I thought I’d just post I finally got around to doing this and it worked perfectly first time on my BraX3. Easy install with stubs and a bit of testing in the car (Mazda), just in the garage, the default apps like CoMaps worked fine and behaved as expected; and I could access Phone, SMS, Music, apps etc, and they all responded to car controls. Nice!
Still need to put in an actual TTS/Voice Assistant, and test it out driving - and didn’t test a call as no sims in the phone yet - but basics all ticked off and operational.
Thanks @rik for consolidating the stubs in one place for easy access!
Took a couple of weeks but it worked fine with stubs rik. I just need to test TTS for maps and actually take it for a drive…
EDIT: Then test TTS for everything else, and investigate STT options…
I confirm Sherpa TTS works for me as well on FP5. Do note though, I had to install eSpeak first and then Sherpa TTS. Having Sherpa TTS alone was not working, for some reasons.
I have discovered that trick while browsing the web but I have not saved the post.
Thanks rik! I actually installed SherpaTTS last night as fate would have it… but can’t get it to work with OsmAnd (haven’t tried it with other apps yet). But then I couldn’t get OsmAnd to work with RHVoice either… but can’t see any obvious permissions issues or similar?
I use Google’s Speech Recognition & Synthesis app for voice output, in offline mode.
Download the desired output languages and then remove network access from the app.
Since there were always problems in the past, after updating the app (the voice output had then stopped working and it was not possible to download the languages again – no download progress, no error output either), i added the app to the blacklist in Aurora after it was set up.
The app also makes voice input (voice keyboard). You can also download input languages for this offline use. (I use Futo-Voice myself for voice input).
In the past, there were also occasional problems after installing from the Aurora Store, which then download the languages for offline use doesn’t start.
So I downloaded the app from the aptoide store as an alternative and then the languages for offline use there, which interestingly always worked for me.
In combination with android auto, i have no experience, but I can imagine that this should work.
So I thought I’d follow up her on my Android Auto install, as I’m continuing to have issues and while in theory it works it isn’t fully usable. My suspicion is its something to do with permissions and settings, and/or possibly some FOSS apps just don’t like it?
Car is 2018 Mazda (and Car Play with iPhone worked perfectly in it FWIW)
I have got hold of a reasonable stock android (Samsung) to test it with over weekend - as I have never used android with it previously just to verify it works as expected in that scenario - and to then compare any settings that are user accessible.
I can play podcasts (Antennapod) and also do basic map navigation (Organic Maps and to some degree OsmAnd) and some basic navigation round the other Apps on AA screen.
However issues are:
Anytime a SMS message arrives the overlay pops up, playing media pauses, but whole screen locks up and doesn’t respond to nav controls from car (e.g. main selector when pressed to ‘play message’). Maybe it’s permission to overlay other apps issue or something to do with Serpa TTS?
When i try to initiate an SMS the SMS icon in AA implies there is no SMS Message app (for some reason it doesn’t show Fossify Messages, just a generic SMS app).
I managed to get into a new message screen once but again it immediately locked up the screen and stopped responding.
Opening the phone app to make a call works but then it’s just either empty (no contacts) or it locks up.
It also doesn’t respond to a couple of the basic nav control buttons even when working okay (e.g. the ‘back’ button to return to previous screen).
And others… (I haven’t got to trying out a music player yet).
But the majority of them seem to me like it’s permissions or settings and/or it doesn’t like certain apps perhaps? But I have trawled through them several times to try and find anything that might be related.
e.g. Messages seem to lock it up when the overlay pops up (which happens whenever there is a notification), but messages app has no setting for being allowed to overlay over another app. However Android Auto does and it’s on, and when a message alert arrives it doesn’t play the messages unique notification sound, it plays the Android Auto general notification sound.
Anyway if anyone has got any thoughts or suggestions or has had this type of experience I am all ears. At this stage I plan to try and fully test a stock android as mentioned to verify the unit behaves as you would actually expect and there are no idiosyncrasies because it’s a Mazda, etc… and then spend the weekend trying to work through all the setting sin AA, then anything related (incl. the key apps) to try and see if changing anything that looks vaguely related makes a difference…
EDIT: I’ve rewritten this post as I did some further testing in the car on way home from work and found some improvements, but still some significant issues:
Further to the above with regard to SMS:
Fossify Messages (default app) is now showing some received messages in Android Auto SMS function - however it reports no voice services available to read message, or when you try and create a new message.
I has temporarily set Android Auto to Always On in Start Android Auto automatically a few days ago to see if that helped, but I changed it back to the default setting of Default (Set by Vehicle) today and so I presume that has allowed SMS to work better connecting with Fossify Messages. I had originally changed it to test if there were some hidden permissions behind this setting, that were different for each option, so might help with the original issues I had.
However new message notifications that appear still freeze the screen - I presume because of the same can’t find voice services error?
I have SherpaTTS installed, but obviously it can’t see that or doesn’t like it. So is that suggesting you HAVE to install the Google Voice Services instead of the stub for it to work?
I am also not sure if its due to having no digital assistant installed? What functions does the “Digital Assistant” actually provide - that aren’t covered by having TTS / STT engines/apps? Will AA not be fully functional without one?
I was going to try a different messages app but am now pretty sure it’s AA and settings related not app. Can AA not manage SMS and similar tasks without the proprietary Google Voice Services installed?
EDIT 2. I have successfully completed basic voice calling tests both in and out. Generally worked okay other than audio quality through car speakers (phone connected by USB) was pretty average at best.
Still need to test OsmAnd maps more thoroughly and there are some other quirks and bugginess navigating apps and functions to be resolved (on top of the SMS issue above).
P.S.
This has improved with reverting back to the Default (Set by Vehicle) option mentioned above.
I’ve had problems with microphone access using the standard google modules on mine. I’ll try eSpeak and SherpaTTS and see if that works for me.
I assume you are talking about playing out of folders off the phones memory (or an attached microSD card). Let me know if this is what you are trying to do and I’ll post (with some length) on what I’ve done and it works very well for me.
Thanks! I will let you know - I plan to play out of AA in the first instance as I primarily use podcast app and music is secondary (and I haven’t decided what music app to use on my BraX3 yet). But I so want a decent selection of music on hand!
But I will also test my car playing direct off my phone through its own system - but I suspect this will work easily as its (2018 Mazda) has already been recognising the phone and copying the contacts as soon as i connect it each time in use AA. I’ve since disabled the latter, never want all my contacts in an insecure car system! I just need to actually test it can actually play the music…
What I use is the the Musicolet app. It is free and ad-free. Available on the Aurora Store app (via manual download). I’ve monitored its network activity and it seems innocuous.
I have created a single music folder on my Pixel 8 and have configured the app to scan only that folder. It activates on my AA display in my Mazda without any issues. Has a customizable equalizer which you can easily assign on replay.
If you are creating a music library out of a bunch of ripped CDs and/or downloads, you will need a ripper/music folder manager that creates the standard playlists and object data to make sure the player app recognizes all the artists and albums accurately. Ping me if you want to know what I use for that. There are decent free open source apps for this as well.
Thanks - thats great to know - i’m gonna be looking at music apps soon once i get AA behaving adequately with essential items… I will check Musicolet out.
Does it support AAC and other apple formats like ALAC out of the box?
Cheers. Appreciate the offer. FWIW I’m a longtime Audiophile and have an extensive library of ripped CDs and HD stuff. All legit too, purchased not pirated (3,950 albums / 47,671 tracks - which looks large but isn’t by many audiophile standards). So am already up there with you on getting that metadata and tagging right!
FWIW (and getting slightly off topic) I run a Lyrion Music Server (i.e. what was the Logitech/Squeezebox software and is now open source/community supported), via a media NAS and Docker; and my preferred app the last 20 years for controlling all my players in the house (both physical and virtual incl. phone, etc) was iPeng for iOS on iPhone & iPad. Unfortunately I don’t believe there is any Android version.
For mobile music though I was happy just down sampling (usually with dbPowerAmp on Windows) to max quality AAC (or occassionally MP3) and just dumping them into my iTunes library, to play off the iPhone or iPad with the standard iOS Music app in the car or when away from home.
Yes my library is 95% FLAC with mostly zero compression (both CD and HD quality) plus some DSD (at various resolutions); plus a few AAC and MP3 albums that were unobtainable on CD or any other format. I have a handful of random ALAC and AIFF albums too - that latter obviously very old rips of CDs using Apple iTunes…
Thanks - I will look it up.
I have ditched Windows and run Linux (Fedora KDE Plasma) on my home PC now, and am about to switch my M1 MacBook Pro to Asahi Linux once my phone is sorted. Then it’s just the iPad left to deal with or replace. So a Linux app is what I’m looking for long-term for desktop…
P.S. Have you previously used the default Music app in iodéOS (I assume it’s an AOSP one since it’s the default)? If so what made you choose Musicolet over it?
EDIT: P.S. I have downloaded - looks very good. It’s on APKPure so I have sourced it from there via Obtainium rather than using Aurora Store. I noticed it referenced a cdnpure.com address (via APKPure) for the apk source or repository. So you know if the developer has his own repository (e.g. Github)?
So I have installed FUTO Voice (but not FUTO Keyboard) to see if that helps - but have been unsuccessful - that too seems to be unable to operate inside Android Auto.
No change with FUTO Voice. Still can’t initiate a new message via SMS app in Android Auto.
Also via Molly (Signal) in Android Auto there isn’t even an option for initiating new messages.
This still happens.
AA steadfastly continues to not recognise anything as the Digital Assistant, even FUTO Voice.
Looking very unfortunately like I am going to have to install Google Speech Recognition & Synthesis and just lock it down as tight as possible. Hopefully I can retain the other 2 stubs to minimise the G apps on device… Will try a few more tweaks and things but if no joy will go this route tomorrow…
OsmAnd still proving slightly buggy; and there’s some other odd issues with navigation around AA locking up still and such like…
On a positive note Musicolet works really well, and in AA as well as on phone. Couldn’t get the default Music app to work even on the phone, just froze up after 1s of audio everytime (MP3), so scrapped it and removed from device…
Once you start using Musicolet and FRE:AC, you’ll appreciate their functionality. My apologies, just getting on a personal soapbox. These are both free and are pretty good pieces of software. I recommend sending a donation as neither have any ads and neither seems to upload your personal data for sale.
