Does it work at all with VW cars?

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1

2017 and 2019 VW Golf
Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 4a both Android 12.
Firmware was 1.8.0 (i think), is now Beta 1.8.11

Despite trying all the settings possible, it doesn’t give me the Android Auto option on the infotainment system. Had support tickets and just tried the beta firmware that came out, to no avail. (It used to try over and over to connect to the car and eventually fail. With the beta firmware it slowly retries and never succeeds.)

Has anyone with a recent VW gotten it to work? It’s there a trick to it?

I see that Carsifi no longer shows their refund policy on the web site. Has anyone gotten a refund recently?

2

hi jlk
having a VW Golf Variant 2016 it works, but only one time after binding, have tried so many settings, also the recommended ones, that I am quite annoyed with the device now. The media system keeps telling me that the USB device is not supported. Wired AA worked for years flawlessly!

3

Hi
Got the same issue with a Seat Leon St 5f.
Support answered today, notifying of a new app and firmware release v1.8.11.

But unfortunately I got no updates for either the companion app or firmware for the Carsifi yet.

4

Same issue here.
I have tried with my car (Skoda Superb 2016) and my wife’s one (Skoda Spaceback 2018). Always getting same error message: device is not compatible several times.

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5

If you wanna receive beta firmware you have to write an email over the Carsifi app. Beta is not accessible by default.
Btw new firmware 1.9 is coming soon.

6

Ah okay.
Rather annoying they didn’t activate Beta when they suggested this as a solution for me :roll_eyes:
And now they are not responding at all… :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:
@admins

7

I asked them. To send me or activate a beta option nearly 2 days ago. No reply. Is this the usual response time?

8

I have a 2018 VW Tiguan and it works without issue as long as I don’t setup a 2nd device. In order to get the infotainment system to recognize it I did have to put the usb mode as Accessory once I did that it works. Trying the experimental auto usb mode does not work.

Regarding the 2nd device issue whenever I add a 2nd device it will work for that device but when the device isn’t around it requires me to go into the companion app and refresh the settings in order to get it to switch. Pressing the magic button twice doesn’t work as I’d expect it and even after using the refresh method I still have to do it every time even if my phone was the last connected. I’m hoping it has to do with the car not shutting off usb and its simply because the other phone is still paired I’m excited to checkout the new FW as switching between two devices was the reason I went with carsifi

PS: I’m using a Samsung S21 Ultra

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9

I just updated the firmware to 1.9.0 and tried connection both with USB “accessory” and “direct accessory”. No luck for either. Created debug logs, synced them, and sent email to Carsifi support. I haven’t heard from them in weeks and I am pissed off that they are still selling these things as if they work.

3 Likes
10

Hi everybody
I finally got a 100% stable connection that also connects first time every time.
The solution was not found within Carsifi domain, but within Android Auto and Android itself. I followed this thread and disabled screensaver/Always on display + activated the car as trusted device for Smart Lock:

11

That didn’t do anything for me. I already had my phone set to be unlocked while connected, and the always on display setting didn’t make any difference. The Carsifi adapter just keeps resetting itself and the infotainment system never launches Android Auto.

Carsifi support hasn’t done anything with my support ticket in weeks. It’s hard to say that it’s anything more than a scam at this point.

12

I feel your pain :person_shrugging::smirk:

Here is a screenshot of my settings - perhaps something is setup differently and you could try to copy my setup?

Screenshot_2022-06-24-07-45-06-15_687fe1b12c38c1a905d090eba90fe7c5
Screenshot_2022-06-24-07-45-06-15_687fe1b12c38c1a905d090eba90fe7c51080×2400 197 KB

14

I have to say that I’m glad I stuck with getting through the FW upgrades and on to v1.9. My 2018 VW Golf wagon and old Pixel 3a are working pretty well with Carsifi lately.
I can understand why people get frustrated with the tedious pairing/unpairing and restarts, but it does seem more stable now than it was in the past. My setup is shown below.

Screenshot_20220627-153713
Screenshot_20220627-1537131080×2220 239 KB

Screenshot_20220627-153658
Screenshot_20220627-1536581080×2220 232 KB

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15

I tried 3 phones (Pixel 6Pro, Pixel 3XL and Nexus 6P)
on two vehicles (2020 VW Tiguan and 2019 Nissan Leaf)
but even after successful pairing they would not open Android Auto on the vehicles.
I also bought an MA1 and that works fine.

16

Thanks all for the additional information, including the screen shots. I have tried every combination of settings, and as people have had suggestions I have gone through the setup process several times with the minor differences (like turning off the phone’s Always On Display, for example.) No matter how it’s set, I don’t get any connection between the dongle and the infotainment system. Android Auto works with a USB cable, doesn’t work with the dongle. 2017 Golf in the USA, Pixel 6 Pro with Android 12.

17

We’ve released v1.9.3 for BETA testers. If you haven’t seen this version in your companion app, please send your UDID to support@carsifi.com. It has fixes for some head unit versions for Mazda & VAG