[svdxb]

Hello everyone!

My wife's Tucson 2022 had only wired android auto and doesn't support wireless android auto. For a long time, we were looking for a dongle to use wireless android auto. AAwireless was the first dongle that was launched, back last year but getting it is next to impossible due to the global chip shortage.

Enter the Motorola MA1. It was announced back in January and is the first dongle that Google has actually promoted. The dongle isn't actually made by Motorola themselves but by SGW Global who have licensed the Motorola name, but who cares, as long as it works well. I pre-ordered the dongle and got it in 4 days from Amazon and had it shipped to my place through a forwarding service as the device is still only available in the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZZdPHKcIvc

Design and packaging:

The box packaging is fairly basic. There's nothing in the box, apart from the device, an instruction manual, and a sticky pad which you can use to fix the device at a spot in your car.



The whole idea behind this device is to just hook it to your USB port and then you never have to look at it again. You just turn on your car and it automatically connects to your phone and turns on Android Auto.



The device is black plastic with shiny on the front side. It has a non-removable USB cable with a USB A connector. There's a single button that is used for pairing but I didn't even need to press it for the initial pairing.

Performance:

To get started with the MA1 is a breeze. All you need to ensure is that your phone has been paired with your car with a cable. After that just swap the cable with the MA1 cable and then pair the device on your phone. Once pairing is done, the device starts blinking green and your phone will automatically make a direct WiFi connection to the MA1 and the Android Auto will start on your head unit wirelessly.



The first pairing with my S21 Ultra took a good 15-20 seconds but after that, all the connections are done within 10 seconds. The button on the side can be used to switch between multiple phones, but so far I haven't used it.

So far, the device has been very reliable. I have not had any disconnections at all. With the cable, I used to change the cable very frequently as Android Auto is known to be very picky when it comes to cables.

The only drawback with MA1 is battery life. Wireless Android Auto can quickly eat your phone's battery and wireless chargers can't keep up with that. So far, I haven't used it for long trips and mostly been using it for short city trips which is fine. For long trips, I would recommend plugging your phone directly into the USB.

Should you but it to or not?

Yes, definitely. I wasn't expecting the MA1 to work well, given how buggy Android Auto is but it gets the job done. The convenience of not plugging your phone every time for short trips is well worth it. The price tag ($89) is a little high, but so are other AA devices too and none of them have been certified by Google.

Buy it if you go on a lot of short trips and you hate cables.

Don't buy it if your car does not have Android Auto and your phone's battery life is already struggling.

[abhishek46]

Good thread, and a good purchase!

After having used both wireless and wired Android Auto in My Hyundai Creta (OEM 8inch Infotainment system), I feel I can contribute a bit to this thread.

Wireless Android Auto:
1. Connects almost instantly, on startup. Takes 3-5seconds maximum.
2. Once in a while, like say once every 4-6 hours of continuous use on long drives, the Phone randomly disconnects.
3. The Audio quality sometimes deteriorates, and of course improves on its own after sometime.
4. The phone can rest in a very nice 'graceful' position in the phone storage area near the gear lever & no wires to 'mess' the appearance.

Wire-ed Android Auto:
1. It takes 2 Seconds for me to connect the wire to the phone, and within the next 2 seconds, the connection is established.
2. Never disconnects & audio quality remains consistent.
3. Phone is charged up and no battery concerns at the end of the journey.
4. Since there is wired connector attached to the phone, the phone cannot rest 'gracefully' in the phone storage area near the gear lever.

[absingh911]

While I didn't get a chance to use wireless Android Auto, I have tried wireless charging a lot as I quite like the idea of phone getting charged without the hassle of wires. That said, unless wireless charging speed and efficiencies increase tremendously, this will not really be a usable feature. I use wired Android Auto on my Tucson 2020 and unlike mentioned in the original post, there is no bug, there is no disconnection and the phone always has a full charge. It is quite wonderful

[Naetik30]

Finally decided to get the Motorola MA1 for my Alcazar. But this is not available in India and decided to buy it in the US and request a friend to carry it for me back to India. Amazon US was a let down as it was retailing for $130+ by most resellers. Basically almost 50% premium. Did not feel it was worth it.

But kept checking on target.com and after a few tries, was able to order one last night. It is supposed to arrive at my friend's place in Redmond by June 15 and she will be travelling to India on June 19. A little tight, but hopefully everything works out and I hope to get it in my hands soon.

Originally Posted by svdxb

Hello everyone!

Enter the Motorola MA1.

@svdxb - Have you noticed any issues with the Motorola MA1? My friend who uses a wireless Carplay dongle on his Seltos faces echoes when he is on calls and also feels there is a 2 second lag on using the Carplay App. Is this the same on Motorola MA1?

[svdxb]

@naetik30 No, I haven't faced a single issue so far. It has been flawless for me. I am using it with S21 Ultra.

[yuv]

@svdxb Which forwarding service did you use?
There are so many horror stories on Trustpilot, I'm not sure which one's are legit.

[sdg4wheels]

Originally Posted by svdxb

Hello everyone!

My wife's Tucson 2022 had only wired android auto and doesn't support wireless android auto. For a long time, we were looking for a dongle to use wireless android auto. AAwireless was the first dongle that was launched, back last year but getting it is next to impossible due to the global chip shortage.

Enter the Motorola MA1. It was announced back in January and is the first dongle that Google has actually promoted. The dongle isn't actually made by Motorola themselves but by SGW Global who have licensed the Motorola name, but who cares, as long as it works well. I pre-ordered the dongle and got it in 4 days from Amazon and had it shipped to my place through a forwarding service as the device is still only available in the US.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=MZZdPHKcIvc

Design and packaging:

The box packaging is fairly basic. There's nothing in the box, apart from the device, an instruction manual, and a sticky pad which you can use to fix the device at a spot in your car.

Attachment 2270840

The whole idea behind this device is to just hook it to your USB port and then you never have to look at it again. You just turn on your car and it automatically connects to your phone and turns on Android Auto.

Attachment 2270849

The device is black plastic with shiny on the front side. It has a non-removable USB cable with a USB A connector. There's a single button that is used for pairing but I didn't even need to press it for the initial pairing.

Performance:

To get started with the MA1 is a breeze. All you need to ensure is that your phone has been paired with your car with a cable. After that just swap the cable with the MA1 cable and then pair the device on your phone. Once pairing is done, the device starts blinking green and your phone will automatically make a direct WiFi connection to the MA1 and the Android Auto will start on your head unit wirelessly.

Attachment 2270850

The first pairing with my S21 Ultra took a good 15-20 seconds but after that, all the connections are done within 10 seconds. The button on the side can be used to switch between multiple phones, but so far I haven't used it.

So far, the device has been very reliable. I have not had any disconnections at all. With the cable, I used to change the cable very frequently as Android Auto is known to be very picky when it comes to cables.

The only drawback with MA1 is battery life. Wireless Android Auto can quickly eat your phone's battery and wireless chargers can't keep up with that. So far, I haven't used it for long trips and mostly been using it for short city trips which is fine. For long trips, I would recommend plugging your phone directly into the USB.

Should you but it to or not?

Yes, definitely. I wasn't expecting the MA1 to work well, given how buggy Android Auto is but it gets the job done. The convenience of not plugging your phone every time for short trips is well worth it. The price tag ($89) is a little high, but so are other AA devices too and none of them have been certified by Google.

Buy it if you go on a lot of short trips and you hate cables.

Don't buy it if your car does not have Android Auto and your phone's battery life is already struggling.

Hi,

Is this available in India? I need this but not sure how to get it over here. Can we connect over email or private message?

[svdxb]

Hi, I don't think so it's available in India. I got from Amazon.com in Dubai. Feel free to pm if you have any questions.

[Gupts007]

Can anyone please confirm if this will work with Android 10? There's some unclear info on the web. I read that if you have a Samsung or a Google phone running Android 10 then it works - I was wondering if anyone with Oneplus tried running with this device.

[Gupts007]

Originally Posted by Gupts007

Can anyone please confirm if this will work with Android 10? There's some unclear info on the web. I read that if you have a Samsung or a Google phone running Android 10 then it works - I was wondering if anyone with Oneplus tried running with this device.

I managed to connect my Baleno 2022 Alpha wirelessly to Android auto with this Motorola device.
Took some time to connect as there's a setting that one has to do and unlucky it's not mentioned anywhere. An extensive YouTube search got me through.

Basically go in settings and search Android auto.. Then look for version and tap it a few times to enable developers options.. Then inside developers options one has to enable wireless projection.

It was only after this Android auto started working wirelessly for me.

Was able to connect through my OnePlus 7b pro running Android 10. Even though the manual days it needs Android 11 to run.

[Gupts007]

Just an update. Managed to get into the Android Auto Beta program. They offer the Coolwalk in the beta and didn't think it would work on the new Baleno 2022 but low and behold. It did.

Here is the split screen with the new UI

[Mathan1130]

Silly question…

Will it support wireless Apple car play ?

Thanks.

[svdxb]

No, this is only meant for Android Auto.

[OpenRoads]

It seems to be better than the rest of the aftermarket adapters. However sadly not sold in India.

[sdg4wheels]

I have the Motorola MA1 which upon my request my elder brother got from the USA. He paid $107 roughly around INR 8800 in December 2023. I have shifted to Apple now and it is lying unused with me since 1 month. I am willing to sell it off for 7K . I have the box and it still has the original packaging with it. If anyone wants please reach out.