey implementation on the car - but given (I suspect) the majority are not having these issues it points to something specific to the user setup.

I use data connection a reasonable amount on my phone with my laptop and can't remember any real problem with it over the years.

EDIT: Though charging is using different wires to data.

 

[BarryH]

I have a Gen 1 ZS and AA works everytime even with 100% battery state ( thats the phone not the car ). I use an Oppo phone and my wifes Samsung works just the same. My previous Huawei also worked no problem. You cant make these kind of generic "battery level" statements with just your own experience.

My battery level statement is certainly not based on my own experience but my own experience certainly is in line with the dozens of posts on Google's own Android Auto forum. Different phones seem to have different thresholds for disconnecting the USB port. Inherent in the Android system is a disconnect of the port to manage the battery charging as it approaches full. We're familiar with the way our EV's reduce the rate of charge on rapid charger above 80% well the same is needed on your phone to prevent extreme over heating of the battery. The standard way is for the charging circuit to momentarily interrupted and then reconnected it would seem on Android but unfortunately this was done by disconnecting the USB port power and data connection. Apple approached it differently with iPhone and control the power charging circuit independently of the data apparently.

Android phone makers are now developing work arounds to manage both power and data separately and or to use a better BMS to control the power to the battery more gradually but it's not something you'll see on the spec sheet as they would rather crow on about battery size and charging speeds. There is no clear way of knowing which phones will and which phones won't unless we share that knowledge on forums like this. Saying my Samsung works ok isn't really helpful without say which specific model which is why I ended up dumping my Huawei Honor 10 Lite and spending £400 on a Samsung Galaxy A52 5G only to find it too didn't connect to ZS EV (Gen 1).

Please if your phone works and connection is maintained to 100% full charge be specific which phone and model not just the manufacture.

On final point Full charge disconnection. This is my experience and commonly reported on the Android Auto Forum. Connected and using Google Maps until 2 miles from the M1 junction I was supposed to leave the whole thing shuts down with Battery at 95% full. Just at the crucial time No Maps! So since this is such a common problem, not just my personal experience, if you are trying to work out how to get your phone to connect on Android Auto Don't start off with a fully charged phone as you may be misleading yourself.

 

[BarryH]

Wouldn't a high cut-off point be a problem since the phone also charges while connected.
I've not found anything elsewhere about this cut-off.

Check the Android Auto Forum on Google Help that's where I found it was a hot topic with posting going back since the launch of Android Auto. In fact I've even got a "ChargieA GE" dongle which plugs into the Android Auto Port and the the phone cable plus into the dongle that when used with the "Chargie" in "Android Auto Mode" will lower the charge rate of the connected phone to delay the point at which shut off occurs. The Chargie connects to the phone by Bluetooth and the app monitors the SOC as your phone charges. I bought the original Chargie to use at home when charging overnight as it will allow me to set the max charge to 80% to extend the battery life of my phone since phones have rubbish BMS. The ChargieA GE model included the additional function to trickle charge to phone with just enough to to maintain the connection. This stuff is real I am not imagining it.

https://chargie.org/

 

[smokie]

Fair enough but sweeping statements like "Never try to connect AA when the phone battery is more than 75% full" should really qualified by adding links to where you've read about it to enable users here to verify it for themselves.

Otherwise for all we know we could end up propagating fake news, and there's already enough of that around.

 

[BarryH]

Fair enough but sweeping statements like "Never try to connect AA when the phone battery is more than 75% full" should really qualified by adding links to where you've read about it to enable users here to verify it for themselves.

Otherwise for all we know we could end up propagating fake news, and there's already enough of that around.

Fair point. The context of the 75% warning is that from experience phones charge pretty quickly on a car USB and you'll very quickly find you'll lose your Google Maps Nav. My daughter sidesteps this by using Google Maps on her phone with a windscreen mount. Unfortunately, I this could mean she is technically not complying with the latest Highway Code which forbids the driver from touching a portable device while in control of a vehicle

 

[Ozzie1989]

I use AA without issue between 100% and 80% when it stops charging.

It's a Moto G50 and it cuts the charger at 80% to protect the battery, only charging to 100% just before my morning alarm.

My work phone, also a Moto, I often plug in at various different SOC throughout the day and never had an issue. That also stops at 80% more often than not, but never cuts the data connection.

My previous work Samsung I gave up on, AA was incredibly unreliable in various work vehicles, so always resorted to Bluetooth only connection.

It sounds like this issue is more with the phone manufacturers than MG to be honest.

 

[BarryH]

I use AA without issue between 100% and 80% when it stops charging.

It's a Moto G50 and it cuts the charger at 80% to protect the battery, only charging to 100% just before my morning alarm.

My work phone, also a Moto, I often plug in at various different SOC throughout the day and never had an issue. That also stops at 80% more often than not, but never cuts the data connection.

My previous work Samsung I gave up on, AA was incredibly unreliable in various work vehicles, so always resorted to Bluetooth only connection.

It sounds like this issue is more with the phone manufacturers than MG to be honest.

@Ozzie1989 Thanks for that feedback. I would guess that Moto have bypassed the Android protocol in giving your phone intelligent charging to only fully charge to 80% and then restarting the charging to 100% shortly before the morning alarm and that may be an indicator of what to look for in a phone with a more consistent AA Experience. Wireless AA side steps the issue because it uses WiFi and Bluetooth for the AA Connection separating the Data path from the Power.

 

[Gomev]

I use AA without issue between 100% and 80% when it stops charging.

It's a Moto G50 and it cuts the charger at 80% to protect the battery, only charging to 100% just before my morning alarm.

My work phone, also a Moto, I often plug in at various different SOC throughout the day and never had an issue. That also stops at 80% more often than not, but never cuts the data connection.

My previous work Samsung I gave up on, AA was incredibly unreliable in various work vehicles, so always resorted to Bluetooth only connection.

It sounds like this issue is more with the phone manufacturers than MG to be honest.

@Ozzie1989 Thanks for that feedback. I would guess that Moto have bypassed the Android protocol in giving your phone intelligent charging to only fully charge to 80% and then restarting the charging to 100% shortly before the morning alarm and that may be an indicator of what to look for in a phone with a more consistent AA Experience. Wireless AA side steps the issue because it uses WiFi and Bluetooth for the AA Connection separating the Data path from the Power.

I have a Moto G9 and previously a Moto G7. Both have problems with AA connecting and staying connected.
Moto use a vanilla, true, Android, no overlays or manufacturer GUIs so I would have hoped that these would have had a very good chance of working, but sadly no, so Moto as a blanket coverall do not work as well as the G50 of @Ozzie1989 above.

 

[doheuk]

Had problems myself untill I changed my cable as per advice from here. It was an Anker cable. workes well

I think that the fact it is USB3 may be the problem! The cable I linked to in an earlier post (this cable) works in my car but is NOT USB3. Although the actual plugs can be interchangeable the signal protocols are quite different.

Ok tried both cables, and neither work either. Same issue, maps fine, try to play music, I get a fraction of a second and then it stops again

I wonder if the issue is that it seems to be trying to play music via bluetooth, rather than by cable, creating a conflict, but every time I unplug and plug in, it seems to default in bluetooth settings to switch media audio back on! Also, does the phone need to connect to SAIC or SAIC_w_Car ?

A new version of Android Auto has been released in the last few days that was on beta trials before that. It also has the cable test feature. Are you all trying that?

Yes, using up to date Android Auto. I wonder if I roll back to basic install though . . .

 

[BarryH]

I have a Moto G9 and previously a Moto G7. Both have problems with AA connecting and staying connected.
Moto use a vanilla, true, Android, no overlays or manufacturer GUIs so I would have hoped that these would have had a very good chance of working, but sadly no, so Moto as a blanket coverall do not work as well as the G50 of @Ozzie1989 above.

Racking my brains over the things I've tried and with lots of phones you have to put them into "Developer Mode" in the settings before Android Auto will work. And although Moto's "Stock Android" is a plus I was surprised how many "Stock Android" Google Pixel phones were on the Google AndroidAuto Forum with connection issues and disconnection when the battery reached full charge! Surely they ought to be rock-solid performers.

One thing which did often get recommended is to turn off the feature that allows multiple social media accounts. There was a feature introduced in the Samsung and Xiaomi family of phones originally, but others now, to allow a second login to WhatsApp or Twitter or Facebook etc. ie. so you could be logged into a personal account and a work account on one phone at the same time. This apparently screws with AndroidAuto. I forget the exact name of the feature but I know I have it turned off. I think it is only in phones that have a customised Android rather than phones like Moto that have a "Stock Android" build.