- First Name
- NAH-RON-EE-TAH
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- Jul 7, 2021
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- Location
- Steamboat Island, Washington
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Ford Maverick Lariat
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- 2.0L EcoBoost
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- #1
Received my Motorola MA1 USB Dongle to create a Wireless Android Auto experience. Instructions just say to plug in your Android 11 or newer phone in the USB-A port (not USB-C port), establish a wired Android Auto connection. After you are fully connected, unplug your phone from the USB-A port and immediately plug in the MA1 wireless dongle. Wait for the lights on the MA1 to flash blue. Then connect the same phone you just unplugged to MA1 using Bluetooth.
I did that. In about 30 seconds my Spotify started playing, then pressed the Waze button at the bottom. SUCCESS! It was just that easy. No problems. They even give you a double stick pad to mount it up under the dash. I turned off the truck, walked away 5 minutes. Came back, started up and everything just reconnected in about 5-6 seconds.
Everything works just as if it was plugged in. Except for charging. But if I want to charge it, I can set it on the wireless mat, or plug it into any open port.
EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED.
So, this was on SYNC 3 in a Lariat. But it is confirmed by @pxpaulx to also work on an XLT radio. It should work just fine on the identical XL radio too.
UPDATE (1/27/2022): After a few hours of use, the self stick pad kept popping off. It didn't want to adhere well on the plastic directly under the Lariat USB ports. I also was able to plug in a second phone into the USB-C port and it did not interrupt the Wireless Android Auto experience. Additionally, I noticed that on Spotify when I advanced a track on the steering wheel, the song would advance immediately on the screen but there would be a 1-2 second delay before the song audibly actually changed.
UPDATE 2 (1/27/2022): I also notice that sometimes when I initially start the Maverick that even though Android Auto starts near immediately and Waze or Spotify pops up on the screen right away, it doesn't always auto start the current song playing in Spotify. I sometimes have to press the play button. I actually kinda like that. It's just not consistent. It seems like 80% of the time Spotify auto plays and 20% I am having to press play.
UPDATE 3 (1/28/2022): I noticed on my drive to work today (1/28) that after it finishes installation and setup, your phone is not actually connected to the MA1 dongle by Bluetooth. Your phone connects to the Maverick stereo via Bluetooth and your phone connects to the MA1 dongle by WiFi. So you cannot connect to another WiFi while using. See screenshots below Update 4. Click on them if you need to enlarge.
UPDATE 4 (1/29/2022): A few observations. One, know that it will not drain your battery. When your overhead dome lights fade to off, the USB ports turn off and so does the MA1.
Two, If you want to change to a wired Android Auto connection, it's real easy. Unplug the MA1. Plug in your device directly. When you're ready to go back to wireless Android Auto, just plug the MA1 back in. Reconnects. If you unpair your device for some reason, the MA1 LED will flash blue until you re-pair. Re-pairing is very easy. Just search your phone Bluetooth for Android Auto, select pair. It redoes everything else again automatically and it will start up on its own.
Three, I have also noticed there can be a huge variability to how fast it auto connects. Sometimes it feels nearly instantaneous. Other times around 5 seconds. I had one today that was 10-12 seconds. I cannot find any factors causing the variability. Either way, I can live with those lengths of connection.
Four, the pause between advancing tracks using steering wheel controls seems to start off at zero, and then the longer you use it the longer the pause between tracks gets. In a two hour drive, the pause are longer and longer until it was approximately 3 seconds. A little annoying. Restart the truck, and it goes back to zero. Again it stays the same on the screen. The pause is how long it takes to song to actually play. Weird. But still better than using a cable!
Five: I used a piece of 3M Automotive double stick tape to mount it up under the dash. I just stuck it directly to the sticky pad adhesive and then to the dash plastic. Didn't bother to pull the old adhesive pad off from the MA1. That did it. It's now holding!
Brick House just came to life on Spotify! See the dongle just hanging there.
Close up of the plugged in Motorola MA1 dongle, prior to mounting with tape.
They include an adhesive pad to mount it attached to the instructions.
Close up after mounting.
Tidy and tucked up out of the way.
I did that. In about 30 seconds my Spotify started playing, then pressed the Waze button at the bottom. SUCCESS! It was just that easy. No problems. They even give you a double stick pad to mount it up under the dash. I turned off the truck, walked away 5 minutes. Came back, started up and everything just reconnected in about 5-6 seconds.
Everything works just as if it was plugged in. Except for charging. But if I want to charge it, I can set it on the wireless mat, or plug it into any open port.
EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED.
So, this was on SYNC 3 in a Lariat. But it is confirmed by @pxpaulx to also work on an XLT radio. It should work just fine on the identical XL radio too.
UPDATE (1/27/2022): After a few hours of use, the self stick pad kept popping off. It didn't want to adhere well on the plastic directly under the Lariat USB ports. I also was able to plug in a second phone into the USB-C port and it did not interrupt the Wireless Android Auto experience. Additionally, I noticed that on Spotify when I advanced a track on the steering wheel, the song would advance immediately on the screen but there would be a 1-2 second delay before the song audibly actually changed.
UPDATE 2 (1/27/2022): I also notice that sometimes when I initially start the Maverick that even though Android Auto starts near immediately and Waze or Spotify pops up on the screen right away, it doesn't always auto start the current song playing in Spotify. I sometimes have to press the play button. I actually kinda like that. It's just not consistent. It seems like 80% of the time Spotify auto plays and 20% I am having to press play.
UPDATE 3 (1/28/2022): I noticed on my drive to work today (1/28) that after it finishes installation and setup, your phone is not actually connected to the MA1 dongle by Bluetooth. Your phone connects to the Maverick stereo via Bluetooth and your phone connects to the MA1 dongle by WiFi. So you cannot connect to another WiFi while using. See screenshots below Update 4. Click on them if you need to enlarge.
UPDATE 4 (1/29/2022): A few observations. One, know that it will not drain your battery. When your overhead dome lights fade to off, the USB ports turn off and so does the MA1.
Two, If you want to change to a wired Android Auto connection, it's real easy. Unplug the MA1. Plug in your device directly. When you're ready to go back to wireless Android Auto, just plug the MA1 back in. Reconnects. If you unpair your device for some reason, the MA1 LED will flash blue until you re-pair. Re-pairing is very easy. Just search your phone Bluetooth for Android Auto, select pair. It redoes everything else again automatically and it will start up on its own.
Three, I have also noticed there can be a huge variability to how fast it auto connects. Sometimes it feels nearly instantaneous. Other times around 5 seconds. I had one today that was 10-12 seconds. I cannot find any factors causing the variability. Either way, I can live with those lengths of connection.
Four, the pause between advancing tracks using steering wheel controls seems to start off at zero, and then the longer you use it the longer the pause between tracks gets. In a two hour drive, the pause are longer and longer until it was approximately 3 seconds. A little annoying. Restart the truck, and it goes back to zero. Again it stays the same on the screen. The pause is how long it takes to song to actually play. Weird. But still better than using a cable!
Five: I used a piece of 3M Automotive double stick tape to mount it up under the dash. I just stuck it directly to the sticky pad adhesive and then to the dash plastic. Didn't bother to pull the old adhesive pad off from the MA1. That did it. It's now holding!
Brick House just came to life on Spotify! See the dongle just hanging there.
Close up of the plugged in Motorola MA1 dongle, prior to mounting with tape.
They include an adhesive pad to mount it attached to the instructions.
Close up after mounting.
Tidy and tucked up out of the way.
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