Android Auto and VLC

[arkady_from_oz]

Hi, my Android Auto ver 3.1.581054 does not recognise VLC ver 3.0.5 on Samsung S8 phone or in the car.

tried re-installing VLC and stopping both apps but no success.

any suggestions what to try.

by the way, VLC works without Android Auto on the phone and when connected to the car via Bluetooth.

thank you

[Crazed_by_Penguins]

In the "Whats new" section on Google Play, it says:

Android Auto has been disabled due to Google claim, it will come back in v3.1

So, it seems this is expected. Android Auto integration has been working for me with the latest nightly versions (available at http://nightlies.videolan.org), if you're willing to deal with probably less stable versions until version 3.1 is released.

[tigerdog]

any idea what "disabled due to Google claim" means?
I'm already signed up for the beta channel in google play but still no good. any guidance in using nightlies would be appreciated.

[Crazed_by_Penguins]

I'm definitely not sure what "disabled due to Google claim" means, but my best guess is that Google may have started requiring use of a newer version of the Android Auto API (which won't be implemented into the release or beta channels of VLC until version 3.1).

Nightly versions are not available through the Play Store, and must be downloaded and installed manually. There's a couple things you'll need to do to get this set up.

First, you'll need to install the nightly version:

1. Navigate to https://nightlies.videolan.org/
2. Select the correct instruction set for your phone. (It's probably either ARMv7-A or ARMv8-A. If you don't know, you can either try to Google it, or try ARMv8-A first.)
3. Install the latest version.

(Note: If you want to update to a newer nightly version, you'll have to uninstall the app before installing a newer version. You will lose all your settings. Also, this will not replace the version from the Play Store, and both can be installed at the same time.)

Second, you'll need to allow Unknown sources in the Android Auto app:

1. (Without connecting your phone to your car,) open the Android Auto app.
2. Tap the menu button in the top left-hand corner, and select "About".
3. Tap repeatedly on "About Android Auto" until a message pops up asking if you want to "Allow development settings".
4. Select "OK".
5. Tap the menu item in the top right-hand corner, and select "Developer settings".
6. Enable the "Unknown sources" option at the very bottom.

Hope this helps!

[tigerdog]

Thanks! It may be a while before I get to try this, but it's good to know the steps to take.

[yannlux]

I'm running in developer mode but can only play songs, is there a way to play videos?

[Dekans]

I'm definitely not sure what "disabled due to Google claim" means, but my best guess is that Google may have started requiring use of a newer version of the Android Auto API (which won't be implemented into the release or beta channels of VLC until version 3.1).

Yes, that's it. We cannot update this SDK for v3.0.x


And you cannot play videos while driving, except if you really wish your Darwin award!