I installed one of those Android radios today. It was plug and play for the most part. Over the next couple days i'm going to test out the various features and will post findings.
Android Radio 10 inch
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TOY4WD
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While I think those things are ridiculous looking as big as they are I'm glad it worked out OK. What functions of the mid did you lose? Does it use the stock mic for calls? I have an android radio from another car I'm thinking of installing soon and like to see how these work vs stock. Who did you get yours from?
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It's an Android radio and does not offer Apple Carplay that I'm aware of or Android Auto. It's basically like having an Android tablet for a radio. I have had them before and been very happy. The versatility is great and blows away any other aftermarket radio I've had.
Still just test driving this thing, learning the different features and what not. Who knows how long it will last but I had to try it out. It looks like there are a couple different flavors of this head unit. The ones I've seen on ebay look the same from the front but some have different radio plugs in the rear. I purchased this off of ebay and it was the SYGAV 7.1 unit for about $370. It comes as a plug and play kit. All stock radio (base radio) plugs connect without any wire splicing. Steering wheel controls and backup camera worked out the box. It's advertised for a 2016 but I took a chance considering my 2018 has the base 6.1 inch radio and I figured that Toyota didn't do any significant changes to the wiring over the years. Since it includes a canbus module you will get on screen notification of climate control settings, door open status, even some basic hybrid monitor screens. You still have access to the vehicle settings like the lights, door locks etc. I'll try to post up some additional photos in the next couple days.
Here is a quick video https://youtu.be/KAK1MvYASGw
Some general observations and to answer some questions:
The head unit has a mic on the front panel, there is also a rear mic input (mic included) but I didn't install that at this time. Haven't tested out that feature either.
I didn't install the GPS antenna at this time. It looks like it still got a GPS signal off my mobile hotspot. Not sure if you can buy an adapter and use the OEM XM radio antenna for GPS.
Backup camera will turn on while the head unit boots up so no need to wait. Unit boots in about 1 minute.
Confirmed Local Radio stations saved to the Radio app after the car was off for the night.
Amplifier in the radio appears to be a bit stronger than OEM, possibly eliminating that strange limited rear speaker output.
This unit doesn't have Android Auto or Apple Carplay that i'm aware of but I've seen some youtube videos of a dongle that plugs in some of these radios and enables that feature.
Here is a quick video https://youtu.be/KAK1MvYASGw
Some general observations and to answer some questions:
The head unit has a mic on the front panel, there is also a rear mic input (mic included) but I didn't install that at this time. Haven't tested out that feature either.
I didn't install the GPS antenna at this time. It looks like it still got a GPS signal off my mobile hotspot. Not sure if you can buy an adapter and use the OEM XM radio antenna for GPS.
Backup camera will turn on while the head unit boots up so no need to wait. Unit boots in about 1 minute.
Confirmed Local Radio stations saved to the Radio app after the car was off for the night.
Amplifier in the radio appears to be a bit stronger than OEM, possibly eliminating that strange limited rear speaker output.
This unit doesn't have Android Auto or Apple Carplay that i'm aware of but I've seen some youtube videos of a dongle that plugs in some of these radios and enables that feature.
Quick video of operation. Default load/home screen replaced with Nova Prime Car Launcher, applied a custom icon pack and live wallpaper. Also installed Power Amp music player.
https://youtu.be/YbosxGpP5yw
It's amazing how this kind of head unit can transform the capabilities of the car. If anyone knows of must-have apps to use please let me know.
https://youtu.be/YbosxGpP5yw
It's amazing how this kind of head unit can transform the capabilities of the car. If anyone knows of must-have apps to use please let me know.
Unit is working fine. Today I watched some MP4 videos, listened to the built in radio and spotify. No crashes of the OS, freezing or other oddities. Will be interesting to try once it get's really hot and humid outside. Also fired up Google Maps and watched myself move down the road using the GPS off the WIFI hotspot on my cell phone. The screen panel looks like it's glass in the pictures but is actually plastic. I'm going to buy one of those 10 inch tempered glass screen protectors.
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Just wondering how did the vents work? I remember removing my deck and the vents are stuck as individual pieces. Do you pry them off and attach it to the china deck's frame?
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Wow. Very impressed. As a hardcore android user and modder I think this is great. Can you download any apps to it? I am a huge Tasker app fan and automate a ton on my phone as it is. Can we do the same with this tablet? Also Nova makes a car app! WTF THATS AWESOME! Life long Nova user here. I am def picking something like this up.
Don't need android auto if I can get maps on it directly.
Don't need android auto if I can get maps on it directly.
Yes, from what I've seen you can user the tasker and automate to control buttons/sources, or even switch cameras if you have more than one. I'm not at that level yet though, more of a beginner. This Android radio (not to be confused with Android Auto) comes built in with Chrome, Google Maps and Google Play store. I've downloaded Nova Prime Launcher, Power Amp music player, Spotify and some live wallpapers. You can add widgets to the home screen too. It's basically an Android tablet with integration into the car systems. For the price you really can't beat it. If you want me to video anything in particular just let me know.
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Awesome. Are you getting data connected to it through a mobile hotspot or does it run all the data through bluetooth?
Is there any built in Home screens per say? Just with music and time and such like a normal stereo or is everything exactly like a tablet in the sense that I will be building a home screen? Either way cool as hell!
I am getting the data from the WIFI hotspot on my cellular phone. Not sure if it can do Bluetooth data. It comes with a default home screen out the box which is basically a calendar, clock and music widget. You would swipe left to see all the other apps like Radio, DVR, Movies, Maps etc. But yes, exactly like a tablet and best to just customize your own homescreen with the apps and widgets of your choice.
Picture attached - a little before and after. This wallpaper is Live Forrest and I think it was the Pixel 2 icon pack if I'm not mistaken.
Picture attached - a little before and after. This wallpaper is Live Forrest and I think it was the Pixel 2 icon pack if I'm not mistaken.
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Damn that really enhanced the look of the car. Thanks for the info and pics! You have helped me find my next stereo!
I know right! The fact that the interface it's fully customizable makes it a cool choice, even compared to something like a $90k Range Rover or Lexus LS. :laugh We are lucky to have a model sold here and overseas in large numbers so we can take advantage of all the options. What's crazy is if you went big box brand like Pioneer or Alpine you'd be spending $2k + for anything comparable, not to mention you'd need various backup camera and steering wheel adapters to make it work. This is literally plug and play.
p.s. When I go to run the GPS antenna I might post a video of just how simple it is to install.
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I think visually this unit looks pretty good considering that now a lot of cars that come with touch screens have it pop up like a tablet.
When I used to have a 2008 Honda CR-V I bought an Android unit that looked very similar to this:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61j8ARXXpSL._SY355_.jpg
What I liked was that it sit flush with the car and looked practically OEM. Everything about it visually was stunningly beautiful. But after a few years I got a little tired of it, and this is the risk of buying from a company that has limited resources.
1. The unit was stuck on Jelly Bean and never got upgraded - now the unit is disconnected and not supported
2. The mic had echoing issues - callers couldn't stand talking to me on it
3. The volume would erratically jump up on startup even though I muted it before turning off the card
4. Couldn't install apps on the SD card, and the internal memory space was laughable
5. Sunlight legibility was a problem (probably due to screen quality)
So it's great that TOY4WD is putting up his review on this. The key to buying a good unit is based on customer feedback. There's a huge flood of this stuff on eBay and who knows how well it was built or the # of bugs that might be in there. The thing about buying one of these Android units is that you almost always need the software updated as quick as your phone. We can't be changing my head unit as often as our phones just because the software is a mess.
Eventually I installed the OEM radio back and used a newer Bluetooth adapter that could connect to the head unit via an AUX cable. Not pretty looking, but functionally it just worked better.
Don't mean to be a downer on this
I just had a mediocre experience and thought I'd share.
When I used to have a 2008 Honda CR-V I bought an Android unit that looked very similar to this:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61j8ARXXpSL._SY355_.jpg
What I liked was that it sit flush with the car and looked practically OEM. Everything about it visually was stunningly beautiful. But after a few years I got a little tired of it, and this is the risk of buying from a company that has limited resources.
1. The unit was stuck on Jelly Bean and never got upgraded - now the unit is disconnected and not supported
2. The mic had echoing issues - callers couldn't stand talking to me on it
3. The volume would erratically jump up on startup even though I muted it before turning off the card
4. Couldn't install apps on the SD card, and the internal memory space was laughable
5. Sunlight legibility was a problem (probably due to screen quality)
So it's great that TOY4WD is putting up his review on this. The key to buying a good unit is based on customer feedback. There's a huge flood of this stuff on eBay and who knows how well it was built or the # of bugs that might be in there. The thing about buying one of these Android units is that you almost always need the software updated as quick as your phone. We can't be changing my head unit as often as our phones just because the software is a mess.
Eventually I installed the OEM radio back and used a newer Bluetooth adapter that could connect to the head unit via an AUX cable. Not pretty looking, but functionally it just worked better.
Don't mean to be a downer on this
I just had a mediocre experience and thought I'd share.Appreciate your feedback as an early adopter. It's true that some of the stuff out of china can be iffy, but then again practically everything is coming out there now. Just have to exercise some caution and be realistic. Tech is rapidly changing and I don't think we will ever have a perfect device (especially from OEM) but I believe these fully customizable head units are a step in the right direction. I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can and I'm not opposed to forking down another $370 dollars in 2 or 3 years for double the hardware upgrades. Will keep you all posted.
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