Kia Soul Forums :: Kia Soul Owners banner

How to setup Android Auto in any car

10K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  zerogee 
#1 ·
I recently started using the Android Auto app in my car. Really like it a lot. It sure has streamlined and enhanced my Car Mode experience. Streaming from my phone to the headunit via Bluetooth. No USB connection needed. I set the app to auto load. Just turn on Bluetooth when leaving the house and it automatically turns off Wi-Fi and loads the app along with all my car mode essential apps when my phone connects to the car. Voice commands are through "Hey Google" and works well. Voice integration is pretty good.

I tried to setup phone pairing without phone/contacts/sms and just have audio so everything else goes through the AA app. The car would no longer connect and sent the AA auto load into an infinite loop trying to connect. So the pairing is as usual and I have the option to answer /make calls, read sms through the app or through UVO. No big deal.

Video overview of the app...


The how to...
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3263912/android/how-to-set-up-android-auto-in-any-car.html
 
#4 ·
I'm not really a fan of Android Auto.

I tried it out for a few days and didn't really like it.

If I didn't have the 8" infotainment system I could see how it would be a nice feature to have and if sending messages was more streamlined it might be more useful to me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WVBill
#5 ·
Ya, I have the non NAV unit with small color display so I enjoy the extra functionality.

The texting is cumbersome but does allow for full texting compared to the limited preset replies on the UVO. It also works with my kiteboarding messaging group. As bad as auto correct and voice texting can be I appreciate the extra effort to get the text right before sending. I find that Google Assistant is much more accurate than the UVO voice too. Fewer distracting errors.

Other things I have noticed...

It will use whatever music player you were using last on your phone. It clearly displays the song title and artist of the streaming music. Something that was impossible to read in the actual player on my phone and UVO only displayed the song title and the name of the media device (super dumb).

It knows my commute so always gives my ETA without full navigation. Color codes ETA times to indicate normal, moderate, or heavy traffic. This notification automatically disappears when at about 2 minutes to the destination.

You can swipe away any items /notifications not needed off the homepage. If you don't use the player, it gets automatically removed off the homepage after a few minutes. There are times that all that remains on display is the local weather conditions.

It's a wireless handsfree connection, unlike AA on compatible headunits. I plug in to a charger and not to USB for connectivity.
 
#6 ·
Phone was updated to Android 8.0 recently.

Now have a night mode. Much nicer on the eyes at night and easier to see out on the road.

Correctly displays LTE instead of 4G now.

Overall sound quality seems to have improved over Bluetooth with updated audio codecs.
 
#8 ·
WIRELESS CONNECTION UPDATE

Samsung phones now connect to Android Auto wirelessly

Over a year after Google originally said they would.
Rachel England

From Rachel England, pub 10.02.2019

If you've been waiting to connect your non-Google phone with wireless Android Auto, today's your lucky day. While Google initially said -- more than a year ago -- that Android Auto would work with any phone running Android 9.0 or higher, it's been restricted to its own Pixel and Nexus devices.

Until now, it seems. As identified by Android Police, a Google support document has been revised to include a number of Samsung phones within Android Auto's ecosystem.

The Samsung Galaxy phones now compatible with Android Auto Wireless include the Galaxy S8/S8+, S9/S9+, and S10/S10+. The Galaxy Note 8, Note 9, and Note 10 are also compatible. You'll need Android 9.0 or later, version 4.7 (or later) of the Android Auto app, and of course, an Android car head unit that supports wireless mode.
 
#11 ·
WIRELESS CONNECTION UPDATE

Samsung phones now connect to Android Auto wirelessly

Over a year after Google originally said they would.
Rachel England

From Rachel England, pub 10.02.2019

If you've been waiting to connect your non-Google phone with wireless Android Auto, today's your lucky day. While Google initially said -- more than a year ago -- that Android Auto would work with any phone running Android 9.0 or higher, it's been restricted to its own Pixel and Nexus devices.

Until now, it seems. As identified by Android Police, a Google support document has been revised to include a number of Samsung phones within Android Auto's ecosystem.

The Samsung Galaxy phones now compatible with Android Auto Wireless include the Galaxy S8/S8+, S9/S9+, and S10/S10+. The Galaxy Note 8, Note 9, and Note 10 are also compatible. You'll need Android 9.0 or later, version 4.7 (or later) of the Android Auto app, and of course, an Android car head unit that supports wireless mode.
Posted this here...
 
#12 ·
After recently updating my phone to Android 12, the Android Auto app has stopped working as a phone screen app. 🤕

The Android Auto app now only supports use through a car screen and suggests using Google Assistant Driving Mode instead.🤔

Google Assistant Driving Mode is either lacking support for some features of AA or it is overly complicated to enable those features through the vast Google Assistant matrix. Perhaps I will start a new thread on using Driving Mode when I get to know it better. This change caught me by surprise.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top