Related
I have seen few apps that are capable of doing this over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB. But I am more interested in something that can do it over 3G. At work my desktop PC is not on a wireless network; there is Wi-Fi but on a spate subnet with no easy access to the main network. I do have Bluetooth / USB on my main desktop but I work from different PCs therefore its not very convenient for me to pair/connect it each time I go to a different PC. And I don’t use Wi-Fi at home either.
Then there are other benifits to using 3G like I can still access the phone even if I forget it somewhere (i.e at home in the car etc). The new HTC Sense services for HTC Desire HD will have remote access to SMS, call and location information , which is exactly what I'm after. But for now SMS alone is enough.
I came across one App called SMS2PC which can connect to a computer over 3G. But from what I gathered, with that the phone connects to the PC and pushes notifications, not the other way around. This is not going to work for me because at work I am behind a corporate firewall, so my phone cannot access the desktop.
Any other solutions ??
EDIT : i know SMS backup can backup text messages to google, but I can't reply from there. So that wont help much. And I'm not in US, therefore I dont have access to Google Voice service, so replying through that is not going to work either.
Is Google Voice avilable to you (specifically, you will need a Google Voice phone number)? If so, that will be my recommendation. In addition to free SMS and visual voice mail, you can use your Google Voice anywhere that you have access to a web browser. It doesn't have to be your phone.
foxbat121 said:
Is Google Voice avilable to you (specifically, you will need a Google Voice phone number)? If so, that will be my recommendation. In addition to free SMS and visual voice mail, you can use your Google Voice anywhere that you have access to a web browser. It doesn't have to be your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No google voice is not available ( as mentioned in my last line , coz I knew some one would suggest that).
I wonder why no one has made such an app so far.
Maybe I'll have to write my own.. haven't done any android programing yet, guess its about the time.. waiting for a break from work to start playing around with it a bit...
PhoenixFx said:
I have seen few apps that are capable of doing this over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB. But I am more interested in something that can do it over 3G. At work my desktop PC is not on a wireless network; there is Wi-Fi but on a spate subnet with no easy access to the main network. I do have Bluetooth / USB on my main desktop but I work from different PCs therefore its not very convenient for me to pair/connect it each time I go to a different PC. And I don’t use Wi-Fi at home either.
Then there are other benifits to using 3G like I can still access the phone even if I forget it somewhere (i.e at home in the car etc). The new HTC Sense services for HTC Desire HD will have remote access to SMS, call and location information , which is exactly what I'm after. But for now SMS alone is enough.
I came across one App called SMS2PC which can connect to a computer over 3G. But from what I gathered, with that the phone connects to the PC and pushes notifications, not the other way around. This is not going to work for me because at work I am behind a corporate firewall, so my phone cannot access the desktop.
Any other solutions ??
EDIT : i know SMS backup can backup text messages to google, but I can't reply from there. So that wont help much. And I'm not in US, therefore I dont have access to Google Voice service, so replying through that is not going to work either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use smstools. It is in every major repo. However - from your non-technical wording - I assume that you use the gamerz OS (Windos). Worry not, you can easily compile the program yourself, or google for binaries.
HelloH said:
I use smstools. It is in every major repo. However - from your non-technical wording - I assume that you use the gamerz OS (Windos). Worry not, you can easily compile the program yourself, or google for binaries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I use Windows mostly . Thanks for that link, but I don't think thats quite what I want either. That seems to use the phone as a modem to send and receive SMSs; which means I'll have to connect the phone to a PC locally (i.e USB, IR, BT etc..).
I'm looking for a solution that allows me to connect to the phone remotely over the internet (phone online on 3G) to access and send messages. A setup where there is a PC client which polls the phone periodically for new messages and a server running on the phone allowing the PC client to gain access to its messaging service. So I don't have to connect/disconnect every time when changing PCs, it will also allow me to connect even when the phone is not with me (left behind at home / car ).
Ah, I got it now!
Well, of course you could compile SMSTOOLS for your phone
Or take a look at RemoteSMS or similar apps!
Also possible to remote control your handset via vnc-server. That one has far more possibilities than remote SMS-ing...
HelloH said:
Ah, I got it now!
Well, of course you could compile SMSTOOLS for your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I’m coming from Windows development side, so pardon me for my ignorance on Linux dev. But from the little I know, you can't compile Unix/C code to Android, am I wrong ? At least not in a straightforward manner... You can only develop apps using their customized Java (Dalvic) , right
Even if its possible, I think developing an app from ground up is far more easier than trying to integrate smstools in to android. Besides, that doesn't solve my problem at all, because accessing the phone from the PC is the issue, and I don't see how running smstools on the phone is going to solve that.
HelloH said:
Or take a look at RemoteSMS or similar apps!
Also possible to remote control your handset via vnc-server. That one has far more possibilities than remote SMS-ing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RemoteSMS only works over Wi-Fi and BT, no 3G support .
I guess remote desktop is one solution, but I prefer a much simpler app. Besides VNC will not send me any notifications, I have to manually check. ..
Looks like I'll have to write my own app for this . Havent done any android development yet, looks like this is going to be my first project..
Wifi Keyboard works on 3g (yes dumb but )
3G might be blocked by some carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it's means it can be used over 3G
PhoenixFx said:
IAnd I'm not in US, therefore I dont have access to Google Voice service, so replying through that is not going to work either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to be in the US to get a Google Voice account or use it for SMS. I am in Canada and use it for SMS all the time.
See this link. Note that despite the title this will work for any country.
http://www.wifitalk.ca/iphone/howto-google-voice-in-canada/
brunes said:
You don't need to be in the US to get a Google Voice account or use it for SMS. I am in Canada and use it for SMS all the time.
See this link. Note that despite the title this will work for any country.
http://www.wifitalk.ca/iphone/howto-google-voice-in-canada/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll give it a try. Are SMSs free for international numbers as well ?
EDIT : I don't want to login through some unknown proxy server and give out my credentials. Besides, it is not a permanent solution. another dead end
Waiting for new ideas
exadeci said:
Wifi Keyboard works on 3g (yes dumb but )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PhoenixFx said:
Waiting for new ideas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hum ..... Have you tried it ?
PhoenixFx said:
I’m coming from Windows development side, so pardon me for my ignorance on Linux dev. But from the little I know, you can't compile Unix/C code to Android, am I wrong ? At least not in a straightforward manner... You can only develop apps using their customized Java (Dalvic) , right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux is a kernel, and Android is a Linux kernel based operating system. You can compile anything (that compiles for GNU/Linux for the given architecture) for Android/Linux as well. It will be native code however (as opposed to DALVIK, which is VM code). You have the option to cross-compile on your PC, or to compile code right on your phone. It is a command line affair... not some nice one-click task.
BTW I did not see in their own advert, that RemoteSMS would be limited to wifi... you sure? (Would be pretty weird move from them, since communicating over wifi and 3G is not really different from the programmer's point of view)
Found this today , posted on XDA : talkmyphone.
Exacly what I was looking for .
YAY!
Thank you! I have been looking for something like this because I am also behind a corporate firewall at work.
Since chromecast simply get an url or data to play content already "on the cloud", it will be possibile to emulate its behaviour with a chrome extension or something like that?
I'd love to use a chromecast-like interface on my desktop pc...
p.nightmare said:
Since chromecast simply get an url or data to play content already "on the cloud", it will be possibile to emulate its behaviour with a chrome extension or something like that?
I'd love to use a chromecast-like interface on my desktop pc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd second that. I'd love to see the ability to chrome cast TO a (widows) chrome browser.
I have a number of MCE PC's connected to HD TV's and computer with monitors throughout the house that would be great as the recipients of "casting".
At work I'd like to be able to look something up on my phone and then sent it to my nearest PC browser...
htcsens2 said:
I'd second that. I'd love to see the ability to chrome cast TO a (widows) chrome browser.
I have a number of MCE PC's connected to HD TV's and computer with monitors throughout the house that would be great as the recipients of "casting".
At work I'd like to be able to look something up on my phone and then sent it to my nearest PC browser...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean like this? - http://goo.gl/NOoel
You won't be able to push Netflix to the browser the same way, but you can certainly do so with web content.
Jason_V said:
You mean like this? - http://goo.gl/NOoel
You won't be able to push Netflix to the browser the same way, but you can certainly do so with web content.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah kind of like that but completely integrated into he chrome cast infrastructure and APIs so that it is compatible across all apps and is just one click on the new "cast" buttons that are cropping up at the top of all my Android apps now .... (Netflix, Youtube, Google music etc.)
There has been talk of 3rd party hardware makers being encouraged to support the standard so shouldn't be too hard to do proper chrome browser integration as a target.
I can't believe no one has thought of it yet :fingers-crossed:
here
p.nightmare said:
I can't believe no one has thought of it yet :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go github.com/dz0ny/leapcast
dz0ny said:
Here you go github.com/dz0ny/leapcast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awesome! I will definitely keep an eye on that :good: :good:
Nodecast is also an option
p.nightmare said:
awesome! I will definitely keep an eye on that :good: :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beside Leapcast (which is implemented in python), there is a JavaScript-/Node.js-Port in Git-Hub available. The port was made by Sebastian Mauer, the guy who wrote Cheapcast.
I spend the last weekend exeperimenting with both Nodecast and Cheapcast. Now Nodecast runs here in a Windows 8.1 virtual machine - and I'm able to stream from other Windows and Android-devices.
I wrote a few tutorials, how to setup Nodecast on Windows (it also possible to use similar steps in Mac OS X or Linux). The tutorial is currently only in German - but Google translate shall do the job.
Nodecast setup for Windows-tutorial: http://goo.gl/2ZU5Mm
Maybe it helps
Leapcast 2.0?
Anyone still working on Leapcast now that the 2.0 SDK came out? Lots of changes like going from DIAL to mDNS for one. Leapcast was very handy for running on a PC that was already connected to the TV. Sadly, all the apps compiled against the newer SDK won't work with it. They won't even discover it as a Chromecast now.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/...oakcolegkcddbk?utm_source=chrome-app-launcher
This was an attempt to do this but I never got it to work on my side.
Unfortunately, SDK 2.0 requires the Chromecast to calculate key using certificate issued by Google. We will probably wait a long time to see leapcast, CheapCast and NodeCast working again. It might not be even possible at all.
Johny_G said:
Unfortunately, SDK 2.0 requires the Chromecast to calcate key using certificate issued by Google. We will probably wait a long time to see leapcast, CheapCast and NodeCast working again. It might not be even possible at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the best news, but thanks Johny for the insight.
If all the rooted ROMs can handle SDK 2.0 and Google's new authentication, there's probably a way to get the emulators up and running with it. Just a matter of time and determination I hope. I wish Google was a bit more open on the software side for the Chromecast. Having the new SDK for sender/receiver apps is great, but allowing companie/people to recreate the piece in the middle would also benefit them I would think. It would be tough for people to beat the Chromecast's price tag, but having other options would be good.
Averix said:
Not the best news, but thanks Johny for the insight.
If all the rooted ROMs can handle SDK 2.0 and Google's new authentication, there's probably a way to get the emulators up and running with it. Just a matter of time and determination I hope. I wish Google was a bit more open on the software side for the Chromecast. Having the new SDK for sender/receiver apps is great, but allowing companie/people to recreate the piece in the middle would also benefit them I would think. It would be tough for people to beat the Chromecast's price tag, but having other options would be good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't hold my breath. The ROMs get the upgrade essentially "for free" as it's part of the stock ROM code. Maybe the desktop players can take advantage of that, probably not, especially if it's a binary or relying on some kind of TPM or other function in the Chromecast hardware itself.
Having options is good for the consumer, but for a manufacturer, more options = more competition = more mouths to feed = lower margins = more work to keep competitive. One of the reasons Apple is so aggressive about protecting the exclusivity of its platform.
Warning! TL;DR below!
The point is, that every single Chromecast device has its unique ID, its unique MAC Address, and its (unique?) signed certificate. Also, it might have some kind of ID generated when you set the device up (similar to Push ID used in Google Cloud Messaging). Some of those (maybe all of them) have to play together to calculate the key. As soon as you pull the certificate out and put it in different environment, the result of the calculation won't match the SDK's expectations. So there is pretty good chance, that bypassing the key might be completely impossible without modifying the SDK itself (and it would require the developers to actually invest some effort to support these alternatives) and maybe the Chromecast device software as well. But who knows, the guys involved in those "emulators" are way smarter than most of us and might figure something out .
This is the biggest issue. The other one is, that everything has changed in the new SDK/API, and all of the methods used in those emulators are now deprecated and need to be implemented all over again in a different fashion to work with 2.0. This might actually be a good thing, since developers involved in testing of the way-too-rushed 1.0 seemed not to have a lot of kind words to say about it. I have attended one Chromcast block on a local conference, and it was basically 2 hours of swearing.
I've stumbled upon these issues today (and a bit of yesterday), trying to get my app working in the office (I forgot my Chromecast at home - again), and here are some sources if you are more interested in the topic:
https://plus.google.com/+SebastianMauer/posts/83hTniKEDwN
https://github.com/dz0ny/leapcast/issues/29#issuecomment-37288608
https://github.com/dz0ny/leapcast/issues/96
As a developer, I have to say, that Google is making things awfully difficult lately, and the "don't be evil" policy seems to slowly fade away. They put way too much effort into marketing decisions, and have no time to properly test APIs and SDKs before they spit them out . Mostly, when trying some new Android-related technology (to be honest, its mostly Google Play Services technology these days, so AOSP starts to be completely useless), I spend most of the time working around things that nobody thought of (i.e. the Translucency API in KitKat was obviously tailored for Google Now Launcher, and is a huge PITA tu be used elsewhere) and fixing the broken samples that come with them. It might seem weird, but sometimes (say hello to Play Games Services and in-app billing v1+v2!) the sample is inseparable part of the final implementation, so you have to fix their rushed code anyway. I shouldn't be complaining, since things like that raise the value of developers willing to go through all of this in their spare time, but the change of philosophy still bugs me a lot. Google and Android used to be strongly community-oriented, and now the marketing is pulling it all away.
Should the goal really be to emulate a Chromecast or should the effort be geared toward supporting DIAL protocol?
I would think the latter is the better option because you could support whatever the hardware supports without the limitations imposed on us from CCast Hardware.
Maybe I'm wrong but I always looked at DIAL as an extension of UPnP and separate from the CCast itself and the Chromecast SDK as not much more than a kit to add DIAL support to Android (and iOS) not meant to build anything on the CCast side at all.
Other companies like Roku are planning some DIAL support and I doubt highly they will have a CCast ID and Certificate.
In the end I think we will get something similar to this functionality from a player app like VLC on PC and MAC, or perhaps in Chrome itself.
Cause I think (and I may be totally wrong here) that it isn't the Apps we use that checks the Whitelist and IDs it is the CCast itself that when invoked to load a player app to stream it also checks the whitelist and tests security before it plays.
SO if someone created a program for PC that made the PC announce itself as a DIAL capable device that when connected to loads the app into Chrome, I bet most of it would work.
Might not work with any of the DRM sites like Netflix and Hulu but for things like local content and unprotected streams I see no reason why it wouldn't.
In fact I bet the trouble some are having with Channels in Plex and others would go away because a PC Chrome instance would be able to play many more Transport types than a CCast can currently.
Asphyx said:
Should the goal really be to emulate a Chromecast or should the effort be geared toward supporting DIAL protocol?
I would think the latter is the better option because you could support whatever the hardware supports without the limitations imposed on us from CCast Hardware.
Maybe I'm wrong but I always looked at DIAL as an extension of UPnP and separate from the CCast itself and the Chromecast SDK as not much more than a kit to add DIAL support to Android (and iOS) not meant to build anything on the CCast side at all.
.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you. I could actually care less about emulating the specifics of what's in the Chromecast hardware. What I do want is the ability for those unrestricted apps (ie not Netflix) to be able to use their Cast button to find, connect to, and use whatever the emulator is. The new CC SDK doesn't use DIAL to do the initial search any longer. It now uses mDNS. All of the previous apps (YouTube, Pandora, etc.) are still using the old API and DIAL discovery which appears to be backward compatible with the new Chromecast stick software. If you look at the debug logs of the stick, both the v1 and v2 APIs are accounted for. As for Roku, my guess (I haven't started digging in on what they're up to yet) is that they have an app that is using DIAL for discovering the Roku and then just acting as a remote control for all the box functions. Chromecast was a bit more unique since it could basically load up anything from the web as a receiver/playback client since the software is just basically a Chrome browser with some wrappers around it. That's what made it much more dynamic without having to load "channels" in the box within a custom framework like Roku does.
And Bhiga, as for economics on Google providing the software to other hardware makers, I think it it would actually be in their best interest. The Chromecast right now has to be either close to at cost for them or a loss leader. If they can get the Cast API to become a default standard on new consumer devices, that would help them take over that space. To me, that is such a better proposition for them than trying to get the complexities of something like GoogleTV into TVs.
Averix said:
And Bhiga, as for economics on Google providing the software to other hardware makers, I think it it would actually be in their best interest. The Chromecast right now has to be either close to at cost for them or a loss leader. If they can get the Cast API to become a default standard on new consumer devices, that would help them take over that space. To me, that is such a better proposition for them than trying to get the complexities of something like GoogleTV into TVs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mDNS actually makes discovery a lot easier - mDNS = Bonjour = what Apple and TiVo use for discovery already.
I agree with you that adoption of the API and protocols is the goal. At this stage an Android emulator probably would help adoption, but my point was that a desktop emulator doesn't necessarily add to the rate. If someone starts looking to using a desktop because they think they don't need a Google Cast device, they'll likely runs across Plex and Miracast and may decide they don't need Google Cast at all.
bhiga said:
I agree with you that adoption of the API and protocols is the goal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish Google agreed with us.
Averix said:
I wish Google agreed with us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet anything there are some at Google who do agree with us but when your as BIG a company as Google is it takes forever to get everyone on board and thinking along the same lines enough to manifest it into an end product.
In the end what all if this really tells us is how much DLNA Consortium has failed to standardize Media Distribution by not going far enough and thinking of it from the end user ergonomic experience.
If this discovery and launch capability was more fleshed out in the DLNA specs we might not be talking about DIAL and mDNS right now.
At some point all these protocols (DLNA, UPnP, DIAL) should be merged into one standardized protocol that any platform can use.
Probably years away though...
Asphyx said:
If this discovery and launch capability was more fleshed out in the DLNA specs we might not be talking about DIAL and mDNS right now.
At some point all these protocols (DLNA, UPnP, DIAL) should be merged into one standardized protocol that any platform can use.
Probably years away though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My concern is that unless Google is willing to push this as a standard rather than just apps for one dongle, it will only be a matter of time before the giant (un)friendly fruit company swoops in and AirPlay becomes the defacto standard that all TV makers, set top makers, and anyone else are forced to build in. It's not quite the same as how DLNA and UPnP have become sort of irrelevant, but it could pan out that way for the Google Cast API without more hardware devices having the capability built in. Time and market pressure will tell I guess.
Dears,
My name is Thomas and I bought a Google mini for my home few weeks ago.
I know that Google released a new device called Google home hub, that is a home smart control. It's a beautiful idea, but in Italy is not already released.
My idea is to create with another tablet a smart home control with Google home like Google home hub.
Do you think it is possible to do? Which kind of apk can I download to release it?
Thank you for your help
I've got 2 Nexus 7 2013's that would do this role perfectly. I imagine the "Hub" app is a launcher of sorts, perhaps it will be ripped soon
maysa said:
I've got 2 Nexus 7 2013's that would do this role perfectly. I imagine the "Hub" app is a launcher of sorts, perhaps it will be ripped soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi,
yes, better mic and external speaker is needed, but old tabled is maybe even better than new google hub...you can use Camera for surveillance too...
hope we found the way how to install it on old tablet...
by
kikanx
I've been thinking the same thing since the announcement of the Google Home Hub.
I have the original Nexus 7 with charging dock/stand that will be ideal.
Anyone extracted the app?
I would like some easy to use home control screen
Afaik on a Google hub it is not Android, it is good wear os.
Pisley1989 said:
Dears,
My name is Thomas and I bought a Google mini for my home few weeks ago.
I know that Google released a new device called Google home hub, that is a home smart control. It's a beautiful idea, but in Italy is not already released.
My idea is to create with another tablet a smart home control with Google home like Google home hub.
Do you think it is possible to do? Which kind of apk can I download to release it?
Thank you for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It’s not Android OS exactly, it’s “Android Things” powered by Google Assistant, so you can’t install APKs etc... it’s very basic and was made to be this way.
Wondering how difficult it would be for someone, with the proper know how, to make an app the emulated the functions of the home hub. But as an app
---------- Post added at 02:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:42 AM ----------
Wondering how difficult it would be, for someone with the know how, to make an app that emulated the features of the Home Hub. I get that these companies want to make money peddling more screens, but almost everyone has an old phone or tablet laying around that would be perfect for this.
myshyak said:
Afaik on a Google hub it is not Android, it is good wear os.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a modified Cast OS.
thinking the same ... Waiting for some ideas or project....
kuri_2k said:
It’s not Android OS exactly, it’s “Android Things” powered by Google Assistant, so you can’t install APKs etc... it’s very basic and was made to be this way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Home Hub is running it's own Cast OS type system but other smart displays use Android Things. Android Things in fact DOES use APKs. So we shouldn't be looking at the Home Hub for this capability - we need the other smart displays broken down to find this.
Also I'm studying how to recover an old Android tablet and turn it into a Google home hub. Using only the home application of the play store does not turn it into a hub, so you can not command with different user voices and add other family accounts.
No one have found a solution? I have an old Samsung Galaxy tab 3 sitting on my desk, it would be great.
Not suggesting it should be done, but if the home hub has a standard USB docking port, perhaps it might be possible to copy system files with an otg cable connected to a laptop... they have to install the system files somehow, and I doubt that is done via wifi.
Can anyone tell me ?hav there any alternative of google home app(apk) alternative?!
By which we can control google products(chromecast,mini etc) without a google account
Pisley1989 said:
Dears,
My name is Thomas and I bought a Google mini for my home few weeks ago.
I know that Google released a new device called Google home hub, that is a home smart control. It's a beautiful idea, but in Italy is not already released.
My idea is to create with another tablet a smart home control with Google home like Google home hub.
Do you think it is possible to do? Which kind of apk can I download to release it?
Thank you for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use home assistant (hass.io) you run the server on another computer and connect it with the Google assistant. Boom
Hi,
The Google Home Hub runs Fuchsia, not Android, Cast OS, or any other operating system Google has created. Fuchsia is a completely different operating system with its own kernel, APIs, and architecture, which (afaik) carries little to no compatibility with Android apps YET. Without a lot of effort, you are unlikely to get the Hub software running on non-hub hardware, let alone non-Fuchsia software.
Best of luck,
Eric Rabil
It would be amazing. Even with a dedicated apk.
Hope to see smtg soon
https://www.lifewire.com/google-assistant-on-windows-4628292
Can this be done on a tablet?
Ambient mode is being released on some new phones and tablets, perhaps it will eventually get a wider release. And maybe someone will develop a Magisk module to make it work on other models. Here's a link to more details about Ambient mode. This could bring new life my old Nexus 7 and 10.
https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/09/05/google-assistant-ambient-mode-mobile/
Hi,
I have searched on the internet but I can't find any good info about android auto.
First I don't understand how it works. I have seen that you need android auto on your phone in order to communicate with your car device but what is running on the car device? Is a different type of operating system?
Can I add an application developed for Android on Android Auto?
adrian94a said:
Hi,
I have searched on the internet but I can't find any good info about android auto.
First I don't understand how it works. I have seen that you need android auto on your phone in order to communicate with your car device but what is running on the car device? Is a different type of operating system?
Can I add an application developed for Android on Android Auto?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AA consists of 2 parts -
AA application running on the phone
AA client on say a car headunit (could also be another android phone or an android tablet) that mirrors the AA phone display
AA can be run self hosted on a phone, then you don't need the second part.
If you want to have a fixed display (client/server setup) in the car & you don't already have a car headunit supporting AA, you can install an app such as HUR- https://forum.xda-developers.com/ge...ndroid-4-1-headunit-reloaded-android-t3432348 on the headunit/tablet. There's a trial version that you can download to try.
Hi kk131
Thank you for your replay.
So if is running on my phone this means that all my phone application will be available on my car console?
adrian94a said:
Hi kk131
Thank you for your replay.
So if is running on my phone this means that all my phone application will be available on my car console?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As the purpose of AA is to enable phone use during driving, it provides limited access with a simplified display :
Google assistant - so you can have voice interaction
Phone
Navigation - waze/google maps
Music apps - google play music, spotify (depends what you have installed on your phone)
Great info.
I am asking this because I have an application of podcast on google play and I would like to be available on AA and I am trying to find out how can I do that.
Do you know any relevant info on the web that can clarify me? I am guessing that there are some constraints if we speak of automotive
Install AA on your phone., run it, see if the app is shown in the menu. If it isn't you can go into AA developer mode and enable 'unknown sources' and test again. The thread I referenced above covers getting in AA developer mode.
If that test is successful, then go further and install the client on your car console.
Great, I will try it and come back with some answers.
Thank you for your time
Hello again,
I manage to complete all my tests and all was ok. I have installed a few applications and one custom application and all worked ok.
I have one more question for you if you can help me of course.
Do you know a tutorial or something from where I can start with Android auto? I have seen that there are not tow application (one for Android and one for Android auto ) is the same app but for Auto version are fewer scenes.
If you can give me a hint here it will be just great.
Thank you.
adrian94a said:
Hello again,
I manage to complete all my tests and all was ok. I have installed a few applications and one custom application and all worked ok.
I have one more question for you if you can help me of course.
Do you know a tutorial or something from where I can start with Android auto? I have seen that there are not tow application (one for Android and one for Android auto ) is the same app but for Auto version are fewer scenes.
If you can give me a hint here it will be just great.
Thank you.
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Click to collapse
It would be helpful to know what hardware you have in your car.
I'm not an expert, I use a Nexus 7 tablet for the car display with headunit reload (HUR).
Hi,
I'm disappointed with AA. I think there is some space for an open source alternative to this system which is so closed.
Moreover the end of life of the standalone version makes me feel that Google doesn't care much about their customer experience.
I tried the Google Assistant driving mode and it's... a disaster for now.
I think it would be easy to create a great AA like launcher. But to make it succesfull there must be a community and an ecosystem around that. Apps are important even in automotive context.
Typically Waze is a key app that many drivers want.
At this time I'm wondering what is the best approach to start this kind of project. I see few show stoppers and I'm interested to get some thought from you about that.
1/ Head unit integration : long time ago I worked on the reverse engineering of the AA protocol. I discovered that the protocol is using SSL certificates. Head units holds a public key and mobile use a private key provided by Google Play Services. The problem is that these certificates have very short lifetime (about 6 months) and if I remember fine the root cerificate will expire in 2030 or something. I don't think that head unit s check the expiration date anyway (because many of them don't have system time). But for sure you need a Google private key in order to initiate communication with a head unit. The key could be captured decompiling code few years ago, don't know if it's still as simple as that.
If head unit really don't check the expiration date then it could be possible to replace the whole AA stack with an independent one.
But even if this work I'm not sure it's possible to disable the native AA protocol and take control of the USB port without rooting.
2/ Apps integration. There are 2 categories of Automotive apps : media apps and navigation apps. I think there are also a category for messaging apps.
Navigations apps are apps that provides an automotive friendly display. Waze does this for example.
Media apps are easy to integrate becaase they rely on the legacy mediabrowser APIs.
Integrating the navigation apps is tough. Because these apps are exposing a special AA service that only privileged apps can invoke (by default).
However apps dev can also allow a third party app to connect their dispkay service. This won't ever happen except if the car launcher become mainstream.
Good point is that would not require any change in implementations : it's just an access right problem.
I have seen a lot of car launchers in Play store. They all display the apps on native mode which is not what you want while driving.
Any comments to this ?
I would also like to see an alternative way...but unfortunately I did not find anything yet.
I'm also not happy with everything on Android Auto.
For example:
- I have apps (e.g. navigation) that are not compatible with Android Auto
- I can't accept Whatsapp calls on Android Auto
- The navgation of media apps is not the best way (if you want to change the playlists, there are way too many inputs necessary)
- I can't turn off Google Maps (GPS) to preserve battery and reduce heat on the phone
- I need internet (I live in a rural area...therefore sometimes I don't have internet and then in a lot of times, Android Auto just crashes...)
- I don't like Google's update policy (it's just good luck if a new version of Android Auto works stable). I want to have a working version and leave it on the phone.
From a user standpoint I definately would like to see an AA alternative. I don't need to watch videos or anything like that but there are a few necessary apps for me that AA doesn't allow.
SOFO888 said:
- I don't like Google's update policy (it's just good luck if a new version of Android Auto works stable). I want to have a working version and leave it on the phone.
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You can achieve that by disabling Android Auto automatic updates on Play Store app.
CaioTheBrain said:
You can achieve that by disabling Android Auto automatic updates on Play Store app.
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No, unfortunately not. Every Google app has an expiration date, also Android Auto. This expiration date then forces you to update your app. Otherwise it will not start.
There are a few Android dongles that trick the car's headunit into thinking it is connected via Android Auto. However, most of the devices are CarPlay AI units that trick the headunit into thinking is is connected to a CarPlay device and then display the Android system through the headunit. But they are all buggy.
Perhaps something can be learned from how they do that. An app that mimics Android Auto but allows full user control would be great.
I am by no means an expert but I want to help do this! I liked using rooted devices for AA and having AA tweaker but I always felt like it was just the start of something not a finished product so I'm definitely down with this. What I feel like would be the simplest approach would be making an Android auto app that (it communicates with your phone and doesn't need data) runs on a cheap tablet that you put on your dash or wherever in the car and from there you have full control over the app and device. Just my thoughts
Did someone tried sreen2auto? Its mirroring your phone to your android auto. Search it on XDA forum.
drnightshadow said:
Did someone tried sreen2auto? Its mirroring your phone to your android auto. Search it on XDA forum.
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I used to use Screen2Auto but it required too much upkeep every time Google made changes to Android Auto. The last time it broke I couldn't get it working again.