We’ve been having issues using android phones to implement the WiFi hotspot that our VWs want to use for internet access. My car will connect to my phone’s hotspot, but there is a mismatch in the negotiated protocol that means it doesn’t actually reach the outside world. It works in my car with an old 3G iPad, and my phone seems to work in my wife’s car now that her car has had a software update. I’ve lost track of what works with my wife’s phone! And I’ve given up for now. From a functionality point of view, it only matters (for us) when the nav software wants to use the internet for traffic data, and we’re not going anywhere in my car anyway!
My understanding is that the issue lies with the car - but I’d hope Audi has got it right!
Redmi 9 arrived yesterday late pm. SIM installed (after watched a youtube instructions video - I’m sure you phone experts would know where to put the SIM without asking), and apps necessary to it’s intended task installed: So Android Auto, Audi Connect, TuneIn. I might try the TomTom app to replace the dash mounted unit (used as a speed warning - nothing else) but we’ll see. 10K music library copied across from my HD.
I’m no expert on smartphones but impressions are it seems quite slick and excellent finish/quality.
Can it make calls? No idea! At the end of the day, like most smartphone users, the ability to make phone calls is right down the list of priorities.
It’s pretty amazing what they are able to manufacture and deliver to your doorstep for 100 quid (including 2 year warranty) right?
After having used one of these ‘cheap’ phones myself for a year or two now, i’m certain there is no reason to ever buy a 700-800 GBP/EUR high end model from a premium brand like Apple or Samsung. Unless perhaps your goal is to flash it around like jewelry, but not in terms of actual functionality at least.
I think it does but I read so many negative reviews re. adverts &c. I thought I’d go for tomtom, seeing as I already have a dash TomTom which is excellent. I’ll probably try waze as well. My old neighbour says it’s great though, tbh, I think he only uses it for speed camera alerts!
I hear reports of heavy mobile data usage with google maps. Not sure how true that is. TomTom bulk downloads all the maps and store them so you can use home wifi for that. ISTR google does it live over the mobile network. That might be incorrect.
The tomtom is really only for speed warnings (over the speed limit)… it’s just so easy for your speed to creep up: Clear roads, car that’s too easy to drive… never had a speeding issue with the old SIII Does google maps have speed warning?
I believe there is a setting/option in Google Maps to preload the maps as well, but i don’t know if it’s less convenient than the TomTom method in practice:
Right… so that’s been 4 or 5 hours playing with Android Auto!
Most of the that time has been finding a local music player that works correctly on the car display. I use a system of (A-Z)/AlbumArtist/Album… several would offer this hierarchy on the phone screen but it goes wrong on the car display. I must have tried 7 or 8 different players. Finally one called PowerAmp seem to do the job.
I also wanted to use TomTomGo but it fails to show on Android Auto. There’s a free sister app called TomTom AmiGo which does work. It’s free but very crude compared to the paid for version (i.e. the version that doesn’t work). tbh if it does what I want which is speed limit and speed camera warning then that’s good enough.
It would also be good to be able to remove GoogleMaps from the car Andoid Auto screen. There doesn’t seem to be an option other than completely remove the app from the phone. tbh that’s probably what I’ll do.
Well I thought I’d throw in an update with the beginners guide to smartphone use in a car
Well TomTomAmigo, the free nav app that works with Android Auto (AA)… it’s cr*p! Keeps on locking up. Back to TomTomGo which isn’t AA compatible but will sit there running fine in the background. It’s only for speed warnings so it’s fine hidden away in the cubby box.
Trying to use the phone for music file storage accessible through USB is a flop The problem is the Audi built in media player spends 15 mins rescanning the music folder each time you restart the car! It never used to do this with the external USB HD. I don’t know what the difference is; probably the phone going into some different mode when USB power is turned off and then back on. Anyway Poweramp player over AA seems okay.
Switching to the built in DAB radio crashes AA.
As you can tell this is all a work in progress.
Oh and got woke up at 6am with the phone ringing an alarm! No idea… I must have set this in all my mucking about.
Well 5 days later and I must have spent 24 hours of that time trying, and mostly succeeding, to get the phone to do anything BUT be a phone! I mean as a handheld computer. The problem is researching and trying different apps to find those that do what I want and work with AA. I think I’ve got all the basic apps sorted. I can’t find a radio app that allows station search on the AA screen They’re fine searching on the phone screen but that feature is removed on the AA screen. I’ve tried 4 or 5 different radio apps and it’s the same with them all. So you have to pick the phone up to search for a station and then add to favourites and THEN you can play it through AA. TomTom is still only running on the phone but they promise AA support any time now.
The only bug bear at the moment is you have to restart all the apps when the phone wakes up from sleep. I don’t know why that is. I’m trying Tasker to simplify this process to a single (well a couple) button press. Oh and google demanded I turn on phone lock security so it’s now an extra 4 buttons to do the wake up process (4 number pin code).
Not sure if anyone is still interested in this thread… anyway I’m back to the same issue that, now I remember, is why I’ve never progressed before with the smartphone idea: Battery Life
So three hours driving (on charge) and then I get in the car the next day pm to find the battery (phone) is flat. I’ve had a blitz doing various tweeks to reduce battery consumption and I’ll see if that helps. It might but I might perhaps end up having to turn the phone off when getting out of the car and remember to turn it back on when I get back in again which isn’t as user friendly as I hoped.
Not sure about the current. The port I’m using is USB C in the arm rest. There is also one in the middle behind the gear lever… I’ll check the specs for power. Both USB ports turn off with the car. It’s coming back to me now wrt when I last tried using a smartphone in a car. Then it was to use TomTom app. The issue was the phone consumed power faster than it was put in! I have a hunch it’s the same now. I’ll check the charging state when engine on. tbh I was hoping things might have moved on a pace with battery consumption and charging… maybe things haven’t.
Update… apparently the power from the USB ports is not great. I can’t find proper specs but the Audi forums suggest it’s not a lot. Also the USB ports do power down after about 20 mins with ignition off. This fits with the radio auto-turning off before we’ve finished eating our take-out McDonalds
I’ll still check the charging state but this doesn’t look good. ;-( I was hoping a few hours driving a day would keep it topped up. It’s possible my original plan is trashed
It says it’s charging when plugged in but, I’m guessing, it’s not a lot of power. I’ve done some tweaking so it will shut most apps down when power drops (I might set this at 50%… we’ll see). I’ve also set Tasker to start all required ‘car’ apps when USB power comes on - taken me all afternoon to get that working! I might play some more with Tasker to get it to shut the ‘car’ apps down when USB power goes off… tbh I don’t know how to do that but I’ve blown my mind this pm with this so I need a break now.
SWMBO has just advised steak pie and baked spud about to be served up so that’s a good enough excuse to call it a day
So I needed to check Virgin savings account… like a lot of online bank type places they’ve gone to ‘have to send you a text’.
Tried half a dozen times to get Virgin to send the text… our signal here is so bad it wouldn’t work. I clicked ‘send’ on the login page on laptop in side then went to the bottom of the garden and held phone in the air… nope still nothing. Won’t work to simply send the text and then go to an area of signal to receive it. Fix is leave phone on bench at the bottom of the garden. Go inside and get the online account to again send the text code. Then walk to the bottom of the garden to retrieve the phone which has now, finally, received the text. Back inside I can look at the received text and use the code.
btw… wife’s super old nokia (not a smartphone) has no issues receiving texts from inside the house. In fact you can even make a voice call if you’re stood near the window - very poor quality but it does work. Wife is on the same provider as I am.
I think the phone situation is now sorted. First off I turned everything that moves onto Batttery Saver mode; except TomTom app which doesn’t like it. Plus got into the habit of Airplane mode whilst parked outside the house. No signal where we live so leaving the phone with the mobile interface enabled and the phone would sit there blasting at full power trying to find a mast. This would kill the battery in less than 12 hours. Airplane mode and it’s still at 90% the next day! In fact I drove to work. All day there with the phone on in the airmrest of the car, full mobile enabled - there’s a signal at work. Drove home and it was at 100% when I pulled up outside!
I’m still a bit peeved that Android thinks it’s safer to pick up the phone whilst driving to search for a radio station instead of through the cars built in media interface but there you go. Anyway a successful result
I just HAD to update… just been out to the car to check the phone and it’s STILL 100% power!!
