Honda Clarity
- Thread starter Rob Buran
- Start date
- Replies 15
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craze1cars
Well-Known Member
Not sure what videos you saw, but the Clarity tablet doesn’t effectively browse the web. Congrats on the new car!
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2002
Well-Known Member
The Android OS build into Clarity has a web browser but it is deactivated, there are backdoor methods to enable it but as craze1cars said it's not worth bothering with. It uses WiFi from your phone hotspot or public WiFi assuming you are parked close enough. The backdoor method isn't really that hard but it's a somewhat long sequence of "keystrokes" so to speak, which if you only had to do it once wouldn't be that bad but it only lasts as long as the car is on, once you shut off the car the web browser is deactivated again and you have to go through all of those steps again each time you want to use it.
And it only works when stopped not while driving. Even if you did want to sit in a parking lot and browse the web on your info screen it's really not usable. The processor is really slow, trying to surf the web is a reminder of the old dial-up days using a landline and modem, not to mention that the embedded OS and browser don't support all of the fancy web pages that exist nowadays so there are few web pages that are even halfway usable, or I should say 10% usable. And you certainly aren't going to be watching YouTube videos or Netflix.
fotomoto
Active Member
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Teslawannabe
Active Member
I have only had my Clarity two weeks tomorrow. Yesterday I was waiting for friends, sitting in my Clarity for about an hour having some time to kill I played with the browser. Mine came with it. I connected it to my phone hotspot and was able to go to and play Youtube. Your phone will most likely work better but it does work on mine with audio coming thru the speakers as should be.
2002
Well-Known Member
The browser on Clarity is hidden, several tedious screen presses are required to unhide it every time the car is started. You bought your Clarity used if I remember correctly, the previous owner must have installed Honda Hack which does things like remove the disclaimer screen when the infotainment screen starts up, and it also keeps the browser always unhidden.
You comment seems to imply that it doesn't work that great for you. That's true for everyone, I haven't heard of anyone actually using it because it's so slow and buggy.
Teslawannabe
Active Member
I looked into it today. If you are on Home screen it is only one tap to select Apps, from there is the browser. (Too taps total). Yes it is slow, similar to some 2017 tablets. With flagship phones now coming with up to 12gb ram, an old system like this cannot compete at all. But if you have the time, which I did and get tired of holding your phone, watching youtube you can use it, if you like.
2002
Well-Known Member
Just to repeat the previous owner of your car almost certainly installed Honda Hack, that is why you are able to get to the browser with two taps instead of going through all of the keystrokes everyone else has to. I would think it's listed as an app somewhere.
I wasn't saying that it is only as fast as a 2017 tablet and I won't use it unless it is faster, when I said unusable I mean like dial up internet connection slow. Others report similar. I use my phone hotspot with new and old computers with no problem, but with the Clarity it is like it's on dial up. On top of that most web pages don't load correctly when they do eventually load, probably because it's running an old version of Chrome, which some sites tell me but attempting to update doesn't work.
Maybe the previous owner of your car after installing Honda Hack was able to update the browser and get things working better.
Teslawannabe
Active Member
I don't see any Honda Hack listed on my vehicle however I just came across "Honda Clarity| Hands-On" on YouTube from Engadget two years ago, reviewing the brand new Clarity and at 4:40 he states the Clarity comes with a browser and app installer. The next screen he shows looks just the same as mine does... see attached screen shot from YouTube video.
P.S. Quick search of Honda Hack says to use the browser to install.:"Honda Hack helps you to install apps on your head unit and tweak the system. Honda Hack can be installed directly from the Browser app of your head unit .."View attachment 5763
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metabubble
New Member
Honda Hack is not an app you install, it is a website that uses browser vulnerabilities to install software.
I don't trust that since at any time they could also ship malware to your car...
I don't trust that since at any time they could also ship malware to your car...
Teslawannabe
Active Member
I wasn't recommending Honda Hack, merely pointing out installation instructions say to use the browser to install. I guess some have said the Clarity doesn't come with a browser or browser access with out hacking. I don't know. Some automotive journalists have showed the audio/touch interface and there was a browser in their review videos.
2002
Well-Known Member
From what I have read other Honda cars with similar infotainment as ours, previous models did at one point have the browser available in the apps, but then a couple of years ago or so they stopped doing that on new models. I don't remember if it was Civic or something else but people discovered that even on the new models the browser was still there just hidden, and there was a back door method to make it visible, however that only lasts until the car is powered off. A very similar back door method works on Clarity also that makes the standard browser visible, but like the others it only lasts until the car is powered off.
My Clarity was manufactured 11/18 and does not have the browser visible by default, Ihave to use the back door method, that seemed to be the case with everyone else until your post and petteyg359 on another thread indicating you have the browser displayed. . Maybe the initial batches of Clarity still had the browser turned on?
I initially thought Honda Hack makes the standard browser always visible it doesn't as far as I know, but it has a small list of apps that it will install including Chrome and those installed apps including Chrome are visible on the Apps menu all the time even though the standard browser isn't.
After installation Honda Hack appears in the apps list and can be launched from there. The apps that it installs like Chrome and YouTube and Google Maps remain on the apps screen all the time you don't have to launch Honda Hack to use them. You normally launch Honda Hack just to make setting changes or to install or uninstalling apps.
This is true with any app but seems unlikely. The number of users is quite small so not much to be gained by installing malware, and word would get out pretty quickly and people would stop using it.
Teslawannabe
Active Member
My Clarity build date is 3/18. Android ver 4.2.2
2002
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I suspect it is related to build date since my 10/18 also has 4.2.2. Those of us who don't have the browser displayed have to go through several back door steps to disable Android restrictions which then makes the browser icon appear on the App screen as well as a couple of other icons like Gallery. Although again this only lasts until I restart the car then the browser is gone again.
metabubble
New Member
To be fair, a browser that hasn't been updated since Android 4.2.2 should not be used anyways...