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Can you replace a car stereo with an android phone?

E

elsmandino

Newbie
Afternoon,

Having had my pioneer car stereo since I was 17 (which makes it 18 years old now), I have decided that it is probably best to move with the times and consider a bit of an upgrade - it is simply a CD player with FM radio and nothing else (not even an auxillary input).

Anyway, it suddenly occurred to me that my android phone is as good as any car entertainment system - it has all my music, has FM and internet radio, satnav etc.

Any suggestions for how I might incorporate it into my car.

The simplest way (but no idea if this is possible) would be to somehow plug an amplifier directly into the phone along with an external touchscreen mounted on the dashboard.

Does anything like this already exist?

Thanks
 
The Pioneer head unit with Android Auto is a good idea.

I have a 2012 Jeep and would love to replace my system with a huge tablet with Android Auto. Or even sideload Android Auto onto the system I have. But I don't want to lose some of the goodies and functionality that Jeep has built in for example, my lifetime Sirius XM subscription.
 
I use a dash mount for my phone and use a cassette adapter to plug my phone into my factory stereo (am/fm cd cassette player).
 
http://www.jbl.com/bluetooth-speakers/JBL+FLIP.html

Bluetooth, portable, will blow away anything else you can put into a car unless you spend a lot more money.

Blows away the sound most people have in their homes. Listen to a demo if you doubt it. :)

How to secure it -

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006RSP1/

How to put your phone where it's easy to get to -

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...one+holder&sprefix=Phone+,office-products,293

Not a rich man's solution, but definitely a rich man's sound.

Or, you could do it up right the way as Unforgiven and Rob said.

There's no wrong way with an Android though. :D
 
I have an old phone I wish to use as sat nav and reversing camera.
Specifically I want it to run sat nav or music and when triggered by the reverse light signal for the reverse camera to display on the phone.
Is there a way to do this.
 
Thanks for that - the android auto stereo looked like a great solution until I saw its price.

Unfortunately, going to have to wait for this technology to mature a bit in price before I get something like this.

In the meantime, it seems that a new headunit is going to be the answer, that I can connect my phone two.

There seem to be two solutions - linking the phone by bluetooth and linking by USB. Is there any different and what would be the best method of the two?
 
Rob said:
The Pioneer head unit with Android Auto is a good idea.

I have a 2012 Jeep and would love to replace my system with a huge tablet with Android Auto. Or even sideload Android Auto onto the system I have. But I don't want to lose some of the goodies and functionality that Jeep has built in for example, my lifetime Sirius XM subscription.
Click to expand...
Rob said:
The Pioneer head unit with Android Auto is a good idea.

I have a 2012 Jeep and would love to replace my system with a huge tablet with Android Auto. Or even sideload Android Auto onto the system I have. But I don't want to lose some of the goodies and functionality that Jeep has built in for example, my lifetime Sirius XM subscription.
Click to expand...

elsmandino said:
Thanks for that - the android auto stereo looked like a great solution until I saw its price.

Unfortunately, going to have to wait for this technology to mature a bit in price before I get something like this.

In the meantime, it seems that a new headunit is going to be the answer, that I can connect my phone two.

There seem to be two solutions - linking the phone by bluetooth and linking by USB. Is there any different and what would be the best method of the two?
Click to expand...
 
Currently there are two easy (and cheap) ways to go. Best is to buy a head unit that has bluetooth. Too easy. No cables or rigging things up. You can get a Pioneer CD unit like I am really enjoying for around $100 these days. I haven't touched a CD in over two years so the CD player is actually irrelevant. So are the USB and audio input jacks as well actually. Bluetooth just works so well playing music, hands free phone, GPS audio directions (which gently interrupts music/radio/whatever), Slacker/Spotify/Pandora, plus whatever MP3's are on the phone. A head unit with a remote microphone to better pick up your phone input and OK Google commands is a BIG plus.
OK. So I have another vehicle that has an old head unit that I'm kind of still fond of. I'm kind of off doing wires and plugs but is has NO provision for input. Plan is to put a a Bluetooth receiver in the car like this one.
http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Blueto...Yu8a2YZA7dYlA7ADY4ZVFU3T19hyVOw_M8aAumN8P8HAQ
Since that gives me only RCA jack outputs I still need to get audio into the head unit. I could tinker with the input that used to be part of the remote CD changer setup but...that'd be kind of a pain with no guarantees. I've had pretty good luck with a couple of FM transmitter type boxes that attach to a phone's audio jack. The extra mile is on that patches directly into the radio's antenna wire. Like this.
https://jet.com/product/product/c7e...EQabUIlbBJqmIIUtB1rv6YJ1TLqo0qiahAaAoNW8P8HAQ
A direct bluetooth to FM adapter would be nice but I haven't seen a hard-wired type one. Yet. There may be one out there. The little FM over the air transmitters weak point is being overpowered by actual radio reception. I hope by jacking directly into the cable to get around that. Something like how well an antique Nintendo or cable TV displaced a TV's antenna reception.
 
I forgot. I HAVE seen where someone found/made an amp setup up that accepted the line out from a phone's earphone jack and used it as it's sole audio source. He had volume control issues. Issues with not being to equalize the sound. And not enough control of balance and fade. It worked but he wasn't happy with it. He found it simply way less expensive and way too simple to just pop for one of the newer "mechless" head units and tossed most of the project.
 
the only thing missing in a tablet / phone / whatever for auto use, would be two things, a buttons, and b an amplifier, easiest and cheapest way that i have come up with, is a bluetooth volume control strapped to the steering wheel, and a small amp at about 40-50w. this way would be cheap, however you would loose certian things, like being able to fade it front to rear and a few other odds and ends, but it does work, also you might loose the broadcast radio.. but if you have internet radio, who cares... I had a car with a factory amplifier and my radio blew up, so i just wired in a mp3 player with a radio, worked great... 2 drawbacks i had were 1 there was some ignition noise (which could be solved with a ground loop isolator), and the radio didnt pick up much of anything... parts list below.

1/8 stereo to rca cord
2 rca splitters
40-?w 4 channel amp
vehicle harness adapter
bluetooth volume control.
various colored wire
ground loop isolator.
 
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