Best Phone for Android Auto in the Lightning? Any to Avoid?

[Kansan]

I have two iPhones, business and personal. I'm thinking about converting one to Android. Are there Androids that work better than the rest for Android Auto in the Lightning? Any to avoid?

I'd be converting the personal phone, so no need for business related work on it. It would be for pictures, texting, FordPass, Googe Maps, ABRP and the Android Auto apps. It would be great if it could handle streaming to Sync when the streaming apps are allowed. It would also be nice if it wasn't obsolete too quickly. All my previous Android phones have been by Samsung - last one was an S8 Active. Any recommendations on which Android phones to consider?

Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[electricpig]

I've used two different Pixel phones with my Lightning and Android Auto. Been hapoy with both of them, and AA works very well routing and mapping charging in Lightning. Can't speak about any other phone.

 

[astrand1]

Android=

 

[Ffxdude]

When I defected from Apple a number of years ago I went with Pixel. Wanted the ease of use and reliability of updates. My last one was a pixel 4a 5g and my current is a Pixel 9a. Both worked well overall and with the truck. This 9a seems to be causing more glitches with the PAAK than the 4a5g, but other than that works great.

 

[CD4TNF]

Pixel 7a and Pixel 9 have worked.

 

[TaxmanHog]

My Samsung Galaxy S24u is working nicely.

 

[Henry Ford]

Android=

That's a pretty hot take. I have always had a personal Android phone and I use an iPad for work. They both work. Android tends to have features before Apple and is more configurable. Neither has a must-have thing the other doesn't.

I've used a Samsung S21 and S24 with my Lightning. Both reliability work, including Phone as a Key. Occasionally, Android Auto doesn't connect right away. I tend to charge when I'm in the truck anyway so plugging the phone in doesn't bother me.

 

[BSEE SPARKY]

My samsung Galaxy flip 5 works well. Not tried anything else. I will say you have to have phone folded to use wireless charging. This due to physical locations of transmitt and receive antennas.

 

[Firn]

My Samsung Galaxy S24u is working nicely.

My Galaxy S23 Ultra is by far the best phone I have had, and I have had many.

Android=

Tribalism is a real thing.

That said, I switched from Android to iPhone and I spent a year with a 12 Pro. I despised that thing more the day I got rid of it than I did the day I switched. Most of the decisions they implement feel more like they are coming from Micorosoft than Apple.

 

[Ricks Lightning]

I have a Samsung galaxy A35 5g.
It's hit or miss who I get onscreen text from. Not sure if it's a setting or what. I have to check my phone for text as 90% don't show up on the trucks screen..

Any suggestions?

Rick

 

[astrand1]

My Galaxy S23 Ultra is by far the best phone I have had, and I have had many.



Tribalism is a real thing.

That said, I switched from Android to iPhone and I spent a year with a 12 Pro. I despised that thing more the day I got rid of it than I did the day I switched. Most of the decisions they implement feel more like they are coming from Micorosoft than Apple.

I don’t know about the tribalism for me I just like how smooth iOS is, how everything just works. It’s just more polished and clean in my opinion. I’ve tried android a few times over the years and even today it feels like it’s just not finished. Seems way more “clunky” to me.

 

[Athrun88]

I don’t know about the tribalism for me I just like how smooth iOS is, how everything just works. It’s just more polished and clean in my opinion. I’ve tried android a few times over the years and even today it feels like it’s just not finished. Seems way more “clunky” to me.

IMO that's a personal preference, not tribalism. Tribalism is when you simply say "Android Bad, Apple Good" or "Android Good, Apple Bad" without any actual evidence and is just based on drawing a line in the sand saying what you have is better just because.

That being said, my opinion is the opposite of you actually. I feel that Android feels better and things tend to work nicely given how it's not just one vertically integrated company and it's an amlgamation of companies that have to play nicely. Android does tend to be the trailblazer in terms of features histoircally and Apple comes in years later with the same feature but with 5x the marketing budget with a much more polished version. Things "just work" on Apple's devices, because again, it's completely vertically integrated and a walled garden whereas Android is more open. I've tried iOS before and we have an iPad for my daughter and do not like the OS at all. Nothing is really intuitive for me but that's probably because I've been on Android since release.

Back on topic, any flagship from Samsung or Google from the past 4 years will be great for AA. I have a Samsung S22 Ultra and it works without a hitch. You have a huge selection of phone manufacturers too depending on your other use case. If you're into mobile gaming, go for RedMagic, iPhone-esque feel go for Nothing Phone, glitzy flagship go for Samsung, pure Android experience go for Pixel. Just keep it within the last 2-3 years if cost is an issue but want to get a few updates for the next 3-4 years.

I would avoid any low/mid-range phones that use MediaTek chips or cheaper Snapdragon SoCs. I don't like Samsung's Exynos chips either and would look for a Snapdragon 8 based phone or newer. Stay away from any vendor that doesn't guarantee at least 4-6 years of OS updates.

 

[mr.Magoo]

Android=

crApple=

To each their own.
As for OPs question, any modern Android should be OK, maybe stay away from the budget models.
I've used S22,23,24,25 Ultras and Pixel7 without issues.

 

[spacepirate]

Just adding a note that AA performance and reliability improved significantly after the February update for ECG-24.2.5.7 which was supposed to address general performance issues. Before then I had a lot of problems with AA failing to connect, screen freezes or really bad screen update lag to the point where Google Maps was unusable but it works much more smoothly now.

 

[Firn]

I don’t know about the tribalism for me I just like how smooth iOS is, how everything just works. It’s just more polished and clean in my opinion. I’ve tried android a few times over the years and even today it feels like it’s just not finished. Seems way more “clunky” to me.

And see I felt completely the opposite. Apple putting settings in various different locations, some in app, some in different "centers", some in the app but only through the settings screen. The absolute DISASTER that family sharing and dealing with sub-13yr old family members. The fact that you had to hold the power button for five seconds to turn on, but there wasn't any visible notice it had turned on for 10-15 seconds. The haphazard way the "back" button appeared in apps. The draconian control of the home screen, and then fact it was FIFTEEN years for apple to give any sort of widget on the home screen. And don't get me started on Apple not showing available apps if heaven forbid you ever have a device old enough to stop getting updates.

Those are just some examples but even after a year of use I felt like I was always discovering some "clunky" way of interaction, and that's before the walled garden.

Sponsored