[MTCB Software Development] joburgslim:
New user results and tips

OK, so it has been 2 weeks since setting up, and in that time I have played around at length to see how well these systems can tailor for specific uses. Here is my feedback for someone just looking into Malaysk's ROM and not sure.

Firstly, after running stock for a week, and then updating to Malaysk, it is just superb in comparison. No point in staying stock. Thanks Malaysk, keep it up, we are all loving it. The directions for updating stock to Malaysk fall roughly into 2 pieces: 1. the instructions for your specific head unit and 2. The update procedure for this firmware. Go to your suppliers support site for the 1st, and look in this post for the 2nd. It is pretty straight forward. My unit is joying, and their site has stock firmware in case you need to go back, I did. Their instruction include "add the update.img file to your GPS card slot and reboot into recovery by long pressing your power button". The Malaysk instructions are flash the ROM with a wipe, then again etc. One tip, follow the instructions, do flash it twice do wipe every time. I had lots of little issues, that only clear up with a clean flash. If your wifi won't come on, or is unstable, you didn't follow this well.

I have had poor luck with the Xposed modules. I needed XMTC to change stock music player and modify the rotation of the mode button. Music player worked, but XMTC kills the MODE button and slows the boot time, so my tip is don't use XMTC unless someone here can help get it right. I also tried MTC-BT to improve the phone. It will display contacts first Last rather than vice versa. It will also lookup numbers so when the phone rings you are displayed a name. While this works, it breaks the ability to sync contacts at all, so rather pointless. It also dials your external phone over bluetooth for you if you select a phone number of the head unit. This works flawlessly, but as you will see below I have gone a different route. My next effort will be with MTC-KEYS. Hopefully better.

My top priority has been to provide the highest driver convenience for phone calls, navigation and music in that order, for 4 drivers. As advanced as these units are, this has proved elusive. So far I have resorted to the MirrorLink feature these systems advertise. If each driver has a phone full of contacts, maps search history and Spotify and other streaming playlists, then the fastest way to be driving with all that is to put the phone up on the screen, and run a driving friendly launcher. I will explore what I think might be a better way below. This MirrorLink is an elusive animal. The Joying folks try, but between no knowledge of this software and struggling English (my Chinese is waaay worse) they are no help at all. There are 2 versions of the software, actually called Easy Connected, the 1.3 that came with my system, and a slightly newer 1.4 included in Malaysk latest ROM. While 1.3 is really unreliable and also has bugs galore, it had nice settings that allow a single dashboard icon or button click to complete the connection with the phone, and also allows the phone to run whatever app you choose as a dash interface or launcher. Now 1.4 really improves reliability, to the point it is basically usable day to day, but maddeningly they dropped some setup options. The net result is that the connection to the phone is 2 icon pushes, and once the system connects to your phone is forces you into their simple launcher. It is called Drive Mode and is terrible. I have chosen to go with 1.4 for reliability reasons, and live with their lousy phone app.

Getting MirrorLink to run was really hard. Maybe just me, I hope other users chime in. I could describe lots of scenarios of confounding issues, but summing up, the phone to head unit connection just seems to be flaky, randomly won't connect at all, or disconnects after random time connected. Until you do something very specific. Do not install the Easy Connected software until you have a reliable internet connection on both the head unit and your phone at the same time, AND you have logged into the play store on the head unit. THEN install the apk and you will get an update to a software component and no license issues. Otherwise thigs come up with all sorts of dead end notifications. Once I had this figured out, things have a got a lot smoother. Certainly far from perfect, but basically running. By the way, in Malaysk's ROM, just open the apps drawer, page over till you find "OEM", select and then install the apk. Thanks Malaysk, couldn’t have been simpler!

Now, while the mirror approach is sort of like Android Auto, but perhaps better if the software is improved a little, there is a much better way to do this. Simply have multiple users set up on the head unit, and an easy way to switch between them. Now when a driver gets into the car, ideally their bluetooth connection can trigger the head unit to switch to their user. This would mean their own home screen and launcher, their own contacts (provided you sync your contacts in google), their own search history in Maps, all their own playlists. Multi user support is actually in Android 4.4 but has been left out of the interface for our systems. I found an Xposed module to make this usable again, but is crashed my system. So for now it is a waiting game to see if this will be added into a custom ROM, or made available as an app, but until then it is phone mirroring.