08-02-2019, 08:00 AM | #1 |
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10.25" Android 9.0 HU discussion
Since the other topic is 100 pages of complaining about the bugs in android 7.1, I thought I would open a new one for discussion about the newest generation of aftermarket head units. What bugs are still there? Are there any workarounds? Let's discuss!
Android 10 units have arrived and its also possible to upgrade from 9.0 to 10 (Snapdragon only atm). Android 10 discussion thread: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1699764 Where to buy? Most people have chosen the Aliexpress route. There are a lot of sellers and prices are cheapest. However with chinese sellers the after-sales support is hit and miss. You can also purchase from EU/USA based sellers where prices are higher but support *should* be better. What to buy? This topic is about Android 9.0 based headunits. There are 2 "main" units people are using: units with Snapdragon 625 CPU and units with PX6 CPU. There is also a model with Intel CPU, but it's not so popular. I think most people are using a SD625 unit, here's why: - Faster in multicore use (a bit) - More frequent firmware updates (this is very important because bugs still exist in both units) - Better audio quality - Faster GPS fix Advantage of PX6 units is that you can have a 1920x720 screen with them, while the Snapdragon units are limited to 1240x40 (which is bearable). I have recently ordered this one: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33027583700.html (well actually the F20 equivalent) and will keep you updated once it arrives ! EDIT: here's my review: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=218 Important information/tips Identifying Your Headunit - Headunits are identified easiest with checking the "Appver" string under "Settings" -> "System Info" - PX6 Units always have a "970" or "970A" at the end., there is no Version number, they are identified via the build date (begin of the string) (example: 2019062501_1280x480_970) - Snapdragon 625 (short SD625), do always start with "KSW-P-Userdebug_OS_v u" and Version number at the end (example: Ksw-P-Userdebug_OS_v3.8.0) Root SD625 Unit the easy way Root SD625 + Magisk/Xposed tools for advanced users Note on Root PX6 Units SD625 Factory Reset/ recovery installation How to resore Bricked PX6 unit Installing Netflix on SD625 Workaround with Tasker to fix silent sound at startup Tasker beginner guide How to use Cflumen for true automatic Backlight control) Using Viper4Android (Sound mod) Reinstall missing DocumentsUI app Activate OK-Google systemwide Make Taskbar smaller Guide to create own Splash screen Retrofit OEM Look USB Port how to insert sim card correctly 8080-01 Harness pinout How to Power up Headunit at your Desk translated and fullfeature Factory_config.xml Enable Google Maps Zoom with Idrive (Tasker) Hide taskbar (global immersive mode) Firmware updates Firmware updates are often posted in this topic, but they can be difficult to find due to the amount of posts, so I have collected the latest updates here. Sometimes I might miss miss one, so tag/pm me and I will update this post. Snapdragon units Version 3.9.8: https://mega.nz/file/FM4DmaqJ#-Io0fT...LPhCmSRVj8Wa9c Instructions for updating (Snapdragon): 1. NO NEED TO Unzip the downloaded file 2. Copy the Ksw-P-Userdebug_OS_v*.*.*-ota.zip in empty USB pendrive and attach USB to unit 3. Turn on unit, the upgrade window will pop up, click on it. 4. After finish the upgrade, you must pull out the USB, otherwise, each time you turn on unit, it will remind you whether if upgrade. (Note: Do not cut power while upgrade) PX6 units Download: https://mega.nz/#F!kbYFBS5C!gE-QFJoU...PxiJA?YCQWUSRB MCU updates MCU is the bridge between our car and the headunit. More information: https://forum.xda-developers.com/wik.../MCU_Explained Just like firmware updates, Snapdragon and PX6 units have their own MCU files. The correct MCU file also depends on your car system (NBT/CCC/CIC). There are also different vendors for these units, and attempting to update with wrong vendor's MCU will lead to "Upgrade not allowed" error. You can check your vendor from the system info screen, in the middle of the MCU version string. The most common vendor seems to be "GS" but I have also seen "ALS" and "LZH". Snapdragon units Download (GS & LZH vendor): https://mega.nz/#F!kbYFBS5C!gE-QFJoU...PxiJA?YCQWUSRB Download (ALS vendor): seems impossible to find MCU update for this vendor Instructions for upgrading MCU (Snapdragon): 1. Unpack/copy ksw_mcu.bin to root folder on a SD card or USB memory stick. 2. Insert. 3. Go to Settings, System info, MCU upgrade. PX6 units Download: https://mega.nz/#F!kbYFBS5C!gE-QFJoU...PxiJA?YCQWUSRB Last edited by lehtee; 11-22-2020 at 02:24 PM.. |
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08-02-2019, 08:27 AM | #2 |
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Fantastic, thanks for setting this up, lehtee!
I pulled my dash apart yesterday and found my CIC unit has the 6 pin LVDS cable, so i'm very interested to see how this unit shapes up, specifically the one with built in CarPlay. I've tried Android headunits in the past and never been particularly impressed but I have my fingers crossed for this one! |
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sirch27.00 |
08-02-2019, 09:06 AM | #3 |
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Didn't know there was one with built in CarPlay, that's pretty cool.
As I mentioned in one of the other threads, I took delivery of an Avin Android 9.0 unit the other day. PX6, 4GB RAM and 1280x480 screen and it replaced an Avin Android 7.1 unit. I've had it in my car for 4 days now and have driven a good 800 miles so I've had a bit of a play around with it. Initial impressions: 1). It's a lot quicker than the Android 7 unit. It boots quicker, it loads apps a lot quicker and it's generally more responsive. 2). The anti-glare screen makes a noticeable difference. The weather in the UK is generally crap but it's been pretty hot and sunny here in recent weeks and there's been many times where I've literally been able to see nothing on my 7.1's display in the bright sun. It seems to be a lot better with this 9.0 unit. The screen itself does seem to have a slight blue tinge to it though, which I didn't have on the 7.1 screen. It doesn't bother me but it is noticeable. 3). GPS actually works now. My 7.1 unit's GPS was useless. Not sure why, but I tried 2 different antennas in different locations, resetting it to stock a few times, different software versions and various different apps but I only ever managed 5-6 satellites and the location would drop out regularly. It now frequently has 12+ satellites and location is always accurate. However when taking the 7.1 unit out of the car, I did notice that the connector on the antenna wasn't looking too good so that is a possibility - but I did have issues with the original Avin supplied antenna too. 4). Black bezel is a gloss black. It looks great and better than the silver, but I'd prefer it to be a matte black because gloss black is always a fingerprint magnet. 5). Wifi on my unit may not be quite as good as it was on my 7.1 unit. My driveway is a fair distance from the house and the car only just gets wifi signal from there so that was never the best way to tell. But I drove to my parents' house today where I can park a lot closer to their AP and when parked up in the same place my 7.1's wifi worked, whereas on this 9.0 unit it seems to be a lot slower and unstable. Even when I ran a cable and moved the AP to within about 2 metres/6 feet of my car it still only had 2 bars of signal, but it was at least quick and reliable at that point. 6). Aside from wifi, everything seems to work well for me. I've had no problems at all which is always nice. I'm using wireless CarPlay with a Carlinkit USB dongle rather than the Avin one and it works perfectly. After updating AutoKit and the USB dongle's firmware it works reliably with iOS 13 beta too. I do kind of wish I'd gone for the higher resolution screen but this one still looks great. However, I wonder what the original BMW UI would look like on the higher res screen? Obviously everything would have to be scaled up so it might look a little blurred. I'd be interested in seeing whether it is or not. Also, I have yet to find any update packages for these 9.0 units around anywhere. I requested access to 9.0 downloads via the Avin portal last week but I've not had any response to it yet which is surprising as they sorted out access for 7.1 downloads very quickly. Last edited by Zheez; 08-02-2019 at 09:16 AM.. |
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08-02-2019, 09:11 AM | #4 | |
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How is the sound quality, is it much worse than the original? Also did you have to use the aux cable in order to get sound from android side? The AUX thing is still a big mystery, why some people don't need the aux for sound and some do. Could it be that HK systems with the optical wires don't have to wire AUX and others do? Any more theories? Also, where did you end up installing the GPS antenna? |
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08-02-2019, 09:22 AM | #5 |
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Sound quality seems to be fine for me. I can't really tell any difference to be honest so I'm happy with it. My car only has basic audio though so I'm not exactly starting off with the best setup on that side of things.
I didn't need an aux cable on mine, it just works. I do have an optical cable on my HU but it's only a direct connection from there to the instrument cluster so nothing to do with an amp. For GPS I mounted it behind the instrument cluster. Only 2 screws to take it out and there's a plastic duct there for the air vent. I just stuck it straight on top of that and it works perfectly. I know people have mounted theirs above the glove box which I did think about doing but I couldn't find anywhere there that I thought the antenna would actually stay stuck to. I think with some warm weather it would easily fall off in some of the spots I tried first which is why I settled with the area behind the instrument cluster. |
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lehtee144.00 |
08-02-2019, 10:12 AM | #6 |
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I also got an Avin 9.0, installed it earlier this week. Massive improvement to the old gen 2 4.4.4 unit I had in my last car. As has been mentioned it works a lot faster in terms of booting up, no lag going through different screens. I've already got nav so bought a splitter from Amazon, works perfectly. I too have to optic cable so moved that, and didn't need to run the aux cable either so big plus there. Sound quality is comparable to OEM, no complaints, am using the Avin CarPlay dongle, works just as well either cable or wireless. I'm waiting for the "official" iOS 13 release but have briefly tried the beta, really pleased with the multiple apps on one screen.
One thing I really want to do is get the coding done for the larger screen, I had the 6.5" one so OEM stuff has the unsightly thing filling the space, just need to find someone local to help me out Mick |
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lehtee144.00 |
08-02-2019, 10:23 AM | #7 |
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Good to hear you've had no problems using a GPS splitter. I did have one for my NBT and 7.1 unit but I frequently had problems where the Android side wouldn't boot up with it connected - I think it was if you unlocked the car and didn't start the engine up within about 30 seconds then it would boot fine but much longer than that and it just displays no signal. As soon as I removed the splitter it was back to booting up perfectly every time. Glad to see you're not having any problems so hopefully these units have fixed that issue.
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08-02-2019, 11:21 AM | #8 | |
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Also GPS related: I have seen some people buy the GPS splitter and end up confused because there is no GPS wire in their car. It appears that not all cars have built in GPS, only the cars with stock navi have. So if your car didn't come with navigation, don't waste your money on the GPS splitter. I know you may still see your vehicle location in connecteddrive application but that's what my seller told me, I don't know how the app gets the location. |
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08-02-2019, 11:44 AM | #9 |
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Mine didn't come with navigation from factory but I retrofitted an NBT unit. I discovered that my TCB in the boot/trunk actually has a GPS antenna on it which presumably is used for the SOS emergency call stuff as disconnecting it and running an extension to the NBT unit gave me working location on NBT but an SOS call failure message on the dash.
I used a splitter in the boot/trunk to feed the TCB and the NBT and NBT's navigation works perfectly and there's no SOS call error on the dash. I wonder if it'd be happy with using another splitter to split it again for the Android unit I don't think I'll bother though as the bundled GPS antenna behind the instrument cluster does work perfectly well for me. But for those who have a TCB GPS unit, a splitter from that and a fakra extension cable should work nicely too but that is more effort running the cable all down the side of the car. |
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lehtee144.00 |
08-02-2019, 11:55 AM | #10 | |
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08-03-2019, 09:34 AM | #11 | |
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2013 328i xDrive | M Performance Exhaust | Injen Intake | DEPO Headlights |
2019 440i xDrive | Muffler Delete | |
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08-04-2019, 04:19 AM | #12 |
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Can't decide between these two, which one would you get?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33059307344.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33027583700.html The other one has the 1920x720 screen but the other one has - better CPU/GPU - Claims to have better audio quality due to better CPU - BT4.1 support - Built in SIM tray (although I have read it has problems recognizing foreign cards) - Lower price - More ROM (32gb vs 64gb) - Claims to have full steering wheel control and ID knob support So the question is whether the 1920x720 screen is really worth it, 1280x480 gives us DPI of 133 which should be enough for a HU but it's hard to say without seeing the screen live... Last edited by lehtee; 08-04-2019 at 05:01 AM.. |
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08-04-2019, 05:42 AM | #13 |
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With my unit I found the OEM screen lower quality compared to my old 8.8 inch screen so would be very interested as to how OEM screen look on the higher resolution screen.
I would also advise every to get the anti reflection screen if they can. The screen glare on my 8.1 unit is bad |
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08-04-2019, 06:18 AM | #14 | |
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08-04-2019, 10:27 AM | #15 | |||
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What is it and how/where is it connected? Without the AUX cable, which audio source needs to be selected in the original iDrive in order to hear sound coming from the Android side? Thanks in advance. |
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08-04-2019, 11:59 AM | #16 |
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My car has base audio so the optical cable from the quadlock connector only runs direct to the instrument cluster. Needed for service info, EfficientDynamics info and other things like that from the head unit itself. I believe that cars with an amp will have the optical devices all connected together, so head unit to amp, amp to instrument cluster then instrument cluster back to head unit so for those cars there would be no audio at all if the ring is broken.
It's a mini connector that slots into the quadlock connector itself. If you don't have it, and I believe the only way you won't have it is if you have no amp and the basic instrument cluster, then you don't need to worry about it but if you do there's just a tab that lifts up and the mini connector pulls out and then you can slot it straight into the quadlock connection on the Android HU harness. Without the aux cable connected I still select the aux option in iDrive. |
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08-04-2019, 12:58 PM | #17 |
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I suppose you are talking about the following, right?
At minute 05:33: Will the Android harness then pass through the optical connection to the HeadUnit to keep original functionality? How is the audio quality? People reported bad audio quality through Aux, but this seems to work differently. I guess what I am trying to figure out is if this will 100% have OEM audio quality as I retrofitted a different/better AMP and don't want to lose the quality. Last edited by Firefly1337; 08-04-2019 at 01:20 PM.. |
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08-04-2019, 01:26 PM | #18 | |
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Especially the unit with qualcomm chip should have better sound, but can’t be sure yet,still waiting for reviews about that one. I will keep you updated when I receive my unit! Last edited by lehtee; 08-05-2019 at 03:58 AM.. |
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08-05-2019, 03:52 AM | #19 |
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Just taken some photos, got to say I'm really impressed with the new unit. The sound quality is totally comparable to OEM, it does occasionally "jump" but I can live with that. What really surprises me is that wirelessly makes no difference to the sound so I've to decide whether to leave my phone where it is and hook up via the cable or put it in the armrest cubby hole, where I tend to forget it!
Pictures show where CarPlay adapter is situated with cable fed through the small hole. The screen protector was on the unit, I've just left it on. For some reason there was a pack of screen protectors included even though I didn't order them so going to decide whether or not to use them, still seems to be a good bit of reflection on the screen. If anyone has any questions or want me to try anything (!) just let me know. Oh, and it sounds like sat nav instructions play through all speakers too, not just the left one like I think other people complained about. |
08-05-2019, 04:57 AM | #20 | |
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EDIT: I see your post from earlier, it's the Avin one so I guess PX6 and 1280x480 Last edited by lehtee; 08-05-2019 at 05:03 AM.. |
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08-05-2019, 05:03 AM | #21 |
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I just went for the Avin one so no idea which chip it has, all I know is that it works very well! Just standard resolution. I did consider one of the AliExpress ones with HD and built in CarPlay but decided to stick with Avin having used them before and not had any issues, they seem to be getting their act together with the support website. I'm now thinking about getting a rear camera, will finish the job off nicely.
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08-05-2019, 06:15 AM | #22 | |
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Can you please post a picture of your system info screen ? sincerely Chri |
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