vjaneczko

Since the AppRadio line doesn't seem to be developed by Pioneer anymore (rumors of the AR5 are quite stale), I'm looking at some of the other radios supported by "AR Unchained" (the 'droid app I use - the only reason I'm still looking at Pioneer models) and I have to wonder if any of those double-DIN touchscreens are failing, too.

With the screen failing, I'd rather buy a new headunit than repair my AR2. I really don't want to lose my ability to use my 'droid with AR Unchained so I can have full functionality on the screen. Can anyone offer a suggestion on what to look into?

Care to share the price of the new screen? Might want to get one if its inexpensive.

I'm wondering how I can control the brightness of the AR2 screen with the dimmer switch.  My car is running the CAN BUS system so it's not the typical 'analog' setup.  My understanding is that the orange/white "lighting switch terminal" cable connects to the cars dimmer switch so the screen can be dimmed.  Is it possible to run that wire to any bulb controlled by the dimmer switch to give it the appropriate power or is it looking for a low voltage feed?

The Pioneer website mentions two patches; 8.17 and 8.30.  The first one is for the camera (which I already have installed) and the second one is only for iPhone 5 compatibility.  Looks like that's not the solution.

Thanks for the post though!

Pretty sure that's been around for a while but I'd have to check. It's been a long time since I patched it so that may do the trick. Keep you posted.

Correction; the screen problem occurs when the engine is running.

Just installed my camera and running into a problem.  When the car is off (but the key is in position 2) or if the car is running and my Note 3 is not connected, the camera works as expected, i.e. when in reverse or when I tap the button on the main screen.  When the phone is connected the to radio, the camera will display a distorted, completely unusable image.  So it seems there's a problem with the phone working while the camera is on.

I would have thought it might be a grounding issue but the problem happens when the phone is connected via Bluetooth, as opposed to the HDMI connection. Has anyone run into this situation? 

Wondering if anyone has found a solution for the screen issue? Not in the mood to ship it out for repair; has anyone tried the blow dryer tip?

The idea of using 'pure AppRadio products' makes me ill.  They know nothing about swiping on a touchscreen, let alone programing a decent interface.  The radio still requires us to tap up or down to change the frequency!  Why can't they have a simple number pad - like the phone?! I should be able to swipe on a song track to move to the next song but instead I have to tap a small little area of the screen - WHICH REQUIRES ME TO TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD.  Their map program has no value except to show me a map of where I am – getting directions would be a really good idea, and leaving my pushpin in the middle of the screen is critical.  A keyboard is never used but I have to install the CarKeyboard – why?!  That’s a 10 mg turd sitting on my phone.  I can go on and on how they have made simple mistakes.

They have failed the very basics of a product that could be accepted and praised by their customers and I’m hating my purchase decision more and more. They have a great concept but their execution is downright shameful.

Adding insult to injury, the 8.30 firmware patch for the headunit now causes my screen to be black when my Evo3d is connected.  I can still use the buttons on the screen, I just can't see them.  Brilliant work, guys.  I might just toss this thing on eBay and get a ‘droid tablet installed in its place.  It would be less headaches for sure.  True, I would be giving up my steering wheel controls but I’d get my sanity back.

Yeah, except one difference - I never had good calls.  I never had to deal with the callers voice cutting in and out, but the quality was horrific.

Just wondering if I'm the only one who has callers compain about the quality of a call through the AppRadio II. I've been getting very cranky when on the phone because I really have to raise my voice to be heard, and I can't turn up the volume to hear my caller because they'll hear an echo. I have the mic about 14 inches from my mouth, hanging from the headliner next to the rearview mirror and on the swivel clip pointed right at me. I pulled the radio to confirm the mic was plugged in and everything seems connected properly. Is this just another example of Pioneer needing to improve their product?

HA!

I also thought about something close to this topic; why should I have to set the time on the headunit when it connects to my Sprint mobile phone - which gets its time from a frickin' nuclear clock in Colorado?! Get the time from the dang phone!

Sounds like you have a bad ground. Pull the radio and double-check your wiring. It may help to wiggle the wires to see if you have a loose connection.

Wow, 24 bucks for an app to touch my screen - AND I have to root the phone?! I think I'd rather whine at Pioneer until they get it right!

Hooked up the TR-7 today and set it for mode 17. Does what it should - I was watching Top Gear videos via the YouTube app.

What sucks the ol' donkey meatstick is that I can't use the AppRadio screen for touch screen control of non-AppRadio apps! I just get that lame "pointed finger with an X over it" icon for a second. How can Pioneer create something, such as a touch screen headunit with a handbreak safety feature, but STILL require someone to NOT USE THE TOUCH SCREEN WHEN THE HANDBRAKE IS ENGAGED?! Why do they make us look away from their product, pickup the phone and use its screen to control functionality?! That has to be one of the best examples of a poor design for a product team to incorporate into their product.

Did you attach the GPS antenna when you installed the radio? I have a theory that when the phone is connected, the app will disable the phones internal GPS antenna and expects the radios antenna to do the job. Another question is if you strung the radios antenna somewhere where signal is getting blocked.

I'm claiming ignorance and stupidity up front; are you saying that in order to have the headunit display the rearview camera, all we have to do is to connect the 'rearview wire' to one of the backup light wires?

The cable has nothing to do with it. You need to have a better charger. My MHL adapter delivers 800mah to my phone which is just enough to keep it charged if I have a bunch of stuff running.

What adapter do you have? I've got the Pioneer adapter and it blows big time - I need to keep my phone working more than a few hours when the thing is running GPS for me.

The last update was to improve the rearview camera. Since I don't have one yet, I didn't install it - nor do I have an iPhone so I have plenty of other problems Anyway, Pioneer suggests that you install every patch they distribute. They send me e-mails when they release a new patch. You can also browse to their website and when you look at the spec's, they have a link for the update. Not sure if it'll work for the EU version, but it does for the US.

I cant for the life of me get Any GPS other than waz and the stock google maps to work.

You running an Android or iPhone? I've noticed that when I run the satnav program that came with my phone, it won't get a satelite signal but when I unplugit, it works fine. My thought is that the AppRadio app dedicates the GPS antenna in the headunit to an 'authorized" app; their piece of crap version of Google Maps.

With my Evo 3d, I don't have any bluetooth pairing issues, but it will take up to 30 or 40 seconds to connect. Is the Razr Maxx on the list of certified phones?

Thanks for the tip, it would drain probably it was charging in USB mode? If you wouldn't mind, would you try 'dialing' *#*#INFO#*#* (that's *#*#4636#*#*) then press send on your phone when plugged into the official Pioneer kit? Under "Battery Information" see if battery status says AC or USB? It it says AC, then on the USB cable pins 2+3 just need to be shorted to force the AC 'fast' charging mode...

Do you mean pins 2&3 on the mini USB or the 'regular'-sized USB cable going into the adapter box?

One thing I just stumbled across which needs fixing ASAP; I was using the map program to get directions. Suddenly a song came on that I didn't want to listen to so I jumped over the the CarMediaPlayer, hit the Next button and returned to the map. It looked like I had just started the program instead of it remembering that I had already set it up to give me directions. As I was sitting in rush hour traffic, it was a huge pain to get back to what I needed it to do.

So, it would be very good to allow me to switch between apps without shutting them down (which is what I'm guessing happened to the app). That way, I can control my music without having to rekey in the street address to where I was driving.

... and Yes, I do have steering wheel buttons but the Volvo uses the CAN system and I haven't dropped the 200 bucks for the adapter...

I took a probe to my Pioneer adapter and it was not putting out 500 mA - something along the lines of 100 mA IIRC. Sucks big time.