Author Topic: Installing Android Apps on your head unit  (Read 41709 times)

doug

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Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« on: May 28, 2016, 07:52:40 PM »
There has been a very interesting thread over on xda http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/security/honda-connect-android-t3179549 that I have been following with interest.

Recently S_Mike posted a small app that allows you to allow installation of other apks (android packages) from a USB stick and set the permissions to allow them to run whilst driving:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/security/honda-connect-android-t3179549/post67016351#post67016351

I have now tested this out and have installed several apps including Sygic GPS Navigation & Maps - and it works !!!
It took an age (about an hour) to download the UK map over my home wifi, but it is all there now.

I did have to install a file manager (ES Explorer) to put the Sygic obb file (opaque binary blob) in the correct place and a screen rotator to force it to run in landscape mode http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2331514

I did try TomTom Go app, but that crashes on startup - I presume it need some of the missing Google services. Anyway I have 7 days to try out Sygic to decide if it is worth buying a permanent license for it. I might still use my TomTom on the windscreen, but it will be handy to have something built into the car.

Share and enjoy !

JazzandJag

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2016, 04:59:15 AM »
I have now installed Google Maps and it is working very well, with the ability to have the FM or DAB radio playing as well. Needed to use an old version of the application (v8.0) to ensure compatibility with Android 4.0.4. Tried the Navmii app with offline maps but like TomTom above, it crashed.

I already have the paid-for version of Sygic on my i-phone so will continue to use that via HDMI whenever I need the more advanced features (offline maps & multiple waypoints etc) but Google Maps will meet my requirements most of the time and the mapping is always the most recent available.
« Last Edit: May 31, 2016, 05:02:05 AM by JazzandJag »

Graham Dicker

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2016, 11:44:28 AM »
What's the position regarding insurance terms and conditions? Are the insurance companies happy to have people installing their own apps and changing permissions?

guest1372

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2016, 01:19:02 PM »
What's the position regarding insurance terms and conditions? Are the insurance companies happy to have people installing their own apps and changing permissions?
Swapping the whole unit for another would not require notification so long as it wasn't too valuable, so adding apps should be OK. I think the reason for lack of approved Honda app store content is one that is common to both Android Auto / Apple CarPlay as well. There is a reluctance to endorse apps that that require much interaction with the screen, for example in Android Auto you can't scroll through complete lists of your contacts it's limited to a couple of touches; voice commands are the encouraged method when moving.

The underlying 'driving without due care and attention' is probably the only restriction as hands free laws are met.
--
TG

mikebore

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2016, 06:28:59 AM »
I am picking up my Mk3 SE today and very interested in getting the Google Maps app.

I would describe myself as computer savvy for all things Apple (and Windows slightly less), but zero experience of Android. I have Mac and Windows laptops.

Could one of you please point me to some step by step instructions for getting started?

Of course I haven't had sight of the manual yet so this may help, but I suspect this thread is going well beyond anything in the manual. At this stage I am reluctant to root the head, which might null the warranty if there turns out to something wrong with the unit.

Something I read implies I can connect my iPhone directly by HDMI cable and the iPhone screen shown on the display. If correct, presumably I can have TomTom etc shown that way....a bit clunky perhaps but easy.

Thanks
« Last Edit: June 08, 2016, 07:28:31 AM by mikebore »

guest1372

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2016, 12:31:24 PM »
I am picking up my Mk3 SE today and very interested in getting the Google Maps app.
The software version is of interest to many with the Mk3, as the TA indicator, and reliability of the unit seems to improve.
See http://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=7624.0 for version/update info: HL6 standard or HL5 Nav editions

> hold down power+home+eject (or Menu+Power+Brightness from the Android screen)
> choose 'detail information & setting'
> hold 'menu' until new menu appears
> choose 'vehicle model information'
> many options for tinkering but 'DD VSP Error' can be turned off
> now HDMI input works while driving

Quote
Something I read implies I can connect my iPhone directly by HDMI cable and the iPhone screen shown on the display. If correct, presumably I can have TomTom etc shown that way....a bit clunky perhaps but easy.
By doing this it removes the 'HDMI while driving' restriction, it only lasts for that driving session.
Steering wheel buttons and screen interactions are not passed back to the phone, it's display/audio only but a whole bunch better than trying to get Mirrorlink to work.
--
TG

mikebore

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2016, 02:26:55 PM »
Thanks for the responses.

Having now had the car for all of four hours, I have been able to try out a few things. One thing that works very well is fixing my iPhone 6+ to the centre air vent with a Kenu Airframe. I have also tried connecting the iPhone with an HDMI cable. TomTom looks a bit blurred on the Connect screen, and inputs still have to made on the phone screen not the connect screen. Using the Kenu leaves the Connect screen free for other uses.

So for now I am not going to pursue installing any Android maps.

guest6397

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2016, 02:27:53 AM »
Hello,
I have 2 questions:
1) How can i install android app, such as especially google maps and any others? (Honda dealer informed me, it is not allowed to install any app, due to security reason)
2) How can i install any other maps to Navi system (it has only my country map, and Honda dealer informed me, not possible to install any other map)

Thanks in advance for your helpful assist.


andruec

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2016, 07:46:14 AM »
It is very difficult and involves circumventing Honda's 'protection'. You pretty much have to 'jailbreak' the system to let it allow you to access Google Play. But if a bit of hacking on the dark side doesn't scare you then knock yourself out:

Read the thread linked to by the first post above.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2016, 07:47:59 AM by andruec »

ColinS

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2016, 08:13:52 AM »
Just be warned, you will indubitably breech the warranty on your infotainment system and with a few people having issues, I'm not sure that I would want to take the risk.

ColinB

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #10 on: October 23, 2016, 06:22:34 PM »
At the risk of going slightly off-topic, you can of course get Google Maps on the main screen without doing any hacking or warranty infringement at all. You just set your phone up as a wi-fi hotspot, connect the car system to it, then use the browser on the car screen to go to Maps from the Google search page. To get it displaying whilst on the move you have to follow TG's instructions above which seem to apply to anything displayed on the screen, not just using the HDMI input (I make no comment on the legality or advisability of this, so do so at your own risk).
The snag - there's always one - is that the resulting map display is so unresponsive and clunky as to be practically unusable so I've not bothered apart from one experiment. Any Android wizards out there who can explain in simple terms why it doesn't really work ?

jazzaro

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #11 on: October 23, 2016, 10:18:43 PM »
Hello,
I have 2 questions:
1) How can i install android app, such as especially google maps and any others? (Honda dealer informed me, it is not allowed to install any app, due to security reason)
Follow this:
http://www.cmhonda.net/
Quote
2) How can i install any other maps to Navi system (it has only my country map, and Honda dealer informed me, not possible to install any other map)

The OEM navi system is a Garmin App, and maps are stored in a micro sd card inserted in the 7' unit. If this garmin works as all other stand-alone navi system, inside the sd card there is a folder named Garmin, and inside a file named gmapsup.img: if you change this file, you can change your maps.


andruec

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #12 on: October 24, 2016, 04:13:55 PM »
Any Android wizards out there who can explain in simple terms why it doesn't really work ?
Simple explanation: 'cos Pioneer made a bog-hole of it.

I don't know if it's due to institutional incompetence or lack of adequate funding resulting from the tendering process between them and Honda. Either way it turned out pretty much how I expected it to. Hardware manufacturers don't put proper effort into software unless it's a critical system.

We're probably paying through the nose for an under performing poorly designed system.

There's also Mirror Connect but unfortunately the head unit is only 1.0 compatible and the Android community didn't/couldn't make 2.0 backward compatible. So my new phone is recognised by the head unit but then rejected.
« Last Edit: October 24, 2016, 04:16:09 PM by andruec »

jazzaro

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #13 on: November 10, 2016, 01:35:33 PM »
Sorry, the website cmhonda.net has moved to:
http://www.cmdroid.com/

guest7238

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Re: Installing Android Apps on your head unit
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2017, 06:05:28 PM »
Doug

I hope this topic is still live. I too have successfully installed apps on my Jazz Mk 3 head unit, with the exception of Sygic. I followed the instructions on CMDroid.com, including putting the Sygic files in the root of a USB stick, but when I try to start Sygic it tries to download from Google Play and stops with an error. Can you advise what you did to avoid this?

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