Connect phone via Bluetooth while using Android Auto

[ultrapoci]

I have a friend whose Renault Clio can connect one smartphone via bluetooth (to be used as audio source) while having another smartphone connected through cable using Android Auto. This is handy, because the driver can use their own phone for navigation while friends can select music on their own devices.

I've tried the same on my Toyota Yaris but with no luck. As soon as I connect the cable to a smartphone, Android Auto starts and overrides whatever bluetooth connection was established. I've noticed that in the connection menu, I can select phones to be connected as "Phone" or "Audio": I remember the Renault Clio also had the "Android Auto" option in its menus. This leads me to think that in my Toyota Yaris it's just not possible to have Android auto and another phone connected via bluetooth at the same time. Is this true, or am I missing something?

[CPN]

I think you may be missing something...

When you connect an Android phone via cable, you're right in that Android Auto will automatically come up on the info screen (if nav is selected) but also, as long as that same phone is paired, it will also extend its phone capability to the head unit via bluetooth from that phone at the same time.

So, it follows from that, that if you have another previously paired phone available, you may select that phone from the "Phone" menu (disconnecting the BT connection to the wired phone) while still maintaining the wired connection to your main phone for the purposes of Android Auto. However, note that it will be the BT-connected phone that will be the source of calls, SMS, etc. and not the wired phone.

n.b. Android Auto (when wired) doesn't require the use of the BT connection at all, to function.

[ultrapoci]

12 minutes ago, CPN said:

I think you may be missing something...

When you connect an Android phone via cable, you're right in that Android Auto will automatically come up on the info screen (if nav is selected) but also, as long as that same phone is paired, it will also extend its phone capability to the head unit via Bluetooth from that phone at the same time.

So, it follows from that, that if you have another previously paired phone available, you may select that phone from the "Phone" menu (disconnecting the BT connection to the wired phone) while still maintaining the wired connection to your main phone for the purposes of Android Auto. However, note that it will be the BT-connected phone that will be the source of calls, SMS, etc. and not the wired phone.

n.b. Android Auto (when wired) doesn't require the use of the BT connection at all, to function.

The problem is that Android Auto forces the bluetooth to be on, and when a device is connected through Android Auto, all other devices in the list of registered bluetooth devices are grayed out. Basically, I've found no way to disable the BT connection on the phone connected through Android Auto, or to make the bluetooth of the car to disconnect from the Android Auto device and connect to another phone.