Tested with Google Maps and Amazon Music, and both worked flawlessly for the limited time I used them. So far, no lag detected.

BHPian dipdawiz recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Going wireless is the norm; efficient or not, it is ergonomic, clutter-free and easy. Easy, is it? Well in most cases, it is not easy to find an option to go wireless when it comes to Android Auto (AA). Most car manufacturers, even in their top-end offerings, do not provide wireless AA. You have to use wire to connect or some sort of dongle is required. Though it is not a fully wireless option as the dongle would connect with a wire to your infotainment system, it removes the hassle of connecting/disconnecting the wire to your phone every time you get into the car.

As most users do not care if it is wired or wireless, not enough solutions to make a wired AA to wireless AA available in the market. Some Chinese dongles are present, but they are not even 1% reliable. The first reliable option came from crowdfunded Indiegogo project AAWireless back in 2020. The second option came sometime last year from Motorola, but soon the shortfall of it started coming in online forums. And it is not easy to get hold of, especially in India.

Now AAWireless is crowdfunded, manufacturing depends on bulk orders and this pandemic makes the delivery of the product not streamlined and only ships in batches. But the user base is strong, online support is available and they ship to India. However, once you get hold of one, it has many variables for it to work, I'll get to details of this.

Ordered it in January with a March expected delivery. Though product owners update the progress, there are delays not in their control and finally got it delivered 3rd week of April. Note that, the seller sends the device all duty paid shipping to India, but the Indian counterpart of the courier company would try to charge you customs duty. You just have to ignore that and send a mail or raise a ticket at cp & eb freshdesk, they take care of it.

The Device

The device comes in a small box, the back of it has the QR code to download the companion android application.

Download the app, if you are lucky, it has only 4 steps and one pre-requisite (the app will guide you). I will give the steps along with some points to make it work (possibly, it worked for my 2020 Seltos GTX+ and Samsung S21)

Prerequisite

Before you do anything, go to your phone setting, search for the advanced option of AA and enable the developer option if already not enabled. Now from the top-right menu developer settings, enable "Add wireless projection to settings".

Make sure "wireless android auto" is also enabled.

Steps to connect:

1. Start the car
2. Connect to the device using supplied USB cable to the car's AA USB port
3. It would search for AAWireless device - this time, if your car Bluetooth is already connected, disconnect from your phone Bluetooth menu. In the search screen on the AAWireless app, select AAWireless device from the list. It will connect to AAWireless device and it may ask you to give some permissions. Allow them.
4. It will launch the app in normal mode on mobile and the device would try to connect to the car's AA with all default settings.

If you are lucky, your infotainment system would show AA. But some of the troubleshooting might require from the first try only. For me two settings needed to be done for it to work.

Settings

The app interface is clean, but not many details on what options do what.

For my case, I had to set the following things for it to work. From AAWireless app, go to settings:

1. Set USB mode to MTP (from Default)
2. Set Pass through to Enabled

Voila, the infotainment system shows AA, as it used to.

After this first setup and troubleshooting, once connected, it is straightforward thereafter. If your WiFi and Bluetooth are always enabled on your phone, it would auto-connect as soon as you switch on the car. And it takes around 15 seconds for AA to be connected to car infotainment. Tested with Google Maps and Amazon Music, and both worked flawlessly for the limited time I used them. So far, no lag detected. Yet to fully use it for a longer time, will keep this thread updated.

And all AAWireless users can discuss the issues, troubleshooting and solutions in this thread.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I bought it for my wife's 2022 Hyundai Tucson & so far, the device has been very reliable.

BHPian svdxb recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone!

My wife's Tucson 2022 had only wired Android Auto and doesn't support wireless Android Auto. For a long time, we were looking for a dongle to use wireless Android Auto. AAwireless was the first dongle that was launched last year but getting it is next to impossible due to the global chip shortage.

Enter the Motorola MA1. It was announced back in January and is the first dongle that Google has actually promoted. The dongle isn't actually made by Motorola themselves but by SGW Global who have licensed the Motorola name, but who cares, as long as it works well. I pre-ordered the dongle and got it in 4 days from Amazon and had it shipped to my place through a forwarding service as the device is still only available in the US.

Design & packaging

The box packaging is fairly basic. There's nothing in the box, apart from the device, an instruction manual, and a sticky pad which you can use to fix the device at a spot in your car.

The whole idea behind this device is to just hook it to your USB port and then you never have to look at it again. You just turn on your car and it automatically connects to your phone and turns on Android Auto.

The device has black plastic with shiny on the front side. It has a non-removable USB cable with a USB A connector. There's a single button that is used for pairing but I didn't even need to press it for the initial pairing.

Performance

Getting started with the MA1 is a breeze. All you need to ensure is that your phone has been paired with your car with a cable. After that just swap the cable with the MA1 cable and then pair the device on your phone. Once pairing is done, the device starts blinking green and your phone will automatically make a direct WiFi connection to the MA1 and the Android Auto will start on your head unit wirelessly.

The first pairing with my S21 Ultra took a good 15-20 seconds but after that, all the connections are done within 10 seconds. The button on the side can be used to switch between multiple phones, but so far I haven't used it.

So far, the device has been very reliable. I have not had any disconnections at all. With the cable, I used to change the cable very frequently as Android Auto is known to be very picky when it comes to cables.

The only drawback with MA1 is battery life. Wireless Android Auto can quickly eat your phone's battery and wireless chargers can't keep up with that. So far, I haven't used it for long trips and mostly been using it for short city trips which is fine. For long trips, I would recommend plugging your phone directly into the USB.

Should you buy it or not

Yes, definitely. I wasn't expecting the MA1 to work well, given how buggy Android Auto is but it gets the job done. The convenience of not plugging your phone every time for short trips is well worth it. The price tag ($89) is a little high, but so are other AA devices too and none of them has been certified by Google.

Buy it if you go on a lot of short trips and you hate cables.

Don't buy it if your car does not have Android Auto and your phone's battery life is already struggling.

Here's what BHPian abhishek46 had to say about the matter:

Good thread, and a good purchase!

After having used both wireless and wired Android Auto in my Hyundai Creta (OEM 8-inch Infotainment system), I feel I can contribute a bit to this thread.

Wireless Android Auto

• Connects almost instantly, on startup. Takes 3-5seconds maximum.
• Once in a while, like say once every 4-6 hours of continuous use on long drives, the phone randomly disconnects.
• The audio quality sometimes deteriorates, and of course, improves on its own after some time.
• The phone can rest in a very nice 'graceful' position in the phone storage area near the gear lever & no wires to 'mess' the appearance.

Wired Android Auto

• It takes 2 seconds for me to connect the wire to the phone, and within the next 2 seconds, the connection is established.
• Never disconnects & audio quality remains consistent.
• Phone is charged up and no battery concerns at the end of the journey.
• Since there is a wired connector attached to the phone, the phone cannot rest 'gracefully' in the phone storage area near the gear lever.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The dongle currently works only for the Android Auto feature.

Motorola will soon retail the MA1 dongle which allows your wired Android Auto-equipped car to offer a wireless experience. The system works by pairing the dongle with the phone via Bluetooth, which then transmits data over 5Ghz Wi-Fi.

The dongle will start retailing in the USA from January 30th, with a price tag of US$ 90. The MA1 makes for a relatively easy and inexpensive upgrade for your car since the wireless Android Auto feature is currently offered only on premium models.

Having said that, the dongle currently works only for the Android Auto feature and especially on phones running on Android 11 and up. Another caveat with the gadget is that it doesn't offer wireless phone charging.

The MA1 dongle has actually been developed by Meizhou Guy Electronics, which has licensed Motorola's brand to sell the product.

The MPV would be the first car from Hyundai/Kia in the world to offer this feature with the 10.25-inch infotainment unit.

BHPian AbidIqbalShaik recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

According to the brochure, the 10.25-inch infotainment unit in the Kia Carens has wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. That's big news. If this is indeed true and not a mistake while typing, the Kia Carens would be the first car from Hyundai/Kia in the world to offer wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay in the 10.25-inch infotainment unit.

It makes sense when you consider that the Kia Sonet was the first car from Hyundai/Kia group to offer wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay in the 8-inch unit. Check out my post about it on Team-BHP here. Now, the Kia Carens would be the first to offer it with the 10.25-inch unit.

I've booked the Kia Sonet GTX Plus 1.5 Diesel Automatic and my biggest regret with it is that it does not offer wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay even though the cheaper HTX variant offers the wireless functionality.

If you search the internet, you'll find a number of threads on many forums across the world where people are discussing if Hyundai/Kia will update the 10.25-inch infotainment unit with wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. And if they won't offer the feature officially, people are trying to find ways to tinker with the unit to try and enable the wireless connectivity option on it.

Wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay might not seem like a big deal but they indeed are, at least in my opinion. You don't have to plug your smartphone into the infotainment unit each time you need to use Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. In my opinion, wires near the gear lever look ugly and they are also very distracting (at least for someone like me who is obsessed with keeping things organized). More importantly, you can't use the wireless charger if you want to use Android Auto / Apple CarPlay with the existing 10.25-inch infotainment units.

Considering that I will be using my car for more than 10 years, I wouldn't have to use wires for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay every day (five working days when I go to my office, I mean) for the next 10 years, if my car has the wireless connectivity option. That's a big big deal for me.

The wireless option is so damn convenient. Just get in your car and the Android Auto/Apple CarPlay will just pop up on the infotainment screen. Now, just place the phone on the wireless charger and that's it. You are all set. No ugly wires around the gear lever which will distract you while driving. Plus, you don't have to unplug the phone when you are getting out of the car. I know that unplugging is a small step but you get the gist, wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay are much more convenient.

I'm wondering if the 10.25-inch infotainment unit in the Kia Carens is the same one that we get in other Hyundai/Kia cars (with updated software to support wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay) or if it has different hardware. If it is the same unit then I'm guessing that all the existing cars with 10.25-inch infotainment units can also get wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, provided that Hyundai/Kia are generous enough to offer a software update. I'm so excited about this news.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I had the issue in my earlier Skoda Rapid as well as on the current Maruti S-Cross.

BHPian vshankarhere recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I seem to be facing a weird issue with Android Auto. Whenever I connect my phone to the HU via Android Auto and play music, the audio is routed through the car's speakers. Perfectly fine. When I initiate or get a call while the music is getting played, the call audio is routed through to the car's speakers. Perfectly fine. But the moment the call is over and the music play resumes, the audio is routed to the phone's speakers rather than the car's. This is extremely irritating. I have to disconnect and connect the phone once again to get the audio routed back to the car's speakers.

I have this issue in both my earlier Skoda Rapid's OEM RCD system and my current S-Cross' Blaupunkt New York 750. I have a Redmi Note 9 Pro running Android 11. I tried to check the same with my wife's OnePlus 7T and faced the same issue. Whereas when I connect my other iPhone with CarPlay, it is flawless!

I did google the issue and found a few posts in Android Auto's support page where most people had faced this issue with Android 10 but Android 11 seems to have corrected this. But not for me. Does anyone else face this issue?

Here's what BHPian neofromcapone had to say on the matter:

I was facing something similar, Bluetooth music was playing perfectly.

Cell phone Audio was not getting through. Tried unpairing and re-paired, no difference.

Some problem when the phone was connected via Android Auto too.

I checked online, nothing. Removed the battery for 30 mins and reconnected.

No difference.

Took it to my neighbourhood car accessory guy, removed the HU and did a hard reset, by pressing the button on the rear of the HU. Everything was back on.

Try and see if it works for you.

Here's what BHPian ananthacharya had to say on the matter:

Had this issue for years together, tried a lot of solutions posted online but none worked. I know its a lot to ask from Google to support so many phones and so many HUDs, but the base software on both sides should have at least these basic issues resolved. Finally moved to Apple CarPlay and none of these issues surfaced again!

Here's what BHPian Ashtoncastelino had to say on the matter:

What you can do is try to reset the app (Android Auto) entirely and start afresh. See if that would help it. Considering you were not facing issues previously, AFAIK it should fix the issue.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Safari also gets Wifi connectivity and a cabin air quality index feature.

Tata Motors has rolled out a software update for the Safari that adds a couple of useful features, including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The software update v18 enables wireless capability in the head unit, allowing owners to connect their Android or iOS mobile devices seamlessly with the touchscreen infotainment system.

The Safari also gets a Wifi connectivity feature that enables the occupants to connect to the internet. Another new addition is the cabin air quality index (AQI) display, which rates the quality of the air inside the cabin.

Tata hasn't made any mechanical changes besides the software update. The SUV is offered with a 2.0-litre, turbo-diesel engine that produces 168 BHP and 350 Nm. Customers get a choice of a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Thanks to BHPian Jude300 for sharing this information with other enthusiasts!

Source: Tyro Station

The unit and the installation process is the same for both the A3 and A4 models.

BHPian prateekchanana recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally, after looking at dinu2506's thread of adding CarPlay to his Audi A4 B8, I gave up on the temptation of adding it to my car as well. I have been doing a lot of research since I got the car and I finally decided to go the DIY route and give it a shot myself first and if I fail will try finding a third-party installer.

I began with the following tools:

• A screwdriver to remove the 8mm screws and plier (attached pic)
• Car play Box (ordered from Road Top)

As I mentioned I was looking for this upgrade almost since the time I bought my car, and with every new car getting this as standard, this made me miss it more and more. Before this, I have attached a magnetic mobile holder to the windscreen and use it for navigation. Even though this works fine, having the maps displayed on the car screen makes it so much more cleaner. Not having CarPlay is the single most feature I have missed most on my car since day 1.

I researched this since the days of good old Aliexpress and there were many sellers selling these boxes for all cars from BMW, Audi, Lexus to Toyota and more. Upon researching more came across a brand called Joyeauto which is famous for this. There are many brands /websites internationally which sell these boxes with their own interfaces and boot logo like RSNAV, Carsgadget and even Evoretrofits in India which a fellow BHPian used. If they had their outlet in Delhi I would probably have gone to them as well for the ease of doing things.

Doing all the research I came across a brand called Road top which was available on amazon.com, Aliexpress and had even their own website. Their box did the same thing and was much cheaper as well compared to other brands. Saw their reviews on Amazon and finally ordered directly through them. They gave the option of shipping via DHL or India post. The day I placed the order they asked me to share all the car model details and images of the centre MMI screen, along with the dashboard buttons layout and software information. Shared the same and they shipped the box 2 days later. I chose DHL and the box reached India and was delivered to me in 4 days flat from the date of shipping. DHL guys were very proactive and they collected all custom documents even before the box got shipped for quick clearance. They shared the link of the amount of customs duty to be paid as well online. The box got delivered the same day to me when I paid the customs duty.

The box was delivered on Thursday and my weekly off was Monday so I waited for the same to start installing it. Meantime I reviewed all the documents that came with it and for some reason, they sent the guide for installing it in A3 B9.

Upon contacting them over email, and even a WhatsApp number they provide told me that the installation process is the same for A3 & A4. I had seen many videos of the installation of this box but could only find one specific to A4 B9. I also learned that each box comes with some toggle switches which needs to be turned on or off according to the specific model and features of the car. As per them, I had to use the same configuration as A3 and turn on only the first three toggles as seen in the pic below.

I found another installation link from the RSNAV website in form of a PDF file which gave very detailed installation instructions as well as specific toggles to be turned on and off for each of the Audi models. Attached screenshot for the same below

(Source: RSNAV.com)

As seen from the above picture for installing in A3, the first three toggle switches need to be on, the same which were mentioned in the booklet I received, but for A4, the third switch needs to be off and the 4th needs to be on. RSNAV has very good reviews and a very active user forum so I followed this pattern of the toggle switches in my box as well.

All the views I had seen stated that the glovebox is held by 4 screws and I thought that should be easy to remove and a 10-minute job. But boy I was wrong. A couple of videos I saw of A3, additionally also required removal of side panel near the glovebox with a pry tool and removing an extra screw there, so I was ready to remove that also. I started by removing the two screws outside the glovebox in the footrest area first. They came off easily and were easy to remove with a screwdriver.

Then I removed screw numbers 3 & 4 inside the dashboard. Saw screw number 5 there and removed it too and the dashboard was still stuck. Removed the side panel and found screw number 6 and thought it's done but no. I started seeing around and found 2 more screws (7 & 8) inside the glove box just in front of the head unit and removed those two as well. Now the left side of the glovebox came out but it was still stuck on the right side. To my surprise if found the 9th screw which was the most difficult to remove as there was no space to use the screwdriver here. Below is the pic highlighting all of them. Had to manually turn the screw with the little screw holder placed on the screw and rotating it with plass. (That's where the plass was used).

It took me a good 45-60 mins to remove all of them. Finally, the glovebox came out and it had 2 cables inside, plugged for light and cooling which I did not remove and left the glove box in the foot area on top of a box making sure that the cables are not getting strained even a little bit.

Now the next step was to remove the MIB head unit, which is held by two screws according to the videos I had seen. Even though I could locate and remove these screws in 5 minutes, for some reason the head unit refused to come out.

These screws are located pointing upward and were quite easy to remove once located. I tried locating more of them and took some pictures to find them it was not easy to look inside there. The frond-end had 2 crosses with white ink and what looks like two broken screws.

Finally, the head unit came off and it was held by a couple of clips and it took some effort and force to remove it. I was afraid of applying too much pressure as I did not want to break anything so took it out very slowly. I also kept looking around for more screws as I was afraid I might find more of them in the Indian spec car just like the glovebox. Thankfully there were only two of them and the head unit came out.

After this, I noticed the wires behind it are too short to move it much further. The videos I had seen had much longer wired and they could easily place the unit in their laps. The 48pin harness is held down by a clip and I had seen the same being removed many times in the video and I could take that out. Below is the image I took before removing any cable from the head unit just in case I need to put everything back the same as the original.

The videos mentioned three similar-looking cables behind the MIB head unit, one of which is LVDS (mostly grey) and needed to be removed and connected to the car play box. My head unit only had the 48 pin harness, one pink cable and one white cable. There was a vacant yellow slot where no cable was plugged in. Upon seeing this I was a little worried that maybe the car will not support it as only one pink cable was there and one empty slot. I went ahead with the only cable that was there and assuming it was LVDS.

I was able to easily remove and attach the original 48 pin car harness in the provided cable but was not able to put the new harness connector behind the MIB unit even after multiple tries. As it contains multiple pins, I decided to remove both the LVDS and white cable and took the head unit out. This is how it looks.

It was much easier to put the new cable in the head unit now and post that I connected the LVDS cable as well. One end of cable went inside the MIB unit, one end inside the cars original connection and the third end in the car play box. The same connection pattern was followed for the 48 pin harness as well. Below is an image from the user guide I received of how it looks.

After all this, I connected the following cables in the car play box:

• Third end of the cable coming from 48 pin harness
• This end of LVDS cable
• Wifi cable with an antenna that can be stuck on or left inside the dash. (should be kept away from metal for best signal strength)
• USB connection cable.

Finally turned on the car to test the system and it worked in one go. The efforts had finally paid off and I couldn't have been happier. For audio to work, I need to select AUX in media. All of the systems have this requirement. For older cars, they even ship a cable for AMI to aux for the system to make audio work. The cable came with my box too but is useless for me.

After this, I have to long-press the media button for 3 seconds to turn the system on and it asked me to choose from CarPlay / Android Auto/ YouTube/ camera and a couple of other things. As soon a I chose CarPlay, the CarPlay screen came up and it automatically asked me to enable CarPlay over WIFI. I enabled the same and removed the cable and the car play was still working. Tried playing music, give a Siri command and both worked like a charm. (Have to keep aux selected as the source for this system to work.)

Since the beginning of my hunt for this CarPlay retrofit solution, I did not like the idea of a cable running through the A-pillar to behind the rearview mirror for the mic to work as it was done in dinu2506's car. Even though he suggested it's barely noticeable I was not comfortable with this and I found out that the newer car play boxes use the cars original Bluetooth mic and don't need any additional mics to be placed. This was a huge relief for me.

I noticed the Wifi antenna was not plugged properly but the wireless CarPlay was still working. (probably because the box was still out in the open). Plugged it back again and placed it behind the AC controls.

Now that everything was working, all connections were done now came the last step was to place the box behind the MIB unit. it took me half an hour and I tried all possible places I could but it simply refused to go in properly at any open space. A couple of places where it went partially in did not allow the glovebox to be aligned properly. After giving up on this I decided to let the box stay inside the glovebox and route all the cable from a dummy plastic which was easy to remove. The cable looks like below in the glovebox. Have removed the visible it's below and on the left side of the original MMI unit which is visible at the time of taking the below picture.

This is the only gripe I have left now with installing the box myself that I could not place behind the glovebox. I didn't try to apply too much pressure/force as I was afraid of breaking anything inside. Also in the short time, I used the CarPlay function the unit got a little hot, so did not want to keep it too close to any other part behind the glovebox where it can not pass heat properly. The good part of it being inside the glovebox is I can turn the a/c on and it can remain cool while working.

Finally tested everything once again before putting the glovebox back and it was working perfectly fine. Took 15 mins to put all the screws back, thanks to screw number 9, which took the max time. Attached is another picture of it below.

Once again tried all the functions including Maps/ Siri / Phone call / Music and everything is working like a charm. Can't wait to take the car now for a long drive and use the car screen for navigation and music instead of the phone. Cost a fraction of what I would have had to pay to any third party including evoretrofits for installation. But then the ease of getting this done by professionals without having to worry about connections also is a part of that cost. Attaching a couple of pictures of the device in action of the short trip I took to test all the functions.

The box works very seamlessly for example when I switch to reverse, the camera comes up and switches off back to CarPlay as soon as I switch to D. Also the phone connects automatically every time I turn on the car without having to switch to AUX or holding the media button to use CarPlay. It is stored in memory and works automatically after about 5 seconds or so. As it works wirelessly the phone can stay in the pocket or inside the handrest with plugged into USB for charging.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

This new feature will come in-built in all phones with Android 12.

Google has announced that they will be shutting down the Android Auto app for phone screens with Android 12. While the smartphone beaming platform itself will continue, the special Android launcher for phone screens will be killed off. The special launcher was first introduced in 2016 and featured an optimised user interface for ease of use while driving.

In a statement, Google stated that customers who use the on-phone experience (the Android Auto app), will now be migrated towards the new 'Google Assistant driving mode'. This new feature will come in-built in all phones with Android 12. The new Assistant driving mode is said to be an evolution of the mobile driving experience.

Google already rolled out the new feature in the US markets back in October 2020. However, most customers outside the US started receiving it only post April 2021. Google also stated that the Android Auto app will be killed off once the Android 12 software update has been rolled out completely.

While there is no official word from Google, it is speculated that older phones which do not qualify for the Android 12 update could see the app continue to work at least for a while. However, the app is expected to be completely removed on newer phones.

Source: 9to5Google

The EX and S variants will get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Kia recently introduced the updated Seltos in the Indian market. Now, its sister car - the Hyundai Creta is also set to get new features.

According to a leaked document, the base E variant will no longer get electrically adjustable ORVMs with turn-indicators, luggage lamp and pockets on the back of the front seats.

The EX and S variants will get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. At present, these variants lack wireless connectivity.

The top-spec SX and SX (O) variants will get an updated infotainment system that can receive over-the-air (OTA) updates, new voice commands for power window control, points of interest search, contact detail search etc. Both manual and automatic trims will get a new smart key with remote engine start and soft paint finish on the dashboard.

Source: Rushlane

Finally, I have a car with Android Auto and being a geek myself, I am trying to get the best out of it.

BHPian abhatt recently shared this with others.

Finally, I have a car with Android Auto and being a geek myself, I am trying to get the best out of it.

Use Cases

1. Select playlists and songs using the screen to play the songs using your app of preference
2. Voice search a song or a playlist
3. Play songs stored on your phone

I am yet to try #3 but some of the apps have an ability to read the local storage and hence I am assuming they would be accessible via #1 in such cases.

I am stuck getting optimal experience with #1 and #2 and hence seeking support from friends here.

Apps Tried: Wynk Music, Gaana, YouTube Music, Spotify, Amazon Music

Phone Used: Google Pixel 4a

Android Version: 11

App Versions: Latest Available

Wynk Music

I am an Airtel user and hence a heavy Wynk user. However, Wynk does not support Android Auto. This was the first setback.

Amazon Music

Since I am an Amazon Prime user, I often using Amazon Music as well. This works really well for Use Case 1. Use Case 2 sucks. Cannot do a voice search using Google Assistant.

YouTube Music

Had never used YT music in the past but thought that since this is "Android" Auto and I am a Pixel user, I should give it a shot. Unfortunately, YT Music does not work on Android Auto if you are not a Premium user which means pay more, which I won't. I was OK with Ads.

Spotify Music

All the major forums I read through suggested this works well and it looks like the majority of the users were US based. I was unable to voice search and since I had never used it before, I don't want to create new playlists unless my voice search gets resolved.

Gaana

Ganna resolves my voice search issues. Surprisingly, it works really well too. Has support for Android Auto as well. I haven't checked the screen experience but I am sure that would be fine too. Worst thing is that the music is not HD quality. Seriously? That's their way of demanding money for quality.

Now, before I end up paying for a service I wanted to get the feedback from my driving community.

Which app works for you?

Finally, it would be a fantastic help if you can raise your requests on this Tweet. I really would love to see Wynk get the Android Auto support.

Soon, I will start playing with Apple CarPlay.

Feel free to share any other interesting use cases with Android Auto barring Maps and Whatsapp.

Thanks to abhatt again. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.