Great app for Android Auto and MIB2 (onwards)

[Sootchucker]

Hi guys, credit for this has to go to a guy called "chillout" over on another forum, who is working on a VW performance monitor for Android Auto (AA) which will look almost identical to that installed in the later MIB II cars but with additional functionality and configurations, but available for ALL cars equipped with MIB II or later (not just "R's", GTI's etc).

Thread on the other website for this is here (hope it's OK to link to another site ?)

http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38177

In any case, Chillout is releasing this as a free app when ready (it's not ready yet as he's still in testing phase), but in any case, to check to make sure my Galaxy S7 etc. and AA was set up ready, he pointed me in a direction of an app for AA which isn't an officially support app (like his won't), but was good for testing purposes. This app gives you full Youtube and Google internet search (via I think Chrome) directly from your Nav screen. I installed the app at lunch and it works brilliantly.

Here's the link for the app from Chillout's other thread:

http://www.thekirankumar.com/blog/2017/12/29/play-youtube-video-android-auto-app/

And here's some screen shots from mine to show you what it looks like (you do have to put AA into developer mode first). It requires no other hardware other than the Android phone connected to the car via USB, and AA in developer mode first (a one time operation). When you then click on the small button at the bottom right of the main screen to "return to Volkswagen", it will give you the menu options in the first screen shot below.

Can't wait for his performance monitor app - looks really cool.

Selection Screen



Youtube main menu


Youtube playing


Google search screen


This very site on my car screen 

[fredgroves]

Interesting...

I didn't think you could run AA apps without it being Google approved (which is a safety test to make sure it doesn't distract the driver)... I guess developer mode and sideloading the app onto an Android is the key...

Also, the YouTube app lets you disable the video in motion check... be careful with that, you'll get a massive old fine if plod spot you! Assuming that you don't actually crash the car (even more of a fine and a ban if they discover the cause...)

As for the performance app... very nice. I'm not sure I understand where the performance data is gathered from though? It obviously comes from the car, but how is it picking it up? (Actually, I've just read his forum post - it seems a load of car data is available to AA but nothing has used it much to date yet).

I hope he manages to release it as a proper Google Play store download, but I doubt it for the same reasons I said above - AA apps need google cert.

I've spoken to Chillout before about some other stuff, he seems OK, but I am still very wary about loading software from non-Google sources because it could contain anything... Bit Coin miners, advert slinging, banking credential stealers etc etc etc

[Chillout]

Thanks for mentioning my app :-)

The first versions are released:
https://github.com/jilleb/mqb-pm/releases

It's not ultra-stable, and doesn't work on all firmware versions, but feel free to try it out and report back!

As for the performance app... very nice. I'm not sure I understand where the performance data is gathered from though? It obviously comes from the car, but how is it picking it up? (Actually, I've just read his forum post - it seems a load of car data is available to AA but nothing has used it much to date yet).

I hope he manages to release it as a proper Google Play store download, but I doubt it for the same reasons I said above - AA apps need google cert.

The data comes from the car, using the "Exlap" channel. This is a protocol (read more about it here: https://kupdf.com/download/exlapspecificationv13creativecommonsby-sa30volkswagenpdf_59a6804bdc0d606f37568edf_pdf) is pretty useful, and can be used for many things, like setting things on the car, or reading supplied sensor data. You don't need any OBD dongle for this, since it's the same data the infotainment unit is using to calculate your fuel consumption data, stuff like that.

I've spoken to Chillout before about some other stuff, he seems OK, but I am still very wary about loading software from non-Google sources because it could contain anything... Bit Coin miners, advert slinging, banking credential stealers etc etc etc

The app is open source. We're on the same page here :-)
https://github.com/jilleb/mqb-pm

[gtiaps]

I'm interested in this once sorted I only have the blue trainer on my 16 Gti and iv been told I can't get the normal boost gauges available on some Gti's not to everyones taste but hey that's why we do wot we do to our own cars

[Sootchucker]

I *think* the reason why VW won't retro fit the performance gauges into some MIB II units (like mine) is, as the author of this software has found, later versions of the MIB II firmwares did something really different with the headunit's ability to receive and interpret data from the cars ECU. It seems earlier firmwares don't support receiving this data.

Maybe however, VW could offer a firmware upgrade program (if the older hardware supports it), and that would be money for old rope for them, and the dealerships would coin it in ?

[gtiaps]

I *think* the reason why VW won't retro fit the performance gauges into some MIB II units (like mine) is, as the author of this software has found, later versions of the MIB II firmwares did something really different with the headunit's ability to receive and interpret data from the cars ECU. It seems earlier firmwares don't support receiving this data.

Maybe however, VW could offer a firmware upgrade program (if the older hardware supports it), and that would be money for old rope for them, and the dealerships would coin it in ?

Yeah I asked the same question regarding a firmware update but the 2 numpties I spoke with at 2 different dealerships weren't aware of any update or what or where to look ..

[fredgroves]

If there is an update that they can apply to your car, it will be a bug fix for whatever version you currently have - it won't ever add any features.

As I said elsewhere, its annoying.

[Chillout]

I'm interested in this once sorted I only have the blue trainer on my 16 Gti and iv been told I can't get the normal boost gauges available on some Gti's not to everyones taste but hey that's why we do wot we do to our own cars

I just released a new version, v0.39B:
https://github.com/jilleb/mqb-pm/releases
Be sure to read the readme here:
https://github.com/jilleb/mqb-pm

I hope your car is sending the boost data to the app! Not all cars support this type of data.

I *think* the reason why VW won't retro fit the performance gauges into some MIB II units (like mine) is, as the author of this software has found, later versions of the MIB II firmwares did something really different with the headunit's ability to receive and interpret data from the cars ECU. It seems earlier firmwares don't support receiving this data.

Maybe however, VW could offer a firmware upgrade program (if the older hardware supports it), and that would be money for old rope for them, and the dealerships would coin it in ?

Indeed. I just upgraded my own unit from 0343 to 1156 and then to 1187. 1187 cannot be installed on 0343/1156 firmware, because it's not supported by default, so I had to change some bits in the eeprom to do this.

VW included an old version of "gal" (Google Automotive Link) on 0343 and 1156 and a lot of other versions. This old version has an empty whitelist, which means it does not allow communicating on the Android Auto exlap channel. Seat and Skoda are lucky, they almost always have it. We really need a new gal executable on other versions.

The stupid part of this story is: they do send the data over WIFI and over Mirrorlink connections... they just messed up with Android Auto.

Yeah I asked the same question regarding a firmware update but the 2 numpties I spoke with at 2 different dealerships weren't aware of any update or what or where to look ..

People at the dealer don't know anything 
And they have a policy "if it's working, don't touch it", while everyone who's living in the modern era and uses anything with software on it, know: update your stuff, or you'll be in trouble. However, car-factories include all kinds of different hardware in each facelift/model/etc and each new software version should be able to speak to all the previous versions. That means a lot of testing needs to be done if they want things to be backwards or sideways compatible. Manufacturers like Tesla are doing a better job: they have a software/hardware architecture which is built to be modular, extendible and updateable. (futureproof).
Hopefully VW will one day follow this principle.

If there is an update that they can apply to your car, it will be a bug fix for whatever version you currently have - it won't ever add any features.

As I said elsewhere, its annoying.

Sometimes it does. I got an update to my gateway last year, and all of a sudden the car was capable of telling me what tire was losing pressure, instead of "a tire is losing pressure". But yeah... it sucks. Everybody wants new and cool stuff. There are so many cool things they could add with a little bit of software...


Some screenshots:

[Jeni_R_]

Hi guys, credit for this has to go to a guy called "chillout" over on another forum, who is working on a VW performance monitor for Android Auto (AA) which will look almost identical to that installed in the later MIB II cars but with additional functionality and configurations, but available for ALL cars equipped with MIB II or later (not just "R's", GTI's etc).

Thread on the other website for this is here (hope it's OK to link to another site ?)

http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38177

In any case, Chillout is releasing this as a free app when ready (it's not ready yet as he's still in testing phase), but in any case, to check to make sure my Galaxy S7 etc. and AA was set up ready, he pointed me in a direction of an app for AA which isn't an officially support app (like his won't), but was good for testing purposes. This app gives you full Youtube and Google internet search (via I think Chrome) directly from your Nav screen. I installed the app at lunch and it works brilliantly.

Here's the link for the app from Chillout's other thread:

http://www.thekirankumar.com/blog/2017/12/29/play-youtube-video-android-auto-app/

And here's some screen shots from mine to show you what it looks like (you do have to put AA into developer mode first). It requires no other hardware other than the Android phone connected to the car via USB, and AA in developer mode first (a one time operation). When you then click on the small button at the bottom right of the main screen to "return to Volkswagen", it will give you the menu options in the first screen shot below.

Can't wait for his performance monitor app - looks really cool.

Selection Screen



Youtube main menu


Youtube playing


Google search screen


This very site on my car screen 

R u running this app Sootchucker ? any good

[Sootchucker]

Sadly no. Google changed something when they updated Android auto a few months back and it disabled the use of 3rd party apps altogether. I think because of that, the author - Chillout, gave up on it.