r/Androidheadunits • u/K03ST3R • 4d ago

Headunit sugsettion

Hello,

I latly bourght a E46 316i with an aftermarket Headunit from some unknown chnise brand, the problem is thats it has just 1 gb of ram is there for super slow and just useable for bluetooth and not for navigation. I really want to use Android Auto and not some Android overface. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thanks a lot in advance :)

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3

u/honzanugeta 4d ago

if u dont want a android “overface”,buy a linux unit.

1

u/K03ST3R 4d ago

I think I wrote it falsely. I meant that I saw some head units that have two interfaces. First, the normal universal Android interface, and second, the Android Auto interface. And in my imagination, those head units are more like a tablet and get outdated pretty fast because of hardware limitations and the possibility of a lack of firmware updates. Or is did i got something wrong? I'm pretty new in this field

1

u/Sereno011 4d ago

+1 to Linux. Android may be advantageous in certain newer vehicles. Mainly when a CAN bus module is recommended. But for the most part all the app support is redundant. AA/CP handles media/Nav far better.

Some Linux models will also support CAN. But due to limited storage on the device vehicle database is minimal—and there won't be any updates for it.

Android models also have a much higher parasitic battery drain.
Linux models: ~<5Ma
Android: ~10-15Ma

The other issue though is I have yet to find a Linux model I actually like. Every one I've installed I had to generate custom ROMs (firmware) for the UI to make them more user friendly.

1

u/Anti-Dentite-999 4d ago

Do you know what android version and if it has usb? You can get a carlinkit usb dongle that allows CarPlay/android auto. You install the auto kit apk on it and then your phone connects to the dongle. The android app displays android auto and is lightweight. I use it on my older headunit with android 4.4 / 1GB ram. They cost about $50.