Some real first impressions, now that I've got the core stuff working:
- Voice control for navigation, text message (sending), and even Google Play Music works as intended. Really like it for the first two options. I was using Samsung's standard "Messages" app for SMS, and AA successfully sent the message I dictated through the stereo.
- Google Maps is very nice; love the traffic option. The street name calls from the Google Narrator leave a bit to be desired; some of those readings are plain awkward. However, using a Google voice command to find something as general as a supermarket when you are in a location you've never been to is worth the price of admission. I also like that you have the option to actually type the destination if you so please.
I agree with those who would want Waze as an alternative; maybe it will be here in the future, since Google owns it, but who knows. I have a feeling their interface doesn't play too nice with the intended design of Android Auto. For now, if you want to use Waze through your car, I would best suggest one of the Kenwood head units listed above in conjunction with their full/true mirroring control. Pioneer's Smartphone control via HDMI/AppRadio is rubbish for the most part. To have the control most users want here, you will 1) need to root 2) pay up for an app that gets through all the BS. I don't know how Kenwood did this w/o root, but if you want a full mirror alternative, go for one of their 2014 head units. The 9702S/9902S may have the same AND AA/CarPlay to choose from.
- The "home screen" isn't showing much to me besides the weather and places I've driven lately, and I believe this might be because notification access to Android Auto keeps getting reset. If you're on a Samsung phone, and you have these issues outside of AA (say, with Android Wear or Pebble devices), you might have to manually set the permissions for AA in Sound/Notification options in Settings. I haven't gotten a text message yet.
- Phone control is great for one reason, the ability to MUTE without touching your phone. Every single head unit I've had with Bluetooth phone controls omits this feature for some odd reason. If you've used Google Now as your voice control to find a contact, you can do that for the phone controls here. There is no contact browsing, but you do have recent call history which (for me) is easy enough. There's also a soft dialer available, which is nice for conference calls that force you to use dial-in codes, etc. Or just to dial a number you know.
However, unless the latest AA update fixed this, if you're in a call before you connect to AA, it won't resume while in AA. On the Pioneer, their Bluetooth controls take over and they don't translate to AA. However, if you plug in the phone before a call, AA's phone control supersedes that of Pioneer's, which is a neat feature.
- and now on to Music. I imagine this is adequate for many users, but this is where AA falls flat for me. Forced to use voice commands to go through the library, no seek/rewind functions while in a track, just this basic "control" of your music library reminds me of the first implementation of Bluetooth Audio in car stereos. Google is going to be stubborn about menu browsing and whatnot, which means that I'll stick to using my phone for downloaded podcasts only and cling as tightly to my iPod as possible. Hopefully enough people complain about this to get them to make a better UI or more "freedom" of control.
Pioneer's iPod (and even Bluetooth controls in some cases) are miles above this. Google needs to take a page from Apple and make this more usable.
(I also think that Google Play Music needs to make their menus browsable via Bluetooth as well, so when we're not using AA we can get a good music-browsing experience, but meh...)
So here it is.
Best parts of AA are basically everything except the Music controls and especially Google Maps, which is why I wanted it in the first place.
I got the 8100NEX, and AA integrates pretty much well with Pioneer's UI. It works together with it, rather than letting it do its own thing. I like the ability to use an iPod while in AA, and Pioneer's iPod control (absent the way A-Z search is implemented; that is not really safe for driving) is VASTLY superior to any other I've used. I also like they have physical buttons for track back/forward that when held, can fast forward and rewind. This translates nicely to the steering wheel (with the proper adapter). The sheer connectivity of this HU is out of sight for non-smartphone use. Doing some routine things are just easy. However, if you have any Pioneer head unit, CarPlay or Android Auto is the best way to get the most out of your phone while driving; AppRadio might as well put a "CR" prefix before its name, MirrorLink is DOA, and HDMI "control" is toilet. Kenwood units offer more in that arena.
I hope the OEM implementation of this includes more than one USB port where it's used over time. I don't think I'm ready to use the phone for everything.
Most of all, AA needs to SCRAP the requirement that you be "parked" or be more open about how that is implemented to get it set up. Besides phone compatibility, this was the most frustrating part of the process. I don't think Apple users need to worry about this with CarPlay, and this is a case of Google being way too "safe".
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