Audio output sometimes on Bluetooth on wireless android auto

[George73]

So recently I noticed that sometimes Poweramp will show that audio output is Bluetooth for awhile but other times it goes back to speaker and stay on speaker for awhile then goes back to Bluetooth. (Doesn't change while connected, only when i start my car). This all happens when im connected to aawireless and i assume the normal output would be speaker since aawireless uses wifi to process the audio. There is a noticable audio quality difference as well and id prefer it to stay on Bluetooth. Its is unpredictable. How is this happening? 

 

 

[andrewilley]

Not sure about wireless Android Auto connections, but certainly with my own USB cabled AA connection the audio stream is still sent via Bluetooth, while control and display content is issued through the cable.

Andre

[mark warner]

Hello George73,

I share a similar concern though I haven't seen a reply to my inquiry.  In my case (using AAWireless), I see the same Bluetooth output per your attached audio-info image, though I anticipated seeing "speaker" or some other indicator. My research suggests USB audio via AAWireless is supposed to stream via 5G wifi, relegating only incoming  phone calls to BT (as it does with other AA apps on my phone).

If it helps, I found the following posted on this website: "@andrewilley on Android, the info about "audio routing" we can collect is completely detached from the actual output device. In part this is due to the fact that there is no single output device. The audio stream may be routed to any number of devices connected to the phone. Sometimes system is not aware of the output device at all - e.g. on some MIUI firmwares system may think it plays via bluetooth, but actually it's a speaker." Apologies to the moderator if I've quoted this statement out of context.

I trust the moderator will shed some light on our respective situations. Thanks...

[MotleyG]

I don’t know where you found that AA sends any audio by 5G. In wired AA, the USB connection provides data for commands, navigation, etc. while the audio transfer is done via Bluetooth. In wireless AA, the command details are maintained by a direct Wifi connection with the radio. Audio may also be sent by Wifi on some radios, but usually a BT connection is still required.

[mark warner]

Hello MotleyG,

Your reply is sincerely appreciated. I agree both wired AA and AAWireless require Bluetooth to work. It's also acknowledged that internet is not the most reliable source of intel, though I do find developer sites mostly trustworthy. Not sure if the moderator accepts reference links, so may I suggest the following for your search engine: "How does wireless Android Auto work, if not through Bluetooth?" (will take you directly to one of many articles on the subject). It's possible I may be misinterpreting the information, and I'll be grateful for any corrective guidance from fellow truth seekers. Thanks...     

[andrewilley]

@mark warner Don't worry, external links are fine as long as they support the discussion. We obviously don't allow commercial product adverts without prior permission though, nor irrelevant/spam links.

Andre

[MotleyG]

53 minutes ago, mark warner said:

Hello MotleyG,

Your reply is sincerely appreciated. I agree both wired AA and AAWireless require Bluetooth to work. It's also acknowledged that internet is not the most reliable source of intel, though I do find developer sites mostly trustworthy. Not sure if the moderator accepts reference links, so may I suggest the following for your search engine: "How does wireless Android Auto work, if not through Bluetooth?" (will take you directly to one of many articles on the subject). It's possible I may be misinterpreting the information, and I'll be grateful for any corrective guidance from fellow truth seekers. Thanks...     

AA was not built for the few audiophiles out there, but rather for the masses to use on the go, and as safely as Google feels they can push the limits. So the small number of large buttons and basic display caters to that, as well as the very short list lengths.

Compatibility is likely the reason that Bluetooth is still their connectivity of choice for the audio. There are still very few cars that have WiFi capability versus those that only support BT, so Google probably will have to stick with this for the next few generations of AA. At some point perhaps there will be enough cars that can support they move it over, but having two standards is tough to maintain. Even with just one format there are often many performance gaps.

So while there is some premium cars with advanced capabilities for entertainment, it may be a while before the full potential of wireless AA can become practical.

[mark warner]

Understood. Philosophical matters aside, Poweramp is a great audio player for Android (and no-doubt other platforms) with premium features that appeal convenience-users and audiophiles alike. I prefer the interface and functionality of Poweramp to two of it's closest competitors installed on my phone (at roughly the same cost for full-featured versions). Yet both of those apps proport to transmit audio via Wi-Fi per AA system design standards. Importantly, a few friends and family members (non-audiophiles all) have distinguished a sound quality difference between BT and wideband audio when staged through my 2018 run-of the mill Kia AV system. Evaluations were conducted in a powered-up but non-moving vehicle, admittedly, but they were legitimately blind A-B comparisons (audio transmission method was not revealed beforehand).

In the end, I believe Poweramp may actually BE capable of fully exploiting AAWireless. Why? There is a noticeable difference in sound quality when I switch headunit modes between AA and BT (DSP and volume settings normalized). Additionally, an XDA developer suggests all data presented to the USB port (with or without the AA wireless dongle) looks exactly the same to the A/V headunit.  If that's true, Poweramp audio routing information could be improved for greater accuracy - the gist of my original inquiry. Either way, operational details shouldn't remain a mystery...