2 phones on 2021 ZS EV

[Mattl]

Hi , first post!
We have an early ZS. It has two USB slots under the console below the screen. Only 1 seems to work for Android or Apple car play. It's a right pain between me and the wife that each time we get in we need to swap cables and fiddle around ( I have an Android and she has an Apple).

Has anyone worked out a good workaround? I've searched and searched.

Many thanks in advance

 

[Jomarkh]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
If you do a quick search you may find a thread where people buy dongles that connect better than using the USB socket

 

[Mattl]

Thank you, yes I saw some of those, but have also read about lots of bugs and issues with them.... So I figured that trying to connect TWO phones over one dongle might be a nightmare!


Maybe I'll buy and try though. I can report back here.

 

[hmadsen]

Thank you, yes I saw some of those, but have also read about lots of bugs and issues with them.... So I figured that trying to connect TWO phones over one dongle might be a nightmare!


Maybe I'll buy and try though. I can report back here.

I dont know about the others but the one we got AAWireless seems to work pretty well and receives updates from time to time.

Only "problem" with it is, the phone connects to it every time it powers on.......I know that this is by design and not as such a fault, but the annoying thing is....When the MG is in the driveway, especially if it is charging, it will randomly "turn on" the USB port and then the car will hijack the bluetooth.

Really annoying when i am in the kitchen with the car right outside, speaking with someone on the phone and suddenly they are gone....Or rather...They are on the bluetooth in the car. When i disconnect it, it will reconnect with the Android Auto again 30 seconds later.

 

[Chris Law]

I dont know about the others but the one we got AAWireless seems to work pretty well and receives updates from time to time.

Only "problem" with it is, the phone connects to it every time it powers on.......I know that this is by design and not as such a fault, but the annoying thing is....When the MG is in the driveway, especially if it is charging, it will randomly "turn on" the USB port and then the car will hijack the bluetooth.

Really annoying when i am in the kitchen with the car right outside, speaking with someone on the phone and suddenly they are gone....Or rather...They are on the bluetooth in the car. When i disconnect it, it will reconnect with the Android Auto again 30 seconds later.

Very recognisable

 

[Mattl]

Ha! This is relatable.
Thank goodness nobody has ever watched a 'Private' video, thinking it was on silent, whilst actually playing sound to the car.
That has never happened.
Ever.

 

[hmadsen]

Very recognisable

So recognisable that i even pondered, taking the car apart a bit to find some sort of feed that would only be on when the car is actually ON.


You can get a small circuitboard on places like Temu with 2 relays, that run off of 5Volt.

So a 12V to 5V inverter for the board and then hook the USB port 12V power to go through the relay and the relay trigger pin put on the green LED in the "power button" in the car.

This way, 12V would only be applied to the USB port, whenever the car was on with the green LED lit.

Probably a bit extreme, but some day i bet this will annoy me so much i might end up doing it, out of spite.

A simpler alternative is offcourse this lead, but the annoying thing here is, then you need to manually turn it on every time and then you might as well just plug it in every time.

Amazon.com: RIITOP USB Type-C Extension Cable with On Off Switch [1ft], USB 3.1 Type-C Male to Female Extension Cable with ON/Off Switch Support Video/Data/PD Charging : Electronics

Amazon.com: RIITOP USB Type-C Extension Cable with On Off Switch [1ft], USB 3.1 Type-C Male to Female Extension Cable with ON/Off Switch Support Video/Data/PD Charging : Electronics

www.amazon.com

 

[fred12345]

I have one of the cheap AliExpress dongles for Android Auto, works very well. When I need it, I plug it in and then take it out when I switch the car off. For short drives, I don't bother. Only when I need Google maps or want more control over Spotify.
And, no, it's not just like plugging in the cable every time; it looks much tidier and the phone is not chained to the USB port...

 

[REDLeader]

Agree with above. I have AA wireless installed and scottish power optimise contacts the car every 10 min or so to see if car plugged in and ready to charge. This action makes the usb,s live for a short while and I get notification on phone looking for android auto. Very irritating. I now unplug aa wireless when I exit car (when I remember)

 

[Ruislip Resident]

Agree with above. I have AA wireless installed and scottish power optimise contacts the car every 10 min or so to see if car plugged in and ready to charge. This action makes the usb,s live for a short while and I get notification on phone looking for android auto. Very irritating. I now unplug aa wireless when I exit car (when I remember)

Have one dongle for the apple and one for the android. Just plug in whichever is to be used when starting off and unplug just before exiting.