trying to hack my car

[euuzaik]

So I have a 2011 infiniti g25 and, for whatever reason, it won't recognize my google pixel 2 (or android in general. just says "check media device") and let me use it to play spotify. Obviously this is super annoying so I'm trying to figure out the best way to make my car use my phone. Also ye i could totally buy one of those bluetooth radio things that plug into the 12V port in the car but I also kind of want to do this as a little project.

 

There were a few things that I was thinking but only one of the options seem feasible.

1. I could make an app that'll make my phone look like an iphone to the car. This is probably the easiest way, besides the bluetooth dongle, to get this to work. I figured I wouldn't need to actually emulate an entire iphone and i could just package the data to look like iphone podcast data because my dad was only able to stream music from pandora by choosing the podcast option on the car radio.
2. hack the radio. assuming the radio has its own OS and i can even change it, i could update it to recognize android stuff. i don't really want to do this because i could possibly permanently mess things up and i don't quite want that.
3. hack the radio, but differently. take out the radio and solder a bluetooth dongle onto the tracks that work the cd player or something. I would have to actually look at the radio to find a good spot to put the thing because i can't find any schematics online which is super annoying but whatever. I want to do this one because it sounds fun but I really don't want to do it because i could easily break my radio. Even if I didn't break my radio, there might be an anti-theft thing on it, so i would have to get past that afterwards.

Yeah so obviously none of these ideas are super planned out lmao but I was wondering if anyone had some input or could point me in the right direction so I could possibly figure this stuff out. If anyone knows how the car recognizes apple products, like what data it's reading, that would be very helpful info lol. or if anyone has any experience with newer-ish car radio operating systems, that would also be helpful information. 

 

thank you for any help, everybody

[Founders]

I wouldn't recommend any of that, not at all, not for the lack of built-in Bluetooth functionality/compatibility that can be resolved with one $20 adapter. That 'head unit' you mentioned is not just a head unit. There are a number of vital systems that rely on it, start messing with it and you'll throw codes left and right. Why introduce problems that weren't already there to begin with? I'm sure your car has a 3.5mm input so just get a 3.5mm to Bluetooth adapter and save yourself the headache. 

[euuzaik]

yeeaahh i figured that it was all a little too tightly connected for me to be messing with it lmao

[DavidKalinowski]

maybe ask an infinity dealer? there could be a software update they can do that would enable android support. I'm kinda surprised a car that new (realativly speaking) wont simply recognize the phone as a bluetooth source.. I mean hell 20$ HU from amazon can do that lol.

[danomicar]

this could turn a $30 problem into a $1500 problem without proper knowledge. I admire your enthusiasm...

[Jarsky]

With the Infiniti G-series, there is no update for the media unit, it uses a coded HDD as well so it cant really be 'hacked'. 

Depending on your car, there's either an input connector in the center arm rest, or RCA's in the trunk which can be used for AUX input if you want to go that way. 

There are Android in-line systems you can get to replace the media functionality such as this: https://gromaudio.com/installs/infiniti-g37-vline-maps-connected-apps-interface-install.html

You could also go all out, and replace the whole center console with a 12.1" Android system which looks like Tesla's: https://www.phoenixautomotiveinc.com/products/12-1-android-navigation-radio-receiver-for-infiniti-g37

 

You just need to be aware when going with these systems, if your model has BOSE or not, and if it has Navigation. 

[2G_Tony]

Electrical connections in a vehicle aren't a joke and definitely shouldn't be played with. If you don't know what you're doing, don't touch it. Splice into the wrong wire and you could end up throwing codes, which at that point would be the least of your worries. You can cause permanent damage to various mechanical and electrical components. 

 

Trust me, you do not want to pay someone to replace an entire wiring harness. It would, without a doubt, total your car. 

 

"Hacking" isn't a simple process, or at least not what you're thinking of doing. The app idea isn't a terrible idea, but I don't think it's even possible. If it is, then there would be far too much time to develop a working solution than what it's worth. Emulating is impossible; even if you made groundbreaking headway and managed to emulate iOS on hardware that isn't capable of platform, you would need to create passthrough drivers manipulated for your specific hardware and implement them within the emulated  environment and modify iOS to recognize those drivers and the associated components as what they would be replacing.

 

You can either buy a Bluetooth FM transmitter (which never offer decent sounding audio), replace the head unit, or buy a Bluetooth AUX receiver and connect that via your head units AUX port (if equipped). 

[euuzaik]

well hey thank you for all the input everyone