Use AAWireless Dongle In Your Car To Achieve Android Auto Wireless Capability

AAWireless dongle brings Android Auto Wireless capability to your car, eliminating the need for messy cables.

Using Android Auto makes it easier, though not entirely harmless, for you to control media and use navigation apps while driving. However, you may meet some degree of difficulty when setting up the system and pairing your Android device with your car. At present, most cars needed cables to run Android Auto, but a bold project may soon allow you to use the app's wireless version, Android Auto Wireless, using only a small piece of hardware called the AAWireless dongle.

The AAWireless dongle is a tiny yet smart device that fits into the USB port of your car with an Android Auto head unit. The device eliminates the need for messy cables and allows you to use Android Auto Wireless, making it safer and more convenient for you when using your smartphone while driving.

The biggest benefit of the planned AAWireless dongle is that it eliminates the need for you to continuously plug and unplug your smartphone every time. As an added bonus, Android Auto Wireless lets you connect Android devices to compatible touchscreen car radios.

Emil Borconi, a developer of an app named AAGateway, which allows the use of a second Android device for the car to have Android Auto wireless capability, talked to XDA Developers about his bold plan of the AAWireless dongle. He teamed up with Chiel Prins, another seasoned developer, to come up with a plug and play dongle that allows users to transform their wired Android Auto head unit into a wireless-capable device through its USB port.

The purpose and functionalities of the AAWireless dongle are similar to the AAGateWay app, though Borconi said people would find the new device easier to use. He also said that the dongle supports devices running on Android 9 and beyond. The developer also explained that the AAWireless dongle uses Bluetooth technology in connecting to your smartphone and establish a wireless connection with the Android Auto head unit. The USB port in the car is the one powering the device.

Another great thing about the AAWireless dongle is it can wirelessly connect to your smartphone in under a minute. Borconi explained that the board's booting time lasts anywhere between eight and ten seconds from its SD card, adding that this will soon improve when they shift to booting from the internal eMMC. The phone connects to the board through Wi-Fi, which then launches Android Auto in about 10 to 20 seconds depending on the type of smartphone you have.

Borconi revealed that they already have several prototypes of the AAWireless dongle and are currently testing them on some cars using Android Auto head units. He warns, however, that the device may not work on all cars as each one is different from the other. He did confirm that they already have a list of vehicles running Android Auto where the AAWireless dongle worked. These include the Audi MMI, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Ford Sync 3, Grand Jeep Cherokee running Uconnect 8.4 by Fiat, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Palisade, Kia eNiro, Ram 1500 (10.25), Toyota Corolla TS 2020 and a few other Toyotas, and some VW MIB2 units.

They also tested the AAWireless dongle on Nissan Leaf and on Opel cars with the Vauxhall Intellink system but encountered some problems, which they are already working on as of this time. Other cars with Android Auto head units that are in line for testing are the Fiat, Peugeot, Renault/Dacia, some models of Mercedes cars, and Volvo.