Drewsky00

Hi guys, I was looking at a 2019 E63 the other day and decided to pair my android phone with the car to see what the Android Auto screen looked like. To my dismay, the map only filled the right 2/3 of the screen, and the other 1/3 to the left it displays a big static Android Auto logo. Is that the product of a compatibility issue with my particular model phone, a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 running the lastest android patches, or is that just how AA is working on these cars at the moment?

superswiss

I'm not an Android user, but my understanding is that this is an issue with Android Auto not supporting widescreen out of the box. There is a developer setting to enable widescreen. Here's an older reddit thread that should help.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/com..._pretty_sweet/

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

Dude you are a font of useful information.

Drewsky00

I just read through that whole thread and what I'm getting is that, even when allowing 1080p from within Developer Settings, it still won't work on the W213. Can anyone corroborate this??

As I understand it, the "allow 1080p" setting is for when the low-res screen is projected in the middle of the widescreen with unused screen real estate on the sides. The problem I describe here is slightly different, in that the entire screen is active, just that 1/3 of it is devoted to a static Android Auto logo.

whoover

No, you can't get it use the whole screen.

HAWKiS63

Widescreen Android Auto IS possible from most modern Android smartphones, but..........Mercedes refuses to enable it on their cars. Is already a long going discussion (mainly on the Google Android Auto boards), but I am afraid it will not come in the COMAND (5*5) cars. Maybe the COMAND 6 or 7 cars support it finally?

BTW, it seems that is easily enabled in COMAND 5*5 also, but then you need to get into Engineering Mode. For 2 years I already try to get access to it (via dealer and via other knowledgable sources), but no luck.....if that finally works, you can not only get widescreen Android Auto, also get other things to work that are hidden (like bluetooth tethering, to use dataplan of your mobile, more then 2 alternative nav routes, possibly wirelss Android Auto?, etc, etc).

David Bogle

pretty sure mercedes has said they will not do the work to support this on android... ever. i have sent them this question in the past.
it takes both parties. it sure looks much nicer when my wife plugs in her iphone (i am android)

superswiss

Android is unfortunately a bit of a stepchild when it comes to the premium car brands. They focus on the iPhone, because premium/luxury car buyers tend to buy other premium products like the iPhone. Android is generally viewed as being downmarket. I believe BMW still doesn't even support Android Auto at all.

Drewsky00

Goddammit. Ok, thanks guys.

mmmamg

I have AA in 2021 x5 and its even wireless and works pretty good.

Lei Wang

MBUX android support is a joke without full screen!

Skilly

Any info on the 2021 MBUX Apple Carplay? It is small screen as well; it looks like a hack! Surprised MB would release it like this.

superswiss

Unfortunately on MBUX it is a deliberate or perhaps forced design choice. If they made it fullscreen then there is no room to display the home and notifications buttons. MBUX has numerous issues and I don't think it was fully thought through. It was forced into the "small" side-by-side screens and for being a touchscreen the center screen is poorly placed. On top of that they left the physical controls, but the UI is optimized for touch, so navigating it with the physical controls is cumbersome as lots of swipes are required to focus on the proper part of the UI. It's also quite buggy. Most of these issues are resolved with MBUX 2.0 and the larger screen in the S and C Class and soon other models. For now I've come to the conclusion that COMAND 5.5 was the better choice for the smaller widescreens and I'm glad I don't have MBUX after having experienced it in a few loaners.

Drewsky00

Geez, what a sh*tshow.

NeoX

I was also a little disappointed initially since I´ve got the 2021 model, E63 with no wide-screen on Android auto. But for me I found two (one?) pleasant surprises.

When navigating with google maps and listening to Spotify via android auto, I do get arrows for the navigation and information on the songs and art from Spotify on my main-screen. It´s presented in a way that I seem to be seamless integrated. I don´t know if you had this on previous years.

Also. I used google maps in my old car a lot (Volkswagen brand), but the Mercedes navigation is for me on the same level. I´m really impressed by the live-traffic function which routes me pass traffic in clever ways. (It has nothing to do with android auto function, but I don´t need to relay on it as in my previous car)

storm10

It has nothing to do with the developer screen. But has everything to do with the Mercedes software, unwilling to give points to AA to compete against MBUX. The newest Android Auto doesn't come with a fluid widescreen, but it's smart enough to split the vehicle's display into multiple screens. This way AA can fill the whole screen regardless of its size or orientation. By the way, split-screen AA already works in many cars. Watch this demo of Android Auto latest split-screen:

E63STATE

It's absolute trash. I just updated my Andriod auto to 8.6 and still doesn't have full screen. Now I run the MB map and put Waze on a full stand... I really don't wanna buy an iPhone.

storm10

The new AA fluid screen is coming within the next 3-4 months. The beta Google software is already available, but still lots of bugs. The plan to release a public update, which will be compatible with MB, should be within the next 3 months or so.

E63STATE

I hope so. I thought about getting an iPhone but I just can't justify it. I downloaded the APK version of the 8.6, maybe I will play around it more tomorrow.

Thanks!

David Bogle

this has nothing to do with android. this topic has been covered in many threads on older MB's MB chose not to add full screen support and certainly never will at this stage (for older cars)

Nbxjskamg

Have you considered getting AI android box?
You plug into the USB port by your wireless charger, inside the center console.
I just confirmed with a seller that this will support full screen. Will be ordering soon.

E63STATE

will you please let us know once the module arrive? I just saw that on YouTube as well. How much is it? Thanks!

E63STATE

Just saw this on YouTube. Still no full screen map, however the AA logo is gone and you can see the music.

Drewsky00

Now THIS is interesting. can you provide a link to the product, please!

E63STATE

Not sure about the exact model, I read in the comment it is call the Ottocast. It's available on Amazon. I currently have the AA Wireless, debating on Ottocast or the JoyeAuto one.