Combining Android Auto and classic bluetooth handsfree

[ondravojta]

Hi,

I have brand new Corolla TS (Comfort + Tech Packet). I successfully set up Android Auto using usb-c cable connection. But I don't need Android Auto every ride and I don't want to connect phone with cable every time. But if I don't do it, phone stays disconnected from car and even classic bluetooth handsfree does not work. I have to open connections menu, disable Android Auto, enable bluetooth handsfree for this device and connect phone. And from this time it is automatically connecting phone with bluetooth handsfree as expected until I use Android Auto again. It is really annoying behavior. Is it normal? Is there any workaround? I simply want to use Android Auto for Waze from time to time, but I want by able to use handsfree for calls every ride.

Thanks.

[Extreme_One]

30 minutes ago, ondravojta said:

Android Auto for Waze from time to time, but I want by able to use handsfree for calls every ride.

When your phone is connected as Android Auto it uses bluetooth for the hands free phone connection anyway.

Android Auto wireless dongles seem hit and miss, I tried the AAWireless and couldn't get it to work.

I simply connect the phone via USB every time, if I want to use Waze I switch to the Android Auto screen, and otherwise I stick with the standard Toyota screen.

So I keep Android Auto running in the background for music and phone calls.

When I need to take a phone call it comes through wirelessly via bluetooth.

Hope that helps...

[AndrueC]

I only use Android Auto (which requires a cable for me) when using sat nav. Switching from BT to AA is seamless. Going the other way I have to select BT as the audio source but that's all.

I use my phone to stream music to the car (using PowerAmp these days) and it works well in both cases.

[Don Mac]

3 hours ago, ondravojta said:

... I have to open connections menu, disable Android Auto, enable bluetooth handsfree for this device and connect phone. And from this time it is automatically connecting phone with bluetooth handsfree as expected until I use Android Auto again. It is really annoying behavior. Is it normal? Is there any workaround? ...

Unfortunately this is normal, for a Toyota. For whatever reason they have the infotainment set up to connect your phone either direct to the car for calls etc. or as an Android Auto device, but not both at once (although other brands are fine with this) This, apparently, also causes problems for wireless Android Auto adapters.

Workarounds - either connect via cable every time (there are cables with magnetic connectors which work for AA) or get a wireless adapter. I have an AAWireless, which works seamlessly. (Full disclosure - it went through a spell of not connecting automatically recently, apparently brought on by an AA update, but this has now been cured. Other people have not been able to get this, or other, wireless adapters to work - this may be down to phone make/model [speculation])

[ondravojta]

Thank you for all replies. So it seems that it is a bad infotainment design from Toyota. 

I would not mind if I had to connect phone by cable and turn something on to use Android Auto. I consider Android Auto as something special, so it is ok. But re-enabling classic bluetooth handsfree after every use of Android Auto is really annoying "feature".

[yossarian247]

Thats strange. I'm sure in my 2020 Corolla if I connect via the cable it defaults to Android Auto, and if I disconnect the cable it automatically defaults back to using bluetooth handsfree again?

[AndrueC]

4 hours ago, ondravojta said:

I would not mind if I had to connect phone by cable and turn something on to use Android Auto. I consider Android Auto as something special, so it is ok. But re-enabling classic bluetooth handsfree after every use of Android Auto is really annoying "feature".

I think it makes sense. The source for music was AA and after removing AA how can the infotainment unit know which source to switch to?

They could've programmed it to revert to the last known good source but what if the last known good source is also not available - is the infotainment unit supposed to maintain a list of good sources and track back through each one until it finds one that is available?

I suppose an alternative would be to allow the user to specify a default source or provide a list ordered by preference - but what if the alternative source is not available either?

Both of the above solutions are complicated and would be a pain to test and document.

I think it's reasonable for the infotainment unit to just do nothing if the last known source of music is no longer present. If I remember correctly selecting the audio screen shows the possible sources so it's only a couple of taps of the screen to resume BT sourcing.

[ondravojta]

21 hours ago, AndrueC said:

I think it makes sense. The source for music was AA and after removing AA how can the infotainment unit know which source to switch to?

I don't really care about audio source. I just want to be able to accept incoming phone call all the time. And don't have to remember to reconnect phone because day before I used Waze on AA. 

It is not something terrible. I find it just quite annoying. 

[Extreme_One]

51 minutes ago, ondravojta said:

And don't have to remember to reconnect phone

I know it's not the perfect solution for your needs, but why not simply connect your phone on every journey, regardless of if you want to use Android Auto?

At least that way you won't forget as it'll just become routine.

[Extreme_One]

22 hours ago, AndrueC said:

The source for music was AA and after removing AA how can the infotainment unit know which source to switch to?

Why can other manufacturers manage without issue?

I've driven Skoda, VW, Seat, Ford, Fiat, Kia and they all manage to seamlessly switch between Android Auto and standard bluetooth connection.

The Corolla is the only car I've ever driven which struggles.

[AndrueC]

15 minutes ago, Extreme_One said:

Why can other manufacturers manage without issue?

When choosing to include something as complicated as an infotainment unit in a car there are a lot of possibilities but limited time and budgets. Toyota and/or whoever they paid to write the software just made different choices. They weren't wrong choices just different ones.

Another possibility might be down to how AA wasn't originally included and perhaps this was the best solution they could come up with when they added it.

We can only hope that the infotainment unit excels in other areas or that Toyota put more effort into other areas of the vehicle such as reliability or the drive train.

My reply was not an attempt to defend Toyota, merely to explain the likely reason behind why it does what it does. Ultimately all aspects of a vehicle are subject to compromise and it's up to us to choose whichever vehicle comes closest to our ideas of perfection.

[Extreme_One]

55 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

My reply was not an attempt to defend Toyota, merely to explain the likely reason behind why it does what it does. 

I think you've misunderstood me or missed the point.

You said:

23 hours ago, AndrueC said:

I think it makes sense. The source for music was AA and after removing AA how can the infotainment unit know which source to switch to?

You said that the solution Toyota employed "makes sense" because "how can the infotainment unit know which source to switch to?"

How do all the other infotainment units know?

But it really doesn't make sense because Toyota seems to be the only manufacturer who's infotainment system cannot "know which (audio) source to switch to". 

All the other Android Auto head-units that have been available for the last 7 or 8 years have been able to cope.

What should happen is: driver switches on power to the car, bluetooth connection is established, if you then plug in the USB cable Android Auto is established, if you unplug USB cable Android Auto stops and a bluetooth connection is re-established.

The fact Toyota's system doesn't do that means they made a mistake. That's all. They've added an unnecessary layer of complexity to an issue that was solved years ago.

They could potentially rectify it with an OTA update but I doubt they will.

And, for the record, it's not a deal-breaker for me, I'm happy enough plugging in the USB cable on every journey (see above) but that doesn't mean I can't recognise a blatant issue.

[AndrueC]

No I think it's you who don't understand how complex systems are designed and built. The infotainment unit doesn't crash and there is a very simple solution to the problem. At most it's a minor usability gripe. Even you say it doesn't bother you much.

I was a software developer for over thirty years and I can assure you that every software project has a list of 'wouldn't it be nice if...'. items. Most also have a fairly large list of 'We really should fix this..' items which are more important.

At some point someone has to draw the line otherwise nothing would ever get completed. Exactly where that line gets drawn depends on the project resourcing. Some times I've agreed with where it got drawn, other times I've felt that management have got it wrong - usually by cutting too many things out but once or twice by actually not being strict enough.

Different companies have different resources and targets and unless we're talking about something that is preventing users from using a particular feature then we just have to try and accept it.

[Extreme_One]

35 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

No I think it's you who don't understand how complex systems are designed and built.

lol if you say so.

35 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

The infotainment unit doesn't crash

You think that's special? The ones I've used from Skoda, VW, Seat, Ford, Fiat, Kia etc also didn't crash, and yet they were also able to handle a seamless transition between Android Auto and standard bluetooth.

The other manufacturers are simply conforming to the standard way of solving the issue.

Anyone that has used Android Auto over the last few years will notice how odd it is that Toyota can't manage that standard method.

35 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

and there is a very simple solution to the problem. At most it's a minor usability gripe.

Indeed. I've already recommended a workaround and explained how I get around it.

But the fact one needs to find a solution to a problem that shouldn't exist only reinforces the fact there's an unnecessary problem.

35 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

I was a software developer for over thirty years

Riiiiiight. So when you said your reply was not an attempt to defend Toyota, what you really meant to say was "if I was responsible for the Toyota software, these would have been my excuses for why it doesn't conform to the standard..." 😉

Anyway, when you said:

“how can the infotainment unit know which source to switch to?“

That made it clear you don't fully understand the issue and the way it usually works.

😉

35 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

'wouldn't it be nicec if...'.

This isn't a "wouldn't it be nice if..." issue.

It's more like "let's ignore the standard accepted way everyone else does it, and make our system just a teeny bit broken!"

🤣

[2badmice]

Why would you not use AA all the time?

It's not just for navigation.  music, Calls, messages, weather, news, Home Assistant.  Just plug it in and let it be your daily, or look into wireless AA and enjoy not having to plug your phone in.

[Extreme_One]

@ondravojta I've been playing today. I'm not sure what's changed.

Now if I plug the phone into USB Android Auto is active.

Then if I unplug the phone from the USB cable it automatically switched to bluetooth for phone.

"Use for media remains" off either way, but then if you want to use your phone for music just use Android Auto as it's much better quality than bluetooth anyway!

 

Anyway, might be worth trying again....

Good luck.

[Paul john]

On 1/17/2024 at 7:17 AM, ondravojta said:

Hi,

I have brand new Corolla TS (Comfort + Tech Packet). I successfully set up Android Auto using usb-c cable connection. But I don't need Android Auto every ride and I don't want to connect phone with cable every time. But if I don't do it, phone stays disconnected from car and even classic bluetooth handsfree does not work. I have to open connections menu, disable Android Auto, enable bluetooth handsfree for this device and connect phone. And from this time it is automatically connecting phone with bluetooth handsfree as expected until I use Android Auto again. It is really annoying behavior. Is it normal? Is there any workaround? I simply want to use Android Auto for Waze from time to time, but I want by able to use handsfree for calls every ride.

Thanks.

I use a Carlinkit v5 (2air) adapter that converts wired to wireless.

works seamlessly 5-8 second connection time,  been using it for nearly a year in my prius with CarPlay.

supports AA to AA head unit and CarPlay to carplay head unit.