Starting navigation on Android Auto

[Scottish Biker Abroad]

I am a long time user of MRA . But I find android auto integration very irritating. After stops you have to hope that it works. I have had to open Google maps numerous times to continue my journey.. is there a solution coming?

[Adrian Avram]

@Tim-Watson happened to me too. Also track recording is not working if I start the route from Android Auto, only if I take out my phone and open the app. Also after a stop, and an Android Auto power on, the app freezes.... If my internet connection drops and exit the planned route, my internet connections comes back, my route wont calculate anymore. I have to exit the navigation and hit Resume Navigation, only then recalculates the route ... (And yes, i have offline maps downloaded)

[Andy Beviere]

Hi All,

No better on Apple CarPlay I'm afraid... Friend and I both paid for a Carpuride unit each to use on an upcoming tour to Spain and France as we love MRA and figured using the Carpuride and the MRA app itself would be a simple effective solution so no importing routes onto iffy gamins anymore and it just seems we've encountered more problems, albeit different problems... at the mo it looks like we're going to have to bin them for the trip and go back to the Zumo's as every time we stop for lunch, fuel whatever, the guidance won't resume or the screen just freezes and as some one else stated I spend to long having to pull over and get my phone out in an effort to restart everything as it should be... I'm sure I read somewhere on the forums about pressing and holding the Carpuride screen when you resume your journey so it knows your location but again I can't get that to work...

[Adrian Avram]

@Andy-Beviere MRA is a great app but it still needs a lot of work to be stable and reliable on AndroidAauto / CarPlay. I build my routes on the MyRoute App web planner and for now I navigate with Osmand with offline maps.
Hopefully things will get better with MRA.
I planned an 11 days tours for the Alps in July. Not sure what to expect until then, if MRA Next will be usable or not ...

[Andy Beviere]

@Adrian-Avram Yes totally agree, I won't plan routes in any other software than MRA and I'm now happy with putting routes on the Zumo as long as I use a wired connection for transferring the route (no tread app!!!!), both 1.1 and 1.2gpx options now seem to work which I think I'll use for our trip... shame as MRA and the lovely screen on the Carpuride would be amazing but I can't take the risk of having navigation woes for the whole two weeks...

[M. Schrijver]

If i compare MRA with other apps on AA/ACP i see a difference.

AA/ACP are an extension of your phone. Your phone does all the work.
But when you use MRA on AA/ACP and set stuff or load a route directy in AA/ACP. MRA on your phone does really recognizes what happens. As if there is a second instance of MRA invisble running on your smartphone.
With other apps i've not seen this behaviour. At least not as strong as i saw in MRA.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@M-Schrijver what do you mean by put stuff directly in AA. And how does that effect MRA. Am I missing something

[M. Schrijver]

Like starting a route in AA/ACP instead of starting it first on your phone. Or enter an address for A to B navigation direct on the AA/ACP screen. Stuff like that.

When you start a route in MRA on your phone. The tracklog starts logging automaticly. But if you start a route in AA/ACP. The tracklog doesn't start automaticly.
It looks if your phone doesn't see a route is started and therefore the tracklog isn't started either. This is mentioned more than once by multiple people and is the best example i can give you.

I've similiar behaviour with other things in MRA.

[richard 3v]

@M-Schrijver

Sorry, I'm a bit thick but very interested in this topic.

So your suggestion is that you SHOULD start the route on the phone before opening AA, yes??

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@M-Schrijver
If you start a "route" from Android Auto, the tracklog will also start automatically. That route comes from your library, which you can also start from AA.
If you enter an address to navigate to it, that is an A B route for which the tracklog is NOT started automatically.
I drove a very simple route yesterday. Created in the web planner, started from my AA and the yellow marking of the tracklog immediately appeared.
Out of curiosity, I also looked later in the ride on my phone and the same route, now started via AA, was immediately visible, including the tracklog
Als je een "route" start vanaf Android Auto zal de tracklog automatisch ook starten. Die route komt uit je bibliotheek die je ook gewoon vanaf AA kunt starten.
Als een een adres in voert om erheen te navigeren is dat een A B route waarvoor de tracklog NIET automatisch gestart wordt.
Ik heb gisteren een hele simpele route gereden. gemaakt in de webplanner, gestart vanaf mijn AA en de gele markering van de tracklog kwam direct in beeld.
Uit nieuwsgierigheid ook ff latere in de rit meegekeken op mij telefoon en daar was dezelfde, inmiddels via AA gestarte route, direct zichtbaar inclusief de tracklog

[Adrian Avram]

@Marinus-van-Deudekom said in Starting navigation on Android Auto:

If you start a "route" from Android Auto, the tracklog will also start automatically.

It starts automatically only in CarPlay ! I tried on Android Auto with a Motorola ThinkPhone and a Samsung S24 Ultra and tracklog does not start automatically after loading the route from Android Auto, only if I open the app on the phone.
I also tested with my iPhone 13 and it automatically starts the tracklog after I load the route from CarPlay.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Adrian-Avram I’ll give it another go tomorrow to be absolute shure

[M. Schrijver]

I always start my route on my smartphone. Too much troubles with AA only in the past. Not having a tracklog was one of them.

For me it has been a while i drove AA only. So not having a tracklog in AA only at this point in development i can not say. I just rely on other people comments on this.

Last year i did use starting a route in AA modus. But when something happens. I needed the phone to fix the problem. But often this was not possible because phone had no clue what i've done on the AA screen. I.e there was no route visible at all.

With AA only i mean. Do everything on the AA screen. Not using the phone screen for input etc.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Adrian-Avram like I promissed did another test today.
New route containing 2 shapingpoints and 3 viapoints, start, end and one in the middle
Started the route using AA. That worked like I thought it would. Then looked at the tracklog on the AA screen. The collor wasn’t yellow but showed the original track. Then opened my phone and started MRA. Then the route witch I was riding showed up on the screen followed by the yellow marking from the automated tracklog. As of that moment it showed also on the AA screen. Only thing I did was opening MRA on my phone and then when the tracklog showed closing the phone.
I’ll make a ticket of my findings

[Adrian Avram]

@Marinus-van-Deudekom so I guess tracklog is starting after all but not displaying the yellow line (making me think that it is not recording the track) ...

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Adrian-Avram no it did not start directly from AA but when I just opened MRA on my phone it started recording. As of then it showed the yellow line also on AA

[M. Schrijver]

Indeed. That is what happens with the tracklog. I saw the same behaviour also

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Adrian-Avram I think my answer above could be cinfusing. so
I starten te route from AA. When I was navigating the route and didn't see the yellow trackloog marking then I opened my phone and started MRA. The phone hooked up on the route whitout me doing anything. Then I saw the yellow marking on my phone's screen and at the same time the yellow marking apeared on AA'screen. Then when I closed my phones screes AA kept on recording the tracklog.
I've asked the Devs for a solution.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Adrian-Avram meanwhile the Devs assured me the problem will be fixed in one of the next updates