New to Android Auto - Need help for dummies from an android capable user :)

[JTSmith]

I have android auto car stereo touch screen 9" I purchased for my 2010 Titan. Truck has a Rockford Fosgate stereo and does have hands free phone calling from factory which goes through speakers. It doesn't seem to have blue tooth for audio from phone that goes through car speakers but has the 3.5 mm jack. I bought just a standard blue tooth adapter that goes in the jack. My problem is I can't get audio files to go through to my car speaker using Android Auto from things like You Tube music and I can't hear navigation from maps app through speakers. If I don't have the android auto play connected, I can hear music through my car speakers by just using the blue tooth adapter and my phone. Another weird thing, when I choose FM on the android auto, it does allow me to hear and control the FM radio with the touch screen. Do I need a different blue tooth adapter for the stereo so it can communicate between the stereo and the Android Auto. It seems to me that there may be a conflict. When I look at my connections on my phone, it shows Wi-Fi connection through android auto and won't let my phone connect to blue tooth adapter plugged in to 3.5mm jack at the same time. Any suggestions appreciated!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I moved this from the Introductions forum to the Ask A Question forum, since it's not really an intro.

I probably won't be able to help, but first let's confirm that this is an actual Android Auto head unit vs one of those no-name or off-brand head units that runs full Android (and are more likely to be glitchy, with zero support). What's the manufacturer and model number of the head unit?

 

[JTSmith]

Welcome to Android Central! I moved this from the Introductions forum to the Ask A Question forum, since it's not really an intro.

I probably won't be able to help, but first let's confirm that this is an actual Android Auto head unit vs one of those no-name or off-brand head units that runs full Android (and are more likely to be glitchy, with zero support). What's the manufacturer and model number of the head unit?

Thank you. Manufacturer is LeadTree. Definitely off brand. Not sure about the model. ASIN - B0DHRS8S6J I noted on the side that it does have an 3.5 mm auxiliary connection. Should I try buying an auxiliary cable and plugging it from the unit to the car stereo 3.5mm jack. Would that eliminate the need for a blue tooth adapter all together? Thanks for any help.

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[B. Diddy]

Do you mean Leadfan? I can't find anything when I search "LeadTree" online.

 

[JTSmith]

Here is link to Amazon for the unit I bought with all description:

9 inch HD Portable Wireless carplay Screen for car & Android Auto Touchscreen with 4K Dash Cam/1080P Backup Camera/Mirror Link/Navigation/Voice Control/Car Stereo/Drive Play/Bluetooth
https://a.co/d/24omLKV

 

[VidJunky]

Welcome to Android Central forums.

Looking at the ad you linked to it shows AA working over either BT or WF and does not appear to offer any USB connection options. For AA to work over BT your device needs to be Android 11 or newer and over WiFi A10 or newer. As for your question about the 3.5 mm jack, I do not believe the result would be any different wired or with the transmitter because we're talking about the connection between the head unit and the vehicle, correct? These transmitter devices typically only connect to one device at a time which is likely why you are not able to connect both devices to the transmitter and hear audio directly from your phone. I would assume that you would have to play, audio from an app on the head unit, using your mobile device to supply network/internet to the head unit. One other thing to consider is do you have YouTube Premium? This may be why you don't have audio for this app. It sounds like YT blocks its use with AA without a subscription. Its the same if you try to play music with the screen off, YT blocks it without a subscription.

I guess the most obvious question I have is did this come with any manual at all and have you looked through the manual to see it's recommendations?

I attempted to look up your head unit and see if I could find anything on it and was not able to find anything. The same as B. Diddy I got returns for Fin but not Tree, although I did see in the listing it shows Tree. My guess is it's like Alli Express where you can buy generic items and have them put your brand on it. I seen a thing like that for Android phones. Anyway, using the Fin name I did find a stereo manual but the unit I thought was too different to confidently say that any of the things it said would apply.

I have two suggestions, neither of which are what you want to hear I'm sure, but my suggestion is to try and find an FAQ page for this head unit and post a question or search there and secondly, search YouTube. A lot of times you can find these generic units in reviews and/or Best or Worst for the price videos. This would give you a bit more information because usually in these vids they talk about the good and bad of a device, if not the how-to sometimes too.

 

[JTSmith]

Welcome to Android Central forums.

Looking at the ad you linked to it shows AA working over either BT or WF and does not appear to offer any USB connection options. For AA to work over BT your device needs to be Android 11 or newer and over WiFi A10 or newer. As for your question about the 3.5 mm jack, I do not believe the result would be any different wired or with the transmitter because we're talking about the connection between the head unit and the vehicle, correct? These transmitter devices typically only connect to one device at a time which is likely why you are not able to connect both devices to the transmitter and hear audio directly from your phone. I would assume that you would have to play, audio from an app on the head unit, using your mobile device to supply network/internet to the head unit. One other thing to consider is do you have YouTube Premium? This may be why you don't have audio for this app. It sounds like YT blocks its use with AA without a subscription. Its the same if you try to play music with the screen off, YT blocks it without a subscription.

I guess the most obvious question I have is did this come with any manual at all and have you looked through the manual to see it's recommendations?

I attempted to look up your head unit and see if I could find anything on it and was not able to find anything. The same as B. Diddy I got returns for Fin but not Tree, although I did see in the listing it shows Tree. My guess is it's like Alli Express where you can buy generic items and have them put your brand on it. I seen a thing like that for Android phones. Anyway, using the Fin name I did find a stereo manual but the unit I thought was too different to confidently say that any of the things it said would apply.

I have two suggestions, neither of which are what you want to hear I'm sure, but my suggestion is to try and find an FAQ page for this head unit and post a question or search there and secondly, search YouTube. A lot of times you can find these generic units in reviews and/or Best or Worst for the price videos. This would give you a bit more information because usually in these vids they talk about the good and bad of a device, if not the how-to sometimes too.

Thank you for the info. I actually don't have YT premium so that might be why I'm not getting the sound. It displays the song playing but just no audio when it's hooked to the AA. Unfortunately the user manual is not very useful. It just basically shows you connection locations and lists the features. There is really no setup instructions or FAQs. It sounds like my best bet might be to send this one back and get a better named brand AA head unit with better setup instructions. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[JTSmith]

I do have Android 13 running on Samsung Galaxy 20 fe 5G phone.

 

[VidJunky]

If you Google, what do I need to play YouTube music through Android Auto, it should return the result saying that you need compatible equipment, a premium subscription and to be signed into the YTM app. I assume just like playing with the screen off the app recognizes AA is being used and, from how you described it, mutes playback. I don't believe this will change with a better, or more expensive unit so I'm not sure it would be worth it to pay more. What are you thinking when saying this?

You also said that it wouldn't audibly navigate for you. Do you mean that if the map is up on the head unit you can't hear it or is this an issue where you were trying to navigate from your phone through the head unit?

Let us know what still isn't working, if anything, and what other things you might need help with.

 

[B. Diddy]

Were you able to successfully pair the head unit to the Bluetooth adapter? If so, are you certain the truck's audio source is set to Aux, and that the volume on both the head unit and the truck's own system are turned up?

 

[JTSmith]

The truck stereo will pair with my phone through bt receiver I put in 3.5 mm on stereo. The FM radio on the new head unit does pair with the trucks radio and plays through vehicle speakers. The head unit isn't picking up audio for YT and I'm not getting audio from Google maps app on the head unit. The map dies does display on the unit just no audio. I am going to fool with it more when I get off work this evening. I'll check back with any issues. Thanks for looking at this.

 

[B. Diddy]

Ok, but will the head unit pair with the BT receiver? If you're trying to use Android Auto from the head unit, then that's what has to pair with the BT receiver, not the phone.