Android Auto - Am I doing something wrong???

Running on a Samsung Galaxy A51 with a cable that supports Android Auto. When I connect to the phone from the USB port, Android Auto connects on the device.

When I go to the media player app on the phone, I can select my music and it will play when I select it and hit play.

The HU on my truck (2022 TRD w/o Nav) will start to show Pandora as the audio source, even though it's not running on the device.

When I adjust the volume, either by the knob on the HU, or the buttons on the steering wheel, Pandora starts playing.

Anyone know why this is happening and how to fix it?

Thanks in advance!

 

Anyone have feedback on this?

 

I haven't experienced this with my Motorola G-something. What media player are you using? The default Samsung one? Had you recently used Pandora, is it still open in the backgorund? Have you tried using any different players?

I've used YouTube Music player and Google Podcasts to listen to audio with Android Auto with no issues like what you mentioned.

 

Does this also happen if you connect to your phone via Bluetooth instead of the USB port?

 

I think whatever audio player you are using does not support Android Auto. If I play music stored on my device, YT music and Spotify are capable of playing music stored on your phone, but I am not sure if Pandora is. If Pandora is the only music player you have installed on your phone that works with AA, it is probably trying to force Pandora to do something it is not capable of doing.

 

Spotify will do this on my Android Auto. It usually happens if I'm trying to watch/listen to a YouTube video.

If I change the volume, Spotify will play over the YouTube video automatically . I haven't found any settings that prevent it from happening. As mentioned earlier probably has something to do with the fact that youtube isn't an AA app.

If I disconnect from AA , it works fine.

 

This ^^^ was the solution!!!

I was using a generic "Media Player"... switched over to VLC and it works as I feel it should... although I'm not too sure about Android Auto quite yet. I really don't like that it has to be wired to a phone just to get a map on the screen, considering we're almost at the end of 2022 and the cost of the truck.

Bluetooth is disabled when connected to Android Auto... another "WTF" moment

I almost uninstalled Pandora, but VLC seems to be cutting the mustard

Thank you all for the great feedback!!!

 

Do the 2022 HU's have wireless Android Auto? That was one the main reason why I switched HUs.

 

A few of us are using the AAwireless device for wireless Android Auto. Works great other than wireless AA is a battery hog.

I relocated my media port into my center console, for a wire free dash and wireless AA.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/plug-n-play-wireless-androidauto.683867/

 

Mine does not appear to have that feature.

 

Then you either have Android Auto via cable connection and can use the apps that work with that, or connect via Bluetooth to the HU and have more basic features. There is also a wireless AA adapter (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/plug-n-play-wireless-androidauto.683867/) that can be used (I used this prior to getting a new HU with wireless AA) or you can get a new HU.

 

How do you like VLC as a music player? I despise YouTube Music, such a downgrade from Google Play Music. But I'm tired of every music app I like being discontinued so I'm just kind of going with the flow now.

 

I wasn't able to get any type of navigation/maps running without using AA... is there a different solution that doesn't cost anything extra?

I only installed it last night, haven't really gotten around to really using it yet but have been on a several month mission to convert all my digital music back to .mp3 and used VLC for the conversion. The previous Media Player was garbage... it 'worked' but had ads and was getting overridden by Pandora when I adjusted the volume. That isn't happening with VLC.

Working with almost 17K songs, so I wanted to get away from multiple USB drives. Given that there is only a single USB port, and AA requires a cable, I feel like I don't have a whole lot of options that don't involve spending more $$$.

And yeah, losing Google Play music was a bit of a bummer... I still remember the 3 days it took to upload everything from an external HD back in 2012

Anyone have thoughts on why Bluetooth is disabled when using AA?

 

Does it disable bluetooth by default now? In the past, sound quality and volume suffered when they were both active. I had to disable the media and calls feature in the bluetooth options for the tacoma to improve the sound. I could never get bluetooth to play music at acceptable volume levels on the JBL system, so I just disconnected the bluetooth connection to the truck on my GalaxyS21.

There have been treads discussing this, and I think it is more of an issue with head unit software instead of AA in general, but for some reason they don't play nice together. Volume and sound quality suffered when bluetooth and AA were both active. Maybe they "fixed it" just by disabling bluetooth while AA is running instead of fixing why.

 

Since Toyota has figured out the "oh you mean we can get them to pay MORE???" game, I am not surprised.

 

I don't think it will fix this problem, but there was a head unit update issued by Toyota that you can download and install yourself with a flash drive. Just go to Toyota Owners online with your head unit number and download the update to a blank flash drive. It is a fix for head unit shutting down among other things.

 

How do I check for my current version? I know I have seen the process somewhere around here, but can't seem to find it right now...

 

Go to Menu/Setup/Software Update . That will show you the head unit ID for Audio and Navigation, and the current versions for both. If Toyota.com has a larger number version of either, select the one for your head unit/navigation, and download it to a blank flash drive. Install that in the USB port and go to Software Update/Check for updates. You probably want the truck running as it could take a few minutes to install the updates. You can verify these instructions are correct at Toyota.com when you download the updates.

 

Thread Resurrection Time!!!

I have about had it with VLC player, after changing mobile devices.

What other "free" players will work with Android Auto and a stock Taco head unit?

 

I've been using Spotify and it plays well with the factory head unit on my '22. Phone is a Galaxy S21.