# Android Auto / Apple Carplay



## Beillynoy (Aug 25, 2014)

Can anyone advise what's the best way to get Apple or Android connectivity into a MY17 car? 

(More than just a Bluetooth connection and a window - mounted brodit car kit) 

I would prefer to keep the car as standard as possible, without trailing cables, rather than ripping out the dash and installing an aftermarket head unit - for cost and aesthetic purposes. But if there's a dongle I can have fitted behind the dash (along the lines of the aftermarket dealer fit Kenwood sat nav available for VWs) then that would be perfect. 

Thanks
Neil


----------



## R35 Boxer (Aug 12, 2012)

Interested in this too if its possible!


----------



## Trev (Nov 1, 2003)

Why didn't Nissan include this anyway?!!!


----------



## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

Wtf do you want that shit for? The MFD has everything you need including controlling your phone and Spotify/deezer 

What more could you possibly want?


----------



## Mookistar (Feb 5, 2004)

If anyone would know it'll be Andy at R35Audio


----------



## Beillynoy (Aug 25, 2014)

Seriously?
I know that the head unit in my MY14 displayed track name via Bluetooth, but ate you saying that you can browse / select Spotify tracks and playlists on the standard head unit? 
If so then you've truly gasted my flabber. 

Neil


----------



## Beillynoy (Aug 25, 2014)

(I was responding to Stealth69 post)


----------



## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

Nah I just put it on flow and go with whatever comes on....... after all it's all based on my favourite music and I can skip the tracks I don't like with the steering wheel lol


----------



## WingedBeast1968 (Sep 18, 2009)

Trev said:


> Why didn't Nissan include this anyway?!!!


Coz they're a shit company with shit customer service and shit dealerships and a shit warranty. But I could be wrong


----------



## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

WingedBeast1968 said:


> Coz they're a shit company with shit customer service and shit dealerships and a shit warranty. But I could be wrong


Having a rough time of it at the moment mate?


----------



## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

It's possible to mirror the apple/android screen on the MFD but it would not have touchscreen connectivity (basically you'd be just throwing a video feed to the screen a la reverse camera).

Apple carplay/Android whatever its called, needs proper hardware integration which isnt possible without adding in an aftermarket touchscreen AV unit.

Why you'd want to hack a nice new MY17 to pieces to do that is beyond me.


----------



## Beillynoy (Aug 25, 2014)

charles charlie said:


> It's possible to mirror the apple/android screen on the MFD but it would not have touchscreen connectivity (basically you'd be just throwing a video feed to the screen a la reverse camera).
> 
> Apple carplay/Android whatever its called, needs proper hardware integration which isnt possible without adding in an aftermarket touchscreen AV unit.
> 
> Why you'd want to hack a nice new MY17 to pieces to do that is beyond me.


Hacking it to pieces is exactly what I want to avoid. But I'm surprised that this needs a new screen given existing hardware is already touch enabled. Nevertheless, you seem to know more about the technical side of things than I do, so thank you for your perspective. 

Neil


----------



## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

It would need a new screen because there is no way of feeding the touches back to the device as it is over AUX. 

Basically you are stuck with the screen that is in it and have to make the most of it.....


----------



## Beillynoy (Aug 25, 2014)

Stealth69 said:


> It would need a new screen because there is no way of feeding the touches back to the device as it is over AUX.
> 
> Basically you are stuck with the screen that is in it and have to make the most of it.....


I'm not averse to having a new USB socket wired into the glove box (or repurposing existing Auxto act as conduit between phone and additional hardware hidden behind the dash which then feeds into existing dash display. Akin to the VW/Kenwood satnav solution I mentioned above. Surely the in - dash hardware could translate touchscreen input into android auto inputs? 

You'll note the question mark at the end.... This is pure conjecture on my part but if there is a car hifi guru out there who can make this work rhen I reckon there's a market for it. 
But then I'm not technically minded so, to those who are, this might just sound like the ravings of an SNP politician  

Neil


----------



## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

Beillynoy said:


> Hacking it to pieces is exactly what I want to avoid. But I'm surprised that this needs a new screen given existing hardware is already touch enabled. Nevertheless, you seem to know more about the technical side of things than I do, so thank you for your perspective.
> 
> Neil


Why are you surprised?

My washing machine has a touchscreen interface and i cant imagine it'll be easy to connect my ios enabled device to that either?

Hardware and software compatibility is a minefield.


----------



## Beillynoy (Aug 25, 2014)

Probably just showing my ignorance of such stuff, TBH. 

Thanks
N.


----------



## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

charles charlie said:


> Why are you surprised?
> 
> My washing machine has a touchscreen interface and i cant imagine it'll be easy to connect my ios enabled device to that either?
> 
> Hardware and software compatibility is a minefield.


Give it a go just for shits and giggles


----------



## Beillynoy (Aug 25, 2014)

PS
If anyone is interested in why I thought this might be easier than it appears to be....
http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk/car/oem/vw/GVN-MIB1/


----------



## Beillynoy (Aug 25, 2014)

Now that I see the latest GT-Rs have Apple CarPlay installed on them.....

Is there a way to retrofit this to what appears to be the same screen setup as in my (2017) car?

[Embarrassingly, I've just been referred back to this thread - which I started - after starting a new thread to ask exactly this^^^. Oops.]

N.


----------



## Johnny G (Aug 10, 2012)

It***8217;s a software update apparently 
The MY17 has the same hardware as the MY18 according to Westway Manchester, which means they don***8217;t have the same hardware.


----------



## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

Johnny G said:


> It***8217;s a software update apparently
> The MY17 has the same hardware as the MY18 according to Westway Manchester, which means they don***8217;t have the same hardware.


The only likely hardware difference is the connectivity between the head unit and usb socket. The CarPlay interface is almost certainly software but unless a heavier duty than necessary connection was installed in a non CarPlay car you may need to replace the cabling.

It should be pretty easy to work out what the part codes are for the 17 and 18 head units to see if they are the same.

Carplay is actually more useful now that the latest version allows use of Google maps and Waze rather than forcing Apple Maps.


----------



## JColl (Feb 20, 2019)

Has anybody got any further with this, I'd like to mirror my iPhone 8 to the screen on a MY17 car. Is this possible?


----------



## deano555 (Apr 22, 2012)

Stealth69 said:


> Give it a go just for shits and giggles


Sat Nav on a washing machine could be the next big thing.


----------



## WingedBeast1968 (Sep 18, 2009)

MY18 head unit a given, what’s the diff


----------



## pezzer (Jan 24, 2019)

Any more updates on this for a 2017. Software or hardware?


----------



## JColl (Feb 20, 2019)

I'm keen to learn about this too, if Apple Play is available on MY18 cars then I hope its just an update needed for my MY17 car.


----------



## Johnny G (Aug 10, 2012)

I went through the part numbers on the AV Systems, MY2017 - MY2018, couldn't see any differences. The USB socket, the harness, the MFD, the AV unit/amp setup, all looked to be the same number.
I'm guessing it's a firmware update, but most likely Nissan will only allow on VIN sequences after the MY2018 was announced.


----------



## WingedBeast1968 (Sep 18, 2009)

The software is on the hard drive. Copy copy copy. Hacky hacky hacky :chuckle:


----------



## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

WingedBeast1968 said:


> The software is on the hard drive. Copy copy copy. Hacky hacky hacky <img src="http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/new/chuckle.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Chuckle" class="inlineimg" />


There is no hard drive on the EBA is there? It's SSD/SD card


----------



## WingedBeast1968 (Sep 18, 2009)

Dunno, but HDD/SSD/SD no matter. Software is on it. If the Clarion box can read it, so can I


----------



## Will64 (Jan 30, 2012)

My car went into Nissan today for its 1200 mile optimisation service and I asked the question about apple CarPlay being updated on MY17, I was told it wasn’t possible to update existing unit. Replacement unit required is what I was told.


----------



## WingedBeast1968 (Sep 18, 2009)

Must be right if a Nissan goon said it :chuckle:


----------



## Will64 (Jan 30, 2012)

WingedBeast1968 said:


> Must be right if a Nissan goon said it :chuckle:


Yes and now updates are available at an independent garage near you!


----------



## Chris**** (Apr 27, 2017)

Anyone manage to retrofit this? Looking at a 17 plate, and really want carplay!


----------



## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

Chris**** said:


> Anyone manage to retrofit this? Looking at a 17 plate, and really want carplay!


I haven't seen anyone offering this as an option yet and would perhaos be interested if it was as I have an 18/67) car bought before this change happened.

However Android Auto runs standalone (not sure about carplay) on the phone, so I have a small discreet Dashboard mag mount and a magnetic phone case for the car. I just switch phone cases and attach to the mag mount. The phone connects through Bluetooth my large screen Pixel XL shows all the Android Auto details and controls whilst my main screen is free for driving and other data. The phone is in similar reach to the main screen for changes to say Spotify track etc on the fly (although the car controls these anyway via the Bluetooth connection).

So if you have the right phone setup you can have much the same thing on earlier cars at pretty minimal expense. You do then gain an additional screen. There is also a power socket below the steering wheel which you can plug a charging cable into for no visible cable runs.

This works so well I am reluctant to change it but if there was a fairly low cost option I might consider it.


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

AndyE14 said:


> I haven't seen anyone offering this as an option yet and would perhaos be interested if it was as I have an 18/67) car bought before this change happened.
> 
> However Android Auto runs standalone (not sure about carplay) on the phone, so I have a small discreet Dashboard mag mount and a magnetic phone case for the car. I just switch phone cases and attach to the mag mount. The phone connects through Bluetooth my large screen Pixel XL shows all the Android Auto details and controls whilst my main screen is free for driving and other data. The phone is in similar reach to the main screen for changes to say Spotify track etc on the fly (although the car controls these anyway via the Bluetooth connection).
> 
> ...



Do you have some pics? I can't really grasp on what you're revering to.

I've contacted Andre Legertas who could sell the 2015 MDF units in older cars and even converted my US to EU spec.
He's going to take a look, but like seen it doesn't seem to big of an issue.

I've been told the Nissan Murano has the same headUnit part as the GTR. There are several threads about Android Auto & Apple Carplay on the Murano forums.


----------



## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

shazada said:


> Do you have some pics? I can't really grasp on what you're revering to.
> 
> I've contacted Andre Legertas who could sell the 2015 MDF units in older cars and even converted my US to EU spec.
> He's going to take a look, but like seen it doesn't seem to big of an issue.
> ...


Sure here are some showing the mount, my car mag case, android auto working main screen, then Waze via Android Auto, I could have shown the phone or music AA screens too.

Android Auto works exactly the same on the device mounted this way as it does on my wife's car with Android Auto used via the main MFD display (although for AA embedded in car use they have updated the look slightly on the last month which will no doubt apply to standalone shortly).

Whilst slightly less elegant than pushed through the main display there is an advantage in having the additional screen for control. Sound and Mic works through the normal phone Bluetooth connection. Volume control can be set from either car (steering wheel or MFD knob) or phone, track control for all.music played from the phone including Spotify can be run from the wheel up and down control or dash forward or back buttons on the MFD.

All voice commands work exactly as they do on a fully Android Auto equipped car.

Anyone with an Android phone can run Android Auto Standalone this way, I moved away from Apple when the first Pixel launched so not sure about CarPlay. This phone is a Pixel 3 XL. Android Auto for me has much more functionality and available Apps and has allowed Waze integration (the key App) for much longer than it has been available on Apple devices.


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

Looks good! Is better than putting your telephone in an awkward position. This is much cleaner.
Still hoping that some one finds the firmware update so we can use the main display. The only point on getting this is Waze like you said.


----------



## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

shazada said:


> Looks good! Is better than putting your telephone in an awkward position. This is much cleaner.
> Still hoping that some one finds the firmware update so we can use the main display. The only point on getting this is Waze like you said.


As I say in some ways it is a better solution to have the two screens to use as you need to use the main screen for some other functions (especially on the pre 17 models). The other advantage is that when there is a slightly odd interaction between the 360 camera on my wife's car (and I assume other cars with reversing cams like the GTR). This means that if you don't set your destination fully before reversing out of your drive (for instance) you have to mess about and do it again later when you drive off. 

Having the screens independent avoids this completely. It would still be good to have the option to push screen detail and full touchscreen control through the main screen too but my solution works well enough that for me this is a much more marginal thing than it otherwise would be.


----------



## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

shazada said:


> Looks good! Is better than putting your telephone in an awkward position. This is much cleaner.
> Still hoping that some one finds the firmware update so we can use the main display. The only point on getting this is Waze like you said.


So I have some experience in using Waze standalone (using the same mounting mechanism) because for a short period, Waze was not integrated into Android Auto when run standalone on the phone and I would be fairly confident this would also work well with an iPhone.

You can fire up Waze directly and run it in the same way (using OK Waze rather than OK Google to trigger voice commands), same mount and Bluetooth connection and Waze will also control Spotify for you, so you can work it all via the Waze App.

The downsides are that this does not neatly integrate telephony (although the main screen does) and you do not then get easy integration of WhatsApp and SMS messaging for text to speech (2 way conversion) whilst driving.


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

I just found this one.
Maybe this will be usable for the 2016 model as well.
https://theshophouston.com/product/...rformance-nissan-gtr-carplay-integration-kit/

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

Johnny G said:


> I went through the part numbers on the AV Systems, MY2017 - MY2018, couldn't see any differences. The USB socket, the harness, the MFD, the AV unit/amp setup, all looked to be the same number.
> I'm guessing it's a firmware update, but most likely Nissan will only allow on VIN sequences after the MY2018 was announced.


Can you state where you've find the partnumbers? I'm going through several sites, but can't find anything in europe from my17 and above.

Site I've looked is: https://nissan-europe.epc-data.com


----------



## Chris**** (Apr 27, 2017)

If the system doesn't have a hard drive, then is everything just off the SD card?

So would an SD card from a 2018 work? As the system won't work without it. Sounds simple, but you never know


----------



## Lew.eddy (Dec 22, 2019)

Following this as would love to have it on my 67 plate, was gutted when the 2018 came out with it!!


----------



## Hugh Keir (Jul 25, 2001)

Lew.eddy said:


> Following this as would love to have it on my 67 plate, was gutted when the 2018 came out with it!!


This might interest you:-


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

Chris**** said:


> If the system doesn't have a hard drive, then is everything just off the SD card?
> 
> So would an SD card from a 2018 work? As the system won't work without it. Sounds simple, but you never know


You might be right. When unplugging the SD-card the system shutsdown.
So maybe a 2018 will update the system??

Who can test this?


----------



## Mookistar (Feb 5, 2004)

Just doesn’t work like that.


----------



## pezzer (Jan 24, 2019)

Hugh Keir said:


> This might interest you:-


Link suggests it won’t work on 17 plate cars. Shame


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Lew.eddy (Dec 22, 2019)

Mookistar said:


> Just doesn’t work like that.


Surely if the part numbers are the same it must just be software plus a new cable! Hoping someone can figure this!


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

pezzer said:


> Link suggests it won’t work on 17 plate cars. Shame
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Also it mosly only works on US models because they have an official AUX in with video.


----------



## Chris**** (Apr 27, 2017)

Mookistar said:


> Just doesn’t work like that.


Worth a try though. Software is stored somewhere, and very weird the whole system shuts down when the SD card is removed.


----------



## Chris**** (Apr 27, 2017)

Noticed the part numbers for the head unit changes from 2017 to 2018. So whether it's extra hardware in the unit, or just software. 

Any decent people who Can code Nissan's? Loads for BMW and VAG, But can't find any who do Nissan lol


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

Chris**** said:


> Noticed the part numbers for the head unit changes from 2017 to 2018. So whether it's extra hardware in the unit, or just software.
> 
> Any decent people who Can code Nissan's? Loads for BMW and VAG, But can't find any who do Nissan lol


Where did you find those? I'm looking for the partnrs but can't find the EU spec. Only US spec. 

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk


----------



## Chris**** (Apr 27, 2017)

shazada said:


> Where did you find those? I'm looking for the partnrs but can't find the EU spec. Only US spec.
> 
> Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk


A Nissan parts catalogue online, but 100% they are different part numbers. Doesn't mean they are actually different in hardware, but would love to open them up and have a look!


----------



## Achi (Mar 31, 2020)

Guten Tag zusammen, ich wollte mal fragen ob ihr auf eine Lösung gehört / gefunden habt für die MY17 Model Carplay ??? 
.


----------



## ethbond (12 mo ago)

I thought I would kick-start this thread again. I am going to be buying an r35 in the next couple months and carplay is a must. I have seen a guy/company called xanavi who does a software upgrade on 2016+ gtrs for £800. They do a 3 day free trial. Is anyone willing to or has given it a go? I can probably save about £10-20k going for a 2016 over a 2018+ car.


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

Seems promising, just need Android auto but would be awesome. 

If it's just SD card, you can always buy it and then sell it here for 100 😁. After 8 people we'll give it away for free for forum people.


----------



## ethbond (12 mo ago)

shazada said:


> Seems promising, just need Android auto but would be awesome.
> 
> If it's just SD card, you can always buy it and then sell it here for 100 😁. After 8 people we'll give it away for free for forum people.


I have a feeling the software update is tied to the VIN or similar. Don't tempt me with redistributing it! There is something a bit sour about charging £300 for similar software flashes for other Nissan models but £800 for the GTR because they know we are good for it.

After 10 years of android goodness, I am actually going to move to the "dark side" when I get mine just so I can have Spotify and google maps in the car.

I am going to do more research into this, I am no slouch when it comes to coding so I will try get my hands on the firmware installed on one of those SD cards and take a look at what restrictions if any are on them.


shazada said:


> Seems promising, just need Android auto but would be awesome.
> 
> If it's just SD card, you can always buy it and then sell it here for 100 😁. After 8 people we'll give it away for free for forum people.


----------



## shazada (Dec 15, 2013)

I've done it with several other here in The Netherlands (with some discount) and it works great, but no Android auto at the moment.

It is attached to the vin, so you install it get a file and send the file back, then they'll send the license file you'll need to put on the SD card and then it works.

See the pics below, it works like a charm.
















Sent from my SM-F926B using Tapatalk


----------

