Android Headunit

I'm working on an easy color change for the knobs and buttons but won't know til next werk

 

Awesome, software or hardware mod?

 

Reply from Phoenix on Samsung S8 and Android USB:

"
If you enabled usb debugging, and chose always allow when prompted, then it may be that your phone is not compatible."

Not what I wanted to hear...

 

You have to turn on usb debugging.. You will have to enable developer options to get to that option. here is how you do that.

Enable Developer Options. First up, you'll need to enable the hidden "Developer options" menu on your Galaxy S8. To do that, head to the About Phone menu in Settings, then find the "Build number" entry and tap on it seven times.

 

AK, thanks for the reply and yes I enabled USB debugging. Do you have an S8 by chance connected?

Thanks

 

I am having the temp setting issue as well on my Tundra Limited. Have TANTU HI selected in both sections and I can't even get heat....Did anyone ever figure that issue out?

Also, looking at some of sys info, the device returned API Level 19 which is Kit Kat, not Marshmallow. Kit Kat is 4.4 and Marshmallow is 6.0 with an API Level of 23 - am I missing something here?

I received a reply from seller about the HVAC issue - "values are wrong but should still work." As much as I like the HU, just too many issues and probably will be asking for a refund.

 

I found a mustang forum that is also working on the same HU and found some info that might be helpful such as changing the led lighting color changes and fixes to the "engrish". Seems to be some tech heads over there that know what they're doing with the Android OS. We need to find someone that's well versed on the Android OS like they have. They already rooted it and created different ROM's and such. Very interesting what we can do to this HU.

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75984

 

Yes I have an S8 and it connected fine. I believe you will have to connect the unit to wifi first and so the phone connect app updates and then it should work.

 

Like the HU, but the priority is the HVAC controls, if I can't get the temps to work as designed the HU is going back or for sale. To me that needs to function out-of-box as designed! Anyone else here have a Limited with this HVAC/Temp issue?

Also, AK what app are you referring to, EasyConnection?

Anyone having an issue seeing the display during the day? I will check the brightness.

Thanks

Thanks

 

Wait, so the unit it displaying 4.4.4 but when you run a diagnostic/performance app, it returning with 4.4.4? If so, that's totally misleading on the manufacturer or seller. The mustang forum members also found out the unit did not work properly with curtain model mustangs such as gt350 or ones with the premium sound systems iirc.
I hope there is an easy solution for the HVAC issue for turndras.

 

Of the people who have purchased it that are in this chat; how many have kept it? I habe a 2017 Limited and am on the fence due to HVAC issues and customer service posts.

Thanks

 

i guess im the only one still having fun with the HU . The sound quality is way better in my opinion, The HVAC is a bummer its mainly low med and high setting but here is the new launcher i settled on (NOVA Launcher)

 

Mine will be for sale Tuesday at a discount just not deal with the seller and turn over quickly if the HVAC doesn't get sorted...

 

That's strange because I found this on Phoenix Radio site FAQ.

"FAQ

3. How can I know if the radio I ordered has the hardware stated?

Some factories, sometimes requested by dishonest sellers, would revise system files to make Android head units display fake system information, so what you see in system info is not always real. You can install and run benchmark apps like Antutu on your head unit to detect the actual firmware version and hardware configuration. Antutu can also help you get a sense of the performance of Android radios by running a benchmark test. The higher the overall score from the test, the better the radio performs usually. The highest score we have seen for Android radios is 41098 for a PX5 octa-core 2 G RAM 32 G ROM one."

I'm hoping they aren't falsifying the system info.

 

Guyp2k look for the sun at very top of your screen with a number in it. That also controls your brightness

 

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AK-IN-MI or anyone else is there something we are doing wrong. I can get to my amp setting but it won't allow me to make changes. Stereo sound good, but the bass really isn't quit where it use to be....

 

Have you changed the EQ? There's another setting in the advance menu(can't remember name) you can change the eq from a few to a whole bunch of tabs to fine tune it even more.

 

Has anyone heard of car-fi? Sprint will charge me $19 for 2gigs a month to use my iPhone as a hotspot

 

I'l check tomorrow. T hanks

 

Here is a video I found on YouTube showing some settings for this radio. Maybe this will help with getting it to work. It has a bunch of settings and you need a good starting point.

https://youtu.be/Hs0GSD3kW0A

Still waiting on mine from the group buy. I did not pay for express shipping.

Hope this helps.

 

Your unit came with blue led backlighting?

 

Not my video. I found it on YouTube. You might want to reach out to the poster to see what they have to say. Updated my earlier post to say I found it.

 

Ok so here is my experience. For what it is worth. This is my personal opinion of the device, based off of what I experienced. Hopefully this will answer some of the questions that have been asked repeatedly and help someone on deciding if this unit is for them.

• I purchased my radio in the group buy for $550.00. I also paid the expedited shipping fee of $43.00. I had my unit in a week's time. It seems the expedited shipping is much, much quicker than the other option if you want yours asap.
• I received my unit without any shipping damage. However, there are two small plastic pieces with circuit boards which accommodate the airbag light and hazard switch. There are two screws in each of these so you can remove them and install the factory parts. The bottom screw holes on both of them were stripped and literally just pulled out. For the airbag light, it wasnt a huge deal. For the hazard switch, it was a big problem, because when you pressed in, the whole assembly would push in at the bottom because the screw would just push right out from being stripped. When I contacted Phoenix about it, I was told that I could try to put some silicon on it. I explained to them that I realize I could fix it. I wanted you to be aware of the problem. I decided to leave it alone until I was sure I was going to keep the unit.
• When you remove the factory headunit, or any aftermarket dashkit you have installed, there are four bolts that hold the radio into the dash, as well as plastic tabs. This unit only uses plastic tabs to hold it in place. Personally, I found it way too easy to pull the unit out of the dash.
• Like most people, I was not a fan of the LED color on the buttons and knobs. But I figured with a screen that size, I could live with it. The color was the least of the lighting issues. The LED lights (probably because there are no bolts holding the unit tight against the dashboard) bled through the sides of the radio. Completely hated this but it could be fixed with tesa tape etc. Just a quality issue for me. The light bleed was also present in the gap between the knobs and the panel of the device.
• Once I had the radio installed, I started to set it up using information I have seen in this post. The vehicle type in which the unit shipped with was TANTU LO. None of my HVAC controls worked with this setting. My fan motor was at full blast, and would not respond to any adjustments on the touchscreen controls. So, after researching this post, @AK-in-MI had posted a video of how to set the proper vehicle setting. I followed the steps and set it to TANTU HI. One thing to note with this unit, is anytime you make setting changes like this, you must reboot the device before they will take effect. Once I was able to do this, my HVAC controls started responding. That is, until I moved the temperature knobs. When moving the temp knobs, the on screen values for the temperature were jumping all over the place. See the video attached. This was a deal breaker for me. I contacted Phoenix again and I was told that my temperature should still be working, the values were just wrong. I explained to them, that is not an acceptable answer and that if no solution could be provided, I would be sending it back. I was then told he would send me a link to a software update which should fix this. He would send me the link later that day. The evening came and went and still no update. I contacted him yet again. He told me it was not released yet, that is why he didnt sent it. Finally, the day after that, he provided me with a link. When I got home, I pulled the link up to start downloading the file. The page it redirected me to was all in Chinese. I was able to make out where the download button was through the source code and when you clicked on it, nothing happened. So again, I contacted him to tell him the link was broken. His response was that it doesnt matter anyways, because the update did not fix the temperature issue! This pretty much made up my mind on my purchase...Also to note, I have a Limited with auto climate control. I think TANTU LO is used for the SR5 model but Im not 100% sure. You guys may not have the same experience that I have had. However, anyone with the automatic climate control that I have spoke with, has seen this exact same problem and has yet to come across any fix.
• The UI is not very intuitive whatsoever. When you get into advanced settings etc, there is no clear description of what is going to change if you modify a setting. For example, there is an option for DSP with the values of ON or OFF. Does this mean you are enabling some type of DSP on this unit? Or does it mean you have an external DSP and you are telling this unit to defeat any audio changes to the signal? What does it do?? This was the case for me for many of the advanced options. Some of the options are not even spelled correctly....(Engrish) etc.
• Tire pressures were not shown on my unit. Just displayed "N/A". OBDII plug was connected properly and Phoenix could not offer a solution for this.
• The version of Android is older which I did know going into the purchase, thanks to the info in this thread. I was not very worried about it because it would not be as critical as my phone would be. It had access to the Google play store to install apps, so I was good. One thing I found very quickly is that most of the apps I wanted to install, gave me an error, stating that the app was not compatible with my device. This absolutely sucked. I use apple music and there is an apple music app in the play store. Not compatible. Ok, so I will just use bluetooth to stream my music from my phone...(read about this next). So I went to download Netflix. Again, not compatible. When I contacted Phoenix about upgrading the Android version, I was told it was currently not possible.
• Streaming music over bluetooth was not a good experience. Every 30 seconds or so, there would be a pause in the music. It was very annoying. Now, I do have the iPhone X. I know its new and there could be bugs with my device itself, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I got in my wife's MDX, same device, same songs, no issues whatsoever....
• I cannot speak for the Android guys because I have an iPhone but this issue was VERY annoying. One thing I was able to download was the Sirius XM app for satellite radio. Problem is, your phone will NOT automatically connect the hotspot each time you get in the car. Everytime you have to select settings on the radio, open settings and go to hotspot on the phone, and then it would connect. You dont have to change anything, select any network (other than the initial setup) or anything like that, it just would not connect until you went through each of the steps, EVERY SINGLE TIME you get in and out of your vehicle. Granted you turned off the ignition. This was the most annoying part about it for me. Want to open google maps, sorry gotta connect your phone. Sat radio? Sorry connect your phone first. Weather? Nope......connect your phone first. Maybe it was just me, but I was over it quick.
• The boot time of the radio is slower than factory, or some aftermarket radios. Didnt bother me too much. For those interested, the backup camera will show, even when the device has not fully booted.
• The theme you see in the UI CAN be changed in the advanced settings. There is no preview, you just have to change it, restart your truck and see what it looks like. If you dont like it, repeat.
• The dials/knobs for climate control do feel cheap. I was not a fan.
• Sound quality through the preouts was not as good as my Alpine unit I was previously using. This could be because of the plethora of meaningless options they have in the advanced system settings but Im not certain. I tried several configurations. Dont get me wrong, it didnt sound horrible, but there was a distinct difference between what I had before. Both were just clean full range signals being sent to an external DSP for processing. The headunit was the only change. The adjustments for sound on the headunit itself are also lacking (if you are using aftermarket equipment).
• Screen quality was decent. It was also pretty responsive. I had the 64gb/2gb model. Some apps like Sirius XM were slow to open though.
• I could not get the device to enable USB debugging so I could install apps from USB. I had an external carplay USB adapter and the apk was on the USB the company sent. It would never read it or any other external usb I put in.

Like I said, this was based purely off of my own experience with the unit. I had many unanswered questions before purchasing and wish I had known some of the above. But you live and you learn.

So, after what I experienced above, I have decided to return the unit. I knew I was getting what I paid for. Honestly, I really expected it to work when I got it, just not last very long. Only thing I can tell you is definitely do not pay the full price for this unit.

I have contacted Phoenix and explained my issues. I asked him to send me a return label and he did send it to me but it has "Bill To Sender" on it. I have contacted them again about that since the unit is defective, I do not really feel like I should have to pay for shipping. Especially after I have already paid for expedited once. We will see how that goes.

 

Well after reading your reply about this radio I can say I’m no longer interested lol. Maybe in the future they will come out with a better product. Plus I have an iPhone as well

 

Haha sorry to ruin your interest but at least you wont have to go through the headache of installing, uninstalling, shipping back, and putting your stock HVAC back together

 

Yup totally agree with MTWiford's assessment. Great proof of concept, poor implementation. The HVAC issue is the deal breaker for me as well as a safety concern, again this should work out of the box. Requesting a refund or if anyone here is interested PM for a discounted price.

Thanks

 

How did you get the blue LED/lights on the HU, mine are red and green.

Thanks

 

So we know issues with HVAC with automatic. Can anybody confirm the functionality with non auto HVAC?

 

I also ordered one on the GB, but I was able to cancel after an email argument with the guy. He's very proud of his product and frankly, kind of a dick.

Anyway, I ordered a Pioneer AVIC8201NEX.

I've owned Android radios in the past and liked them, but quality and reliability of this one is inconsistent with the Toyota brand.