When the phone comes near the car with bluetooth enabled, the car assumes, you want to use android auto. So even if your wife has her phone paired for android auto, and you are driving it, it will access her phone. Even if she is in the living room and you are in the garage.
Intrusivie.
That’s now called “a Harry !”
As in “jeez I made a Harry of that “
2 Likes
While my vehicle has Android Auto, it was only available using a wire (wireless option was released the next model year).
This past Christmas I received a Motorola MA1 wireless AA device.
It works well for audio and map use, when i need it.
Most times i use the vehicles built-in navigation and apps though.
Huh? The phone is in complete control with AA. At its core, AA only provides I/O ( touch input and display) to the phone. All the apps run on the phone. That's what allows Google to make changes to AA, users to add apps, etc. without requiring any changes to the headunit.
2 Likes
That has not been my experience. Once a phone is paired for android auto, the car always wants to continue to pair. Very annoying to want AA for a trip via google maps, but then have the car nag your every time the phone is in the car. There is no "turn off AA" on the phone. You can unpair it in the vehicle, but not on the phone. To me the phone should be in charge, not the car.
Yes the car just provides an interface and display, but it is the INSISTENCE of always using it rather than being easily able to enable/disable via the phone.
You don’t have an option to not automatically Bluetooth pair with specified devices when they come in range of your phone?
1 Like
I don't think Android has that option...Don't see it on my Galaxy S21. I had a similar issue w/my wife's car which would pair automatically w/both my wife and my phones when we got into her car. We really wanted hers to be the primary in her car, but mine always joined first for some reason. Removed and re-added mine and the same. So just removed it and don't use BT in her car.
But I'm sure there must be an app that can do that...
Ah, may have found a way, not obvious, but might work. Pair w/the BT device/car, etc. Then hit the settings cog for that device pairing on the phone and turn off Calls and Audio connection types. So you'd still be paired, but probably would have to turn on the connection types in settings when you wanted to connect...haven't tried it but that might work.
1 Like
That didn't take long to get the HARD NO for me. I think it would be fine if all you want is Android Auto in its most basic form but, like most of us here, I want to customize some things and it all doesn't work together.
The cons with Android Auto:
-
Your phone must be connected both with BT and Wifi to the Carpuride. It won't allow for a VPN to be connected so that means that I can't get to any of my HE hubs or Home Assistant thru my Wireguard Split Tunnel. EDIT: This also kills my OwnTracks integration from being able to get to MQTT server on home network.
-
In the few times I connected thruout day, it was inconsistent for AA to start.
The cons with Homelink:
-
It requires my phone to be plugged into Carpuride to use. I have a wireless charging dongle for my phone that I wouldn't be able to use.
-
Homelink doesn't use the entire screen of the Carpuride and the result is that it is not much larger than my phone screen.
-
It was not consistent responding to screen presses on Carpuride.
Bottom line is that the device is good for what it does. I just have an unusual list of criteria.
Oh well, too bad. Thanks for the detailed feedback on the unit. Requiring simultaneous Wi-Fi and BT connect would be a full stop for me as well. The inconsistent AA starts also don't bode well.
I may have to bite the bullet at some point and see if I can find an audio shop that will dive into my mess...
That's not true. Settings->Apps->Android Auto->Additional Settings in the App->Previously Connected Cars->(select car)->Forget. Also, some headunits provide a setting for connect always/ask/never. And all (?) allow you to exit from AA and get back to the native interface.
2 Likes
I've confirmed this works w/my wife's car, at least.
- Pair phone to car normally, allow Calls and Audio connections.
- Play something to verify working w/car bluetooth
- Hit the Gear icon next to the car in your BT list and turn off Calls and Audio connections.
- Turn off the car
When I did above, resarting the car did not re-connect my phone automaticall. But it's still paired so if I want to connect I can.
Perhaps for Maps, but have you tried a phone call or music app? Those depend on a Bluetooth connection.
Yes in case it's not clear what I mean is I have to actually choose to connect it for it to work, but The important part is it doesn't auto connect. Since it's still paired I can connect it any time.
The pita part of it is that each time before you turn off the car you have to turn off the audio and call connections in the Bluetooth settings for that pairing.
And my example is for simple Bluetooth pairing, I'm not talking specifically about Android Auto and whatever other connections it may need to initiate.
So I don't know if what I found out is generally applicable to Android Auto.
How inconvenient is it that Android Auto doesn't show up as a normal app in the list of apps. There is no excuse to have to into settings to change something that should be simple to configure. Android Auto still needs a lot of work, IMO.
If I know Google they have decided to sunset AA and are working on its replacement, so their bleeding off the AA team members. 
Wasn't there an announcement about that not long ago? They seem to be old yellering a lot of programs at the moment, making some people think they might be in some sort of trouble..
Bluetooth does tend to try and make connections with anything within range, whether you want it to or not , in some older smartphones you could set priority quite easily - but that OS was too complicated...
Google has a long history of killing off various services. They have not made such an announcement for Android Auto.
They’re certainly not immune to the recent tech industry downturn that’s resulted in layoffs there and at many other companies.
But I think it’s a stretch to infer Google or its parent company, Alphabet, are “in trouble.”
1 Like
It isn't a normal app that you can open and use on the phone, so why should it consume space in the UI by showing up as one? It is listed, as I pointed out, under Apps in settings.
You're just deflecting from the fact that you don't understand how to work your phone. Really, if you dislike it so much, disable it, set "Start Android Auto automatically" to "if used on last drive", or forget the cars you don't want to use it in and disable "Add new cars to AA". You have real options rather than complaining.
1 Like
I just added it to HD+
#shameless-plug
5 Likes
And can confirm that at least with Proton VPN you can split tunnel. Just find the SYSTEM app android autu and exclude it. It is not a normal app, at least not in proton.
