Android Radio (1 Viewer)

[beachbumin]

Is anyone currently running one of the Android Radio options? I have had zero interest in doing anything with my head unit but these have caught my eye. Options to run torque and waze through the head unit are appealing to say the least. Reviews seem to be all over the place so I thought I would check in here first. Below is a link for one of the setups I have seen.

JOYING 6.2 Inch Double 2 Din New Developed Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Car Stereo GPS Navigation Systems for Toyota Universal Vehicles

Of course the buyer beware factor is way high but the price point and potential make it feasible.

 

[cruzerDave]

I've been eyeballing this one:
Sony XAV-AX100

but am on the fence about "Android Auto" as it sounds like it locks you out of your phone (for your "safety") and I'm unsure how easy it is to load apps (Back Country Navigator top of my list)...

sub'd and interested.

 

[87warrior]

I am very interested in replacing my JVC radio with one of the Android units, I have been eyeing the Pumpkin branded Android radio. The Pumkin brand has a lot of positive feedback. It seems like one of the biggest issues with these Android radios is that they are permanently stuck with their shipped operating system.

Having Torque and Back County Navigator permanently installed in my dash sounds amazing.

 

[jdayment]

I just did it in our LX i like it alot the ability to download android apps directly to the head units awesome. I bought one of the no names off of ebay for 135 I think because I was unsure if the wife would like it but she loves it and so do I.

 

[Ramathorn15]

I've been eyeballing this one:
Sony XAV-AX100

but am on the fence about "Android Auto" as it sounds like it locks you out of your phone (for your "safety") and I'm unsure how easy it is to load apps (Back Country Navigator top of my list)...

sub'd and interested.

Off topic but I recently switched from backcountry to Gaia GPS. I cant believe how much better Gaia is. I would highly recommend the switch.

 

[jdayment]

Something to remember is that with Android auto there is limited apps you can run stand alone for examole Waze just began a beta to get onto Android Auto but with the true Android Head Units like Joying, Pumkin, and numerous other Chines ones they operate just like a tablet so you can download any android app or apk

 

[nikramos]

I've had 2 android stereo Joying and Panlelo that had good reviews at Amazon. . It is true that they have extra features like navigation at a lower price compared to the famous Japanese brands. The difference is the quality of the sound it reproduces and is very significant to my ears that I uninstalled them both and paid extra to get a Pioneer.

 

[beachbumin]

I just did it in our LX i like it alot the ability to download android apps directly to the head units awesome. I bought one of the no names off of ebay for 135 I think because I was unsure if the wife would like it but she loves it and so do I.View attachment 1478931

Sweet looking set up. I really like the Lexus logo on the HU too. Have you noticed any drop in AM/FM bands?

 

[jdayment]

Sweet looking set up. I really like the Lexus logo on the HU too. Have you noticed any drop in AM/FM bands?

We havent really noticed any drops when we do listen to the radio but we also installed iheartradio and play music so we generally stream through one of those two apps now. The units come with almost every manufacturer logos for the boot stream but it really makes it feel oem. I have a kenwood in my 80 with garmin nav and i think i might pick up another one its awesome running google maps in the head unit and ive tried a few other mapping programs for topo as well.

 

[Haring Bagsik]

Here's what I have on my 100 & 80.....Love it!

 

[jLB]

After playing with the GROM VLine in my LX, I've been debating replacing my son's 2 year old Kenwood (DNX771HD I think) with either one of the cheap Chinese Android head units, or a more mainstream head unit that includes CarPlay/Android Auto. I like the concept of the Android head units, but am concerned about the reported quality issues and lack of any real support. I'm not real excited about buying another Kenwood (or JVC) as I find the user interface cumbersome and annoying. Pioneer or Alpine maybe, but some of the prices seem kind of ridiculous if they're just replicating the phone's screen and everything (except the radio) really runs on the phone.

 

[jerryb]

I've been eyeballing this one:
Sony XAV-AX100

but am on the fence about "Android Auto" as it sounds like it locks you out of your phone (for your "safety")

pull down notification tab and pick a notification, once there the home and recent buttons should show up, that would get you back to your home screen. Pulling down the notification window might itself trigger the home, back and recent icons, it does for me.
If enough people bug the torque developers they could easily make it android auto capable. The resources are free. Until then, getting torque on your pioneer just takes more wires, a mirror link compatible phone, which are few, or an HDMI out capable phone, (many) but no nexus phones that I know of.

I could never put in an android based headunit, I just don't believe a few guys in a back room compiling a ROM for a box designed to put in your car and play music could be anywhere near as good as the people who have been doing it forever.
There are a few decent forums on chinese headunits on xda, for some light reading, haha

 

[BEG]

I installed the Joying in place of my Nakamichi on my LX. I'm satisfied with it. The install was straight-forward (no adapter for the Nak system so you have to splice into the factory wiring) with the only issues being the depth of the unit making some of the wires in the back a tight fit. The factory system also has two AM/FM antennas but the Android HU only has a plug for one, so the radio reception suffered a bit. Now, I run a 4' Firestik AM/FM/CB antenna and there are no reception issues. The sound quality is enough for me but I'm no audiophile. I haven't gotten around to installing all the peripherals (backup cam, GPS antenna, bluetooth mic etc.) but connectivity is good. It paired fine with my phone, connects to my home wi-fi and also my HumX vehicle wi-fi and functions like any other Android tablet. The only issue I had is with my OBDLink dongle. It doesn't work with that particular bluetooth OBD reader but should work with the other cheaper ones.

 

[THEIZZARDKING]

i picked this up for $650 for my LX470.

Amazon.com: Kenwood DNX773S In-Dash 2-DIN 6.95" Touchscreen DVD Receiver with Navigation System, Built-in HD Radio, Apple Carplay, and Android Auto Compatible: Cell Phones & Accessories

love it, the NAV is done by garmin so covers most FSR's and backcountry routes, and also is andriod auto compatible which is super nice, it's basically like having my alexa in the car, i can make phone calls, send txt messages, plot a trip and even ask google stupid questions all through voice command, this is the first truly hands free system that I've ever come across...and the best part is it all works a vast majority of the time, i've only cussed it out once or twice and that was over what amounts to minor annoyances, i.e. the locations of icons,ect...lol it also works with a bunch of other garmin add ons and would work with vehicles climate controls and other integrated functions if applicable... i don't have any of that stuff so can't comment on how well that stuff works with later models of the 100 series but appears that it would be functional.

as i said, really like this HU and is typically much more expensive that what i normally buy but had to have it as the garmin nav looked like it would work reasonably well for off road route finding.

also, thanks for the review of the joying hu above, i was looking at getting into one of those but was kinda of weary since i never heard of them really and i couldn't find much in the way of what i would consider honest or trust worthy feedback....seemed kinda risky. i'd like to hear more from trusted sources, let us know if you decide to go this route OP and what your thoughts are.

 

[jLB]

i picked this up for $650 for my LX470.

Amazon.com: Kenwood DNX773S In-Dash 2-DIN 6.95" Touchscreen DVD Receiver with Navigation System, Built-in HD Radio, Apple Carplay, and Android Auto Compatible: Cell Phones & Accessories

l

Has Kenwood fixed issues like these in the DNX771HD in the updated DNX773S?

Cumbersome/non-logical/unintuitive menu system, for example try finding the buried navigation voice prompt volume control when she starts screaming after a loss of battery power.

Phone apps that integrate the phone to the system not being updated and becoming non-functional in current IOS/Android versions

Updates to the Nav (cost and flaming hoops to install them).

Complications of swapping between phones.

Lack of a real "night mode" tied to vehicle lights.

Tempermental reverse camera.​

 

[jdayment]

In the end, I think its all about what you want to get out of it. With the true android head units, the possibilities are pretty endless especially with apps like Torque and the endless nav apps that are out there. I am not an audiophile so sound quality isn't that important to me I bypassed the amp in the LX and am using the one in the head unit to power my factory speakers and the sound is great for me. I have google maps offline maps downloaded for when we are outside of cell coverage and phone mirroring is dumb I think since in most cases you cannot control the screen from the head unit just on the phone so for me, it doesn't make sense. I have Netflix, youtube, and Showbox all on the head unit for movie watching as well. The browser is great for troubleshooting on ih8mud and I downloaded the FSM to pdf that I can access instantly on the head unit as well.

Here is a link to the one I purchased on ebay US for $130 I could not be more satisfied. (On a side not in the 80s forum the US Joying distributor chimed in on a few threads so at least they have an online presence and attempted to have a mud presence.)

6.2''Android 6.0 Double 2Din Car 3D GPS DVD Player 3G Bluetooth In-Dash+CAM

and for Lexus owners here is the trim I had to trim it quite a bit but it was quick and easy

Double 2 Din Dash Trim Kit for Lexus LX-470 Toyota LC-100 Radio DVD Stereo Panel | eBay

 

[BEG]

In the end, I think its all about what you want to get out of it. With the true android head units, the possibilities are pretty endless especially with apps like Torque and the endless nav apps that are out there. I am not an audiophile so sound quality isn't that important to me I bypassed the amp in the LX and am using the one in the head unit to power my factory speakers and the sound is great for me. I have google maps offline maps downloaded for when we are outside of cell coverage and phone mirroring is dumb I think since in most cases you cannot control the screen from the head unit just on the phone so for me, it doesn't make sense. I have Netflix, youtube, and Showbox all on the head unit for movie watching as well. The browser is great for troubleshooting on ih8mud and I downloaded the FSM to pdf that I can access instantly on the head unit as well.

Yes, the endless possibilities were the main draw for me. I used the pre-amp outputs on my HU and kept the stock amp because I didn't want to deal with it. Otherwise, same deal. Since I have wi-fi in the vehicle, I can run Netflix, Pandora, Spotify, even Outlook and get work emails and notifications on the go.
I haven't messed around with it too much, but I'm sure I could use it to cast movies to my kids' tablets in the back seat without having to hardwire it. I could use it as an SPOD type switch panel, or use to run a bluetooth TPMS system, etc. So many possibilities.

 

[Nottajeep]

I just did it in our LX i like it alot the ability to download android apps directly to the head units awesome. I bought one of the no names off of ebay for 135 I think because I was unsure if the wife would like it but she loves it and so do I.View attachment 1478931

Was this plug and play install? I am ready to swap out the OEM unit.

 

[jdayment]

Was this plug and play install? I am ready to swap out the OEM unit.

There isn't anything really plug and play for the LX but it was simple as following the wiring diagram and connecting the correct colored wires together. It was pretty simple.

 

[yeti in ga]

Just when I thought I couldn't possible add more .... my new next mod...