Hey guys it's been a while since I have been on here. I finally decided to pull my stereo out and looking for a decent android head unit. I don't need anything crazy, would just like to have Google maps and Bluetooth to play music from my phone. Years ago the atoto A6 pro was the one to get but I believe those are obsolete now. I found the atoto A6 PF online but not sure if that one is any good. Also looking for the size that will fit into the dash which I believe is a 7-in? Thank you for any recommendations
On edit: was also wondering if there is a head unit that is plug and play or am I most likely going to have to splice each wire?

 

I was wanting to post this same question, my 2000 excursion and my 02 f250 both need new radios

 

Listed sizes, like 7", vary some since most list a screen size and that can vary model ot model. You are looking for a double din unit to fit in the factory location. 7" is probably the biggest screen size you will find with the screen staying in the dash. Go larger than that and the screen will probably be popped out of the dash like those 9" and 10" units.

As for recommended model. There really isn't one. Find a brand that gets good reviews and a model that has specs you like (and also good reviews).

I bought the A6 Pro then (late 2021ish). I would not buy that same unit now, it's obsolete and under powered. One of the driving factors for the A6 Pro was it's connectivity options, like extra USB port and dual BT w/ v5.0 IIRC. Extra USB port allowed for connecting multiple items like phone and thumb drive for music storage. Dual BT allowed for connecting phone and a usb OBDII dongle at the same time. Turns out that for the the USB OBDII dongle worked a lot better meaning that I didn't need the extra BT, and the third USB port would have been handy, but it also turns out that I don't really use the OBDII dongle with the head unit at all. That's just my experience though. It was also one of the more powerful units for the time, but still wasn't powerful (aka fast) enough to suit me. I think that's why I've turned to using Android Auto more than the native android interface, the phone is faster than the headunit. Also I get unlimited data, but not unlimited hotspotting, so AA is less of a hit on data usage.

Advances have rendered those hardware advantages kind of moot. Practically everything has BT 5.0 or greater now, and that version supports simultaneous connections so you don't need dual. If you use it, Android Auto has gone wireless on most modern units which frees up a USB port. Practically everything is faster now with more ram and faster processor.

I'm seriously considering replacing the A6 Pro in my F-250, but I don't drive it enough to justify the expense. I have bought a couple of mainstream units (Alpine & Jensen) for other vehicles since, and haven't been any more impressed by them. If I do upgrade the F-250 it'll probably stay an Android unit. Likely either the current S8 with 6gb Ram + 128 GB ROM, or another android unit with similar specs.

The only head units that will be plug & play is a similar year/type Ford factory head unit, and Ford didn't build/install double din multimedia units back then. I don't think that they did multimedia headunits at all back then. Later models started introducing them, but they had moved away from the double din standard. Even if the connectors were the same (doubtful) they wouldn't fit in the dash opening.

As for splicing wires. You can buy an adapter harness for your truck. Splice the the Radio harness to the adapter harness, then plug the adapter into your factory dash harness. It will still require running and splicing a few additional wires. If you use it, backup camera wires will need to be added. Most of them have a wire that locks out video playback and/or settings menus while in motion, they want it connected to parking brake. Your factory harness does not have that wire for radio, but it can be bypassed and connected to another source (or ground?). There may be a few other wires that need to be connected, but the majority of them can be run through an adapter harness and plugged into the truck's wiring.

 

Someone (I forgot who, sorry) posted about the Teyes CC3 previously and it looked pretty impressive.
https://www.teyes.com.au/collections...ZPM27Dpz1O89wD

 

@jstihl, your expectations of "decent" are appropriate, as none of them are great, IMHO. I have an S8 from '21 or '22 and it's OK, but the USB connections use a single proprietary connector on the back that has proven to be really flakey. I thought about replacing it with a Joying that uses standard USB-A connectors, but the reviews of those units weren't great. Like @josht , I greatly prefer the Android Auto interface, which most any decent aftermarket radio will support today, many wirelessly. Again IMHO, the reason to get an Android unit is to run non-standard apps like Forscan (which I do every time the truck is running). If you just want AA and bluetooth music, nearly any non-bottom end unit from any name brand manufacturer will work. I have a Sony unit in a jeep for those purposes and it's fine, except that the screen isn't nearly bright enough, so it washes out in the daytime. That kind of thing matters, at least to me.

Mark

 

I seem to recall @Tpayne621 having a conversation with you about an android head unit.

 

Thank you for all the replies guys, and thank you @josht for the detailed explanation. I guess I was hoping there would be 1 or 2 units that were very popular amongst the group but I guess it more of a roll the dice kind of situation. I am not very tech savvy so a lot of the info listed on these units are a foreign language to me. If anyone can recommend the top 2 units they would pick , what would they be? I would like to be able to display forscan , I have a Bluetooth dongle for my phone now but if you guys think it would be better to run a wired dongle directly to the head unit I can always do that. Also does anyone have the wire schematic particularly for the stero wires for splicing purposes?

 

Thank you I will take a look at this unit

 

https://a.co/d/1I4VE4K
What do you guys think of this head unit? It has a lot of good reviews but of course some bad reviews as well.

 

I also am one of those who doesn't drive the truck enough to justify the expense, but I have found several offerings for a bluetooth connector that plugs into the lighter socket and you can connect your phone to the radio via a broadcast frequency that you tune your radio to. The sound quality isn't the greatest. But it works for the twice a year that I'm driving the truck and want/need to connect to the stereo with my phone. A simple search for one on Amazon or Google will bring up all kinds of options. Even a Carplay screen if you want it.

 

I'm still rocking a tape cassette adapter. Not wireless, but clear sound and retains factory radio look and dependability if equipped with a casette player. Admittedly, an android unit has tempted me a time or two, though.

 

At least your head units still work. I drive my truck regularly and my head unit looks like this.

 

Based on my experience with an Android head unit, I would absolutely recommend a wired connection instead of a Bluetooth for FORScan Lite.

The wired dongles are cheap, fast and reliable. You can get a 90° adapter for the OBDII port to keep things nice and clean.

I recently used live Google Maps for a 650 mile trip and we despise Android Auto. That is just us though...

As for wiring, you can get a harness connector that will plug right into your OEM harness, so no cutting or splicing there. Then, you simply match the colors or wires designation to the adapter. There is only about a dozen and it is easy to use process of elimination.

You will do well sir!

 

Thanks sous, for the dongle adapter, wold this be a 90° adapter that you plug into the truck and then the dongle sticks out at 90°? I know you stay pretty up-to-date on these types of things so would be curious what head unit you think is good? Seems like there are thousands of them out there and not sure which one to pick.

 

I have the teyes unit in mine. Specifically the cc3 2k 10 inch unit with 128gb memory and 6gb ram. I had a couple other cheaper Amazon units and they constantly froze and lagged and would have to reboot. Looked up some reviews in Teyes and they were all pretty positive. They do cost a bit more but work great. Loads everything fast doesn't lag and works pretty much just like any regular tablet. Have reverse camera hooked to it. Forward facing dvr camera.m that records. You can even get them with 360* camera options and tpms now. The higher ram option definitely makes it load stuff faster.