Looking for infotainment options for my Android(Pixel 6)

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1stRegeeEV

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Hi, my mini will be here soon and I don't know why I have such anxiety about being able to use my Android with the infotainment system. There just isn't a lot of info about it. So I'm searching for options. Does anyone have any information on using the MMB boxes? This is one as an example. Any other info will be greatly appreciated also.
Thanks!
 

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We only have wireless input for CarPlay but most of these boxes are USB based. If you do find some sort of emulation device (something that pretends to be CarPlay but is actually Android Auto) it would need to be entirely wireless.

There are a few posts about using the MINI apps system to approximate Android Auto but it seems limited. Personally I’d just get a cheap iPhone to leave in the car and tether to your Android for data.
 
I had an iPhone but did not like the erratic Car Play function very much. Now I have a Google Pixel 6 Pro and connect it via Bluetooth to the infotainment system. I have a phone holder with wireless charging stuck to the wind shield and can see the screen while driving. It works very well and Waze is easier to follow on the phone screen anyway.
 
Have a Pixel 6 as well. Might be in the minority, but I have never understood the desire for Anroid Auto/Carplay when the built in infotainment is well implemented. Might be "old school" by today's standards but I just use the bluetooth to stream whatever I want like @Fredrik Lidén stated.
 
Pixel 6xl here as well. I use the Bluetooth to play music, and usually use Google maps on my phone if needed. Also don't mind using the built in navigation sometimes too. The infotainment screen has notifications when I get texts on my phone as well. Doesn't bug me at all not having android auto.
 
Darrell Hayes said:
I tried getting a leftover iPhone 6 to work without the sim for over an hour, but gave up. It seems like the sim might be a requirement
Click to expand...
I might try that tomorrow, I’ll pull the SIM from my iPhone and make it hotspot to an older Android KitKat that still has some rollover pay-go data on it. Fun experiment.
 
Carsten Haase said:
That's the problem though, the built in infotainment is not well implemented at all (IMO).
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And maybe I’m in the minority, but I don’t find the SE’s iteration of CarPlay all that buggy or problematic. IMO it works much better than the recently (and frequently) updated wired CarPlay in the Subaru. The only couple or three times I had trouble reconnecting was my own fault, having forgotten to turn Wi-Fi back on before returning to the car.
 
I use carplay quite a bit and the only time I've found it to be a bit quirky is when the iPhone's hot spot is enabled. I also prefer the iPhone's TomTom based routing and GUI over Google and Waze. Then there is that privacy thing. .. but I digress.
 
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Only CarPlay problem here is periodic slow to wake up and get going after starting car - but the vast majority of the time, wireless CarPlay is amazing. I just wish BMW would stop thumbing its nose at Android users.
 
I've had a pretty much flawless wireless CarPlay experience, except for the week or two when BMW disabled it in my car remotely due to a server issue :eek:.

Oh, the one notable issue is not releasing the audio after a phone call (which seems to be back in iOS 16), but that's been an Apple bug.
 
1stRegeeEV said:
Hi, my mini will be here soon and I don't know why I have such anxiety about being able to use my Android with the infotainment system. There just isn't a lot of info about it. So I'm searching for options. Does anyone have any information on using the MMB boxes? This is one as an example. Any other info will be greatly appreciated also.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Crossposting so you see this as well:

I just saw this over in the British forums, but haven’t tried it (I think my Android is too ancient).

https://github.com/BimmerGestalt/AAIdrive

If you decide to try this, please let us know how it works!
 
I use AAIdrive with my 6a and the Spotify integration is pretty good.

I'd like to have Waze on the infotainment, but I'll live. The built-in navigation is pretty good, but Waze is better IMO.
 
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