Toyota Not Implementing Android Auto Due To Privacy Concerns

article : https://www.motor1.com/news/239477/toyota-android-auto-privacy-concerns/

If you’re hoping to drive a new Toyota with Android Auto anytime soon, you will be disappointed. The Japanese automaker, which has resisted both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for several years, is still leery of Android due to privacy concerns. It was only this past January when the company announced Apple CarPlay would come to the 2019 Avalon – a first for any Toyota product.

“We’re a conservative company and we wanted to make sure everything was okay,” said Mark DeJongh, Avalon’s Executive Program Manager, about the company’s stance against Android Auto. He spoke during a Toyota first-drive event this week. “We wanted to protect our customers privacy. We strongly believe in our stance and in what we’re doing.”

Toyota has been one of the few automaker slow at implementing these in-car infotainment systems. The company’s concerns with Android date back to mid-2015 when the Japanese automaker was leery of both Android and Apple’s in-car infotainment systems. At the time, several other automakers were concerned about giving full control of the connected car experience to third parties, which is why even today many still offer their own proprietary systems along with Android and Apple.

Just months after Toyota opted to continue with its own propriety in-car infotainment system in 2015, there was a bombshell report from Motor Trend accusing Google of collecting a treasure trove of unnecessary data – especially when compared to Apple. According to the publication, Google collected “Stuff like vehicle speed, throttle position, coolant and oil temp, engine revs—basically Google wants a complete OBD2 dump whenever someone activates Android Auto…. Apple, by way of stark contrast, only wants to know if the car is moving while Apple Play is in use.”

Google refuted these accusations, but only partially so, saying in a statement to Gizmodo at the time, “We take privacy very seriously and do not collect the data the Motor Trend article claims such as throttle position, oil temp, and coolant temp. Users opt in to share information with Android Auto that improves their experience, so the system can be hands-free when in drive and provide more accurate navigation through the car’s GPS.”

Google didn’t refute it was collecting data on engine revs and vehicle speed, which it said was for "more accurate navigation." If anything, the news helped Toyota’s case for avoiding Android Auto at the time. Fast forward three years later, and privacy is still a concern for the company, which is why there'll be no Android Auto in a Toyota or Lexus anytime soon.

 

I'll settle for navigation that isn't dogshit. I dont care if it is Carplay, Android Auto, or Entune that delivers that to me. BUT I WANT IT!

 

I wonder if just pairing our android phones to the truck gives them info.

 

I was all for Android Auto couple of years ago. With recent events, not so much anymore. Google is becoming the evil they sucked us into believing they were not going to be. Bait and switch. Glad now that Toyota held the line.

Edit:. I can deal with some inconvenience.

 

The stock navigation would be fine if it didn't have 2 big problems:

1-Inaccurate times during traffic, I have tested this multiple times an a trip that was regularly an hr long with no traffic. Entune was showing me a route that took 1:20 mins, and google maps showed the exact same route as 1 hr 59 mins due to multiple accidents.Yes Entune showed me the same routes as google maps but the driving time is always way off.

2-Updating the maps is ridiculously expensive.

 

Google is pure evil; but I still want Android Maps, as opposed to the totally worthless "Toyota Traffic Maps".
Be nice to see traffic down to street level; as opposed to Toyota maps, highway traffic red/green colored maps only, with the ugly orange bar on it making it impossible to see red/green anyway.
And the so-called "weather map" is equally worthless; sitting in rain last year, with no weather on the weather map. Yes, I did have the contrast adjusted.

 

Not likely, there are certain profiles that are used for phone, contacts and audio. There'd likely need to be more for the phone to be able to obtain OBDII data from the head unit.

I'd suspect the head unit needs to be running Android Auto to be able to access that stuff, then an Android phone would be able to get that information through the Auto app on the phone.

Barring having Android Auto running in the head unit, I doubt any information is obtained.


I'd still rather have Android Auto. I've got that Entune Plus with that stupid bullshit navigation app. It's shit. I tried it out once and uninstalled the app. I'll just use my phone for nav.

 

Nav is partially a BS option anyways. I rarely use it in my company vehicle.

 

Android Auto Tacoma 2015-UP

Status, Bench testing. I am able to navigate and control(most of the functions) thru Android Auto menus, music, nav, phone etc.
I would like to credit all to the OpenAuto and Crankshaft project for all the hard work that they have put into these. There are
lots videos on how to prepare the raspberry pi with AA. The part that I could not find was how to control it. Instead of using GPIO's, touchscreens
or other options. I choose to use what I had available, trying to keep the stock look.

----------SetUP---------------
Hardware
AV input Cable for Tacoma
Raspberry Pi B or B+
Bluetooth multimedia controller
USB cable for your phone
Component Cable
-optional
-Pi auto power supply
-3 Amp direct usb connection

Android Phone (Samsung S8 -mine)

Software
Raspbian
-Download
--https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/
-Install
--https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/README.md


openauto or crankshaft
-Install
--https://github.com/f1xpl/aasdk/wiki/Build-instructions
--https://github.com/f1xpl/openauto/wiki/Build-instructions



Bluetooth multimedia controller(Android Auto Interface Navigation)
AA is designed primary to get input via touchscreen.
OpenAuto have the following keyboard mappings already built.
-------------------------------------------------------
const QString message = QString("Enter -> [Enter] \n")
+ QString("Left ->
\n")
+ QString("Right ->
\n")
+ QString("Up -> [Up] \n")
+ QString("Down -> [Down] \n")
+ QString("Back -> [Esc] \n")
+ QString("Home -> [H] \n")
+ QString("Phone -> [P] \n")
+ QString("Call end -> [O] \n")
+ QString("Play -> [X] \n")
+ QString("Pause -> [C] \n")
+ QString("Previous track -> [V]/[Media Previous] \n")
+ QString("Next track -> [N]/[Media Next] \n")
+ QString("Toggle play -> /[Media Play] \n")
+ QString("Voice command -> [M] \n")
+ QString("Wheel left -> [1] \n")
+ QString("Wheel right -> [2]");

--------------End Setup-------------------------------------


----------Interface Navigation-----------------

Pair your Bluetooth multimedia remote. This is the one I used(5WINEX19). It was included on a cheap VR headset. It is basically a multimedia controller(Play, Stop, etc.)
https://fccid.io/2ALA65WINEX19/User-Manual/Users-manual-3327920

Once it was paired I "sniffed" the value of each button pressed value using the following:

xinput test-xi2 --root

Press the button on the Bluetooth controller. You should get the numerical value of each key.
Once all buttons values has been found it is time to remap them to match the matching keyboard codes to control AA as shown above.

Change key Maps Tutorial
--http://xahlee.info/linux/linux_xmodmap_tutorial.html

Example:
nano /home/pi/.Xmodmap

keycode 122 = Up NoSymbol Up

Save the file.

Run: /home/pi$ xmodmap Xmodmap
--Now when the Bluetooth sends the key code 122 for example it the OS will translate it to the up arrow character.
--I will post my config file later.


I will update this post later or maybe create a image with all pre-configured.​

 

I don't think the navigation is terrible. It's definitely not as well done as Google Maps or even Apple Maps, but I like having my driving destination and directions on the center console, rather than looking down at my phone.

You can update maps?

 

Are you saying you've got a RasberryPi to interface with Android Auto, and read commands from the stereo deck inputs and translate that back to Android Auto...i.e. almost full android auto functionality???

 

Check out openauto and crankshaft projects on google or youtube. That gives you the Android Auto interface to plug your phone.

For controlling the interface I am using a bluetooth controller. In theory any bluetooth controller should work(wii, xbox etc) if you can read and remap the inputs.

Thanks

 

Oh, I see now, you're using a game controller to control the Android Auto functions. I thought you were tapping into the head unit to use the touch screen inputs.

 

I’m cool with it. I wouldn’t mind Apple, but I do not want google. Good thing my truck has neither.

 

Also, the maps are HORRIBLE about road names. The road names seem to always be off screen, making that kinda useless if you're in an area you don't know.

 

LOL, if you though nav was bad, you guys should try using the nav function in Utah where we have grid addresses, not number + street name addresses i.e. 463 W 1600 S. I have tried and failed SO MANY TIMES to get it to work.

 

Well, it seems that voice commands are working.

 

I drove an Expedition a couple weeks ago that had Apple CarPlay and I generally didn't like it. The Navigation looked horrible compared to the Ford system and I couldn't find my way back to the home screen outside of CarPlay to get to any of the other vehicle functions. Maybe I just needed to spend more time with it, but it didn't seem great to me. You basically have two different operating systems depending on if the phone is plugged in or not, and one of them (CarPlay) only has like 4 functions.

The one thing I liked about it was how easy it was to send and receive messages. I don't usually do the voice to text or have my car read messages, but it worked so well in this that I actually used it.

 

It's ironic isn't it? Even if they don't currently use data collection against us, they are building the tools for whoever decides to.

 

Hi,

Fixed the issue of lack of Android Auto and Apple Car Play.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-trd-sport-4x4-iying-android-radio.609632/