Android Auto vehicle commands not passed through - specifically "Set Temperature"

[miraculon]

I have AA working quite well between the Moto dongle and the new Samsung Android phone I just got. It works very reliably now.

I find the "+ and -" temperature HVAC buttons somewhat hard to read during the day. This is unique to my Ranger, my 2018 Fusion is easy to see, maybe the angle of the buttons or the "stroke width" of the graphics. are the issue on the Ranger. Prior to getting the wireless AA and the new phone, I only used it via cable when I needed to go somewhere that I wasn't familiar with. I would use the voice command to adjust the temperature, and it worked well when AA wasn't running.

I have tried it again with the AA/Google Map running and it doesn't recognize "Set Temperature" commands and apparently is not passing it to the vehicle.

Is there a workaround for this (other than disconnecting the phone)? Other AA voice commands specifically for the AA functions work OK. (e.g. text reading) Going to the Sync Home Screen didn't make any difference.

Greg H.

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[got3fords]

I have AA working quite well between the Moto dongle and the new Samsung Android phone I just got. It works very reliably now.

I find the "+ and -" temperature HVAC buttons somewhat hard to read during the day. This is unique to my Ranger, my 2018 Fusion is easy to see, maybe the angle of the buttons or the "stroke width" of the graphics. are the issue on the Ranger. Prior to getting the wireless AA and the new phone, I only used it via cable when I needed to go somewhere that I wasn't familiar with. I would use the voice command to adjust the temperature, and it worked well when AA wasn't running.

I have tried it again with the AA/Google Map running and it doesn't recognize "Set Temperature" commands and apparently is not passing it to the vehicle.

Is there a workaround for this (other than disconnecting the phone)? Other AA voice commands specifically for the AA functions work OK. (e.g. text reading) Going to the Sync Home Screen didn't make any difference.

Greg H.

Heck, I didn't know you could do that!

 

[Motorpsychology]

I have the dual zone HVAC in my Ranger and yes, the tiny buttons for the HVAC are too small and too low on the dash. I typically leave mine set at 70º in the summer and 71-72º in the winter. If I need to change temp or set defrost, the best way I found is to hit the HOME button on the steering wheel, then climate on the display and set what I want. I use voice commands on iTunes and Apple maps only, and adjust media volume using the knob on the dash.

 

[WOADKIL]

Heck, I just say: " 75 degrees" and the temp is set!

 

[miraculon]

Heck, I just say: " 75 degrees" and the temp is set!

Um, no. I tried this, and when Google maps is running, it tries to navigate to some restaurant in New York called "75 degrees". When I switch to the Android Auto home screen, it says that it "doesn't understand".

As I said, when AA is not running it responded to "Set Temperature to 70 degrees" just fine.

The issue is present even with the steering wheel voice button, or the microphone icon on the screen. I can see a color bar at the bottom of the screen when it is listening for a command regardless of where I press the speech recognition button.

Greg

 

[miraculon]

I have the dual zone HVAC in my Ranger and yes, the tiny buttons for the HVAC are too small and too low on the dash. I typically leave mine set at 70º in the summer and 71-72º in the winter. If I need to change temp or set defrost, the best way I found is to hit the HOME button on the steering wheel, then climate on the display and set what I want. I use voice commands on iTunes and Apple maps only, and adjust media volume using the knob on the dash.

I guess that I will have to do this method. I have tried it in the past, but I thought that the voice method was faster/easier.

Greg

 

[miraculon]

On Tom's Hardware I found this article:

Does Android Auto take control of your car?
which is part of a larger article called Android Auto FAQ.

The interesting part is that they state: (quoting)

"No. As with the current version of Apple's CarPlay, you cannot use the Android Auto app to control any of the car's systems. So no selecting radio stations, turning on cruise control, adjusting the A/C, or anything of that sort

If you want a car that has such capabilities, you'll need one running Android Automotive OS. The operating system is essentially Android for cars, built into the vehicle from day one and is completely standalone. However Android Automotive OS is still very new, and not that common. Popular examples include the Polestar 2 and Ford F-150 Lightning."

Oh well, at least I found the answer. I thought that I should share it here.

Greg

 

[Dr_Strangelove]

Greg if you want to use your voice to set the temperature it's going to be convoluted - you're going to have to go back to vehicle controls via Android Auto. To do this you need to tap the "dots" icon in the lower left hand corner of the screen, or, you need to tap that icon, whatever it is, until you see the dots. The dots mean "apps".

Once you're in the apps screen you can tap the Ford icon that looks like another app. That takes you back to Sync3 controls. While you see Sync3 controls on the screen you should be able to do voice controls again for the truck. When you're ready to go back - at the bottom of the Sync3 controls will be a new Android Auto button that will take you back to the Android Auto screen.

It's convoluted but that would be the only way to get voice function back for the truck while running AA.

I personally just do my best Ray Charles impression on the HVAC controls. LOL.

 

[miraculon]

Greg if you want to use your voice to set the temperature it's going to be convoluted - you're going to have to go back to vehicle controls via Android Auto. To do this you need to tap the "dots" icon in the lower left hand corner of the screen, or, you need to tap that icon, whatever it is, until you see the dots. The dots mean "apps".

Once you're in the apps screen you can tap the Ford icon that looks like another app. That takes you back to Sync3 controls. While you see Sync3 controls on the screen you should be able to do voice controls again for the truck. When you're ready to go back - at the bottom of the Sync3 controls will be a new Android Auto button that will take you back to the Android Auto screen.

It's convoluted but that would be the only way to get voice function back for the truck while running AA.

I personally just do my best Ray Charles impression on the HVAC controls. LOL.

Thanks, I'll give this a try...

 

[miraculon]

Thanks, I'll give this a try...

I tried what you suggested. I found the Ford icon and it did indeed go to the normal vehicle Sync3 screen. Unfortunately, the microphone or steering wheel speech button worked as it did before, using the AA voice.

The Ford icon on the AA screen behaved just like pressing the little "House" button on the steering wheel.

I did get a kick out of your comment:
I personally just do my best Ray Charles impression on the HVAC controls.

Greg

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I have an iPhone but the functionality is the same.

If your phone is connected, voice command go through Siri or Google Assistant, not the truck.

TBH, I haven't tried this in a couple of years but I doubt that limitation has been removed.

 

[miraculon]

I recently updated Sync3 and even the new Samsung phone running Android 14. Software developers have a habit of breaking things in the process of new updates. I don't think that they thoroughly test their code.

It seems that the AA commands are not passed through to the vehicle.

I guess that I will just live with it or go to the Climate Control screen if needed.

Greg

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