Just saw this. Doubtful it will reclaim the space on our RDX, but what the hell.

https://www.engadget.com/android-aut...180034034.html

Regards ---------------

 

It does not utilize the small screen. Acura has to update their firmware to allow for it like Apple CarPlay. I doubt it though...it has been like this since 2018.

 

I know this is a shot in the dark, but is there a place where we can submit the request? Maybe if they get enough people asking, they might.

Side question, does Acura's other vehicles, like the TLX and MDX, which were redesigned after this generation RDX, have the same problem?

 

I've wondered the same thing..but can't find anything to submit to. Besides, I think we'd just be submitting our request into a void. Typical.

I believe TLX and MDX have the same issues. It's how their infotainment system uses Android Auto since Apple CarPlay does not have this issue.

Essentially, Acura needs a custom version of Android Auto and needs to work with Google directly to implement changes into their own Acura firmware.

It's really stupid though how they don't allow for Fullscreen of Android Auto and don't allow use of the smaller screen. It completely cripples their infotainment technology. They have a big screen and good quarter of it is useless.

 

And that's why I don't use Android Auto in my RDX. Plus the fact that stupid things like not being able to Google Maps on the phone while AA is running is annoying. CarPlay doesn't have this problem. Day to day use of the car my phone (S20+) is connected using Bluetooth and it's fine for me. I like the the design of Acura's map (I used turn by turn directions in it once, never again) so I leave that open with the music (Spotify) in the right third. Unfortunately, it doesn't display album art, but I think that's a Honda/Acura problem, as my old Accord has the same problem where it wouldn't display album art over Bluetooth. Even tried it with iOS with no success.

If I need turn by turn directions, I'll use my work iPhone through Carplay as it's just easier for me. If only it kept the true-touch interface instead of the invisible mouse cursor.

 

The halfscreen interface is the same on the tlx and mdx. People who were on the new UI beta in this forum confirmed AA is still constrained to the halfscreen.

Hopefully, with so many current models (everthing except the integra which has the honda touchscreen) impacted by this issue, Acura will find it worth the time to roll out a fix.

Regarding AA maps simultaneously on phone and car, other competitor apps (I use Tomtom) do this on Android Auto. It is a limitation of the google maps app, not Android Auto.

 

Just to ad an update coolwalk started for me today and yup no wide angle view just worthless 2nd screen the infotainment system on the rdx is the pits. I hate you can't navigate using aa and have a thumb drive for music because they were to cheap to put in a 2nd usb

 

You could move your thumbdrive songs to your phone and use an Android Auto music file player.

 

Also got oolwalk this week after AA was updated to 8.7.6. No way to gloss over it - True Touch sucks even more with Coolwalk.

 

Interesting. I actually thought it to be better afterwards.

 

What I don't understand is the difference between a touch screen interface for CarPlay and using the True Touch pad which is supposed to mimic the touchscreen interface without touching the screen. One would think they should operate the same. I wonder where the programming deficiency lies in the hands of Acura or Apple?

 

Two things I don't like:
- The buttons on the left bar are pushed downward, so I need to look further down to see which one is selected. This means longer pause looking away from the road.
- The app drawer/widget view button is pushed to the bottom. This arrangement somehow is less natural to me.

 

Anrdoid auto pushed the drawer to the bottom a year ago on basically every car except the Acura widescreen.

I like how the bottom drawer supports widgets so you can use it to pause/play music or mute a call, etc.

I havent driven my wife's rdx (only of our 3 Acuras with the widescreen) since coolwalk deployment but I hope widgets are available now. It is a very convenient feature, and one of my bigger annoyances of the old acura widescreen version was that it didnt have the bottom widget drawer available. In my other two cars, you had to reenable widgets in settings as coolwalk defaulted the toggle to off.

 

Just confirmed that bottom row widgets work in the Acura widescreen starting with coolwalk.