[Jin]

Hopefully it comes to our system as well but here's the latest update from the Mazda3 forum.

Posted - May 10, 2016

Here's a slightly different reply I received from them on April 9th of this year:

"Thank you for contacting Mazda Customer Experience Center. Apple Carplay and Android Auto is definitely a priority for Mazda North American Operations. Our engineers and technical team advised that they are working hard to add these features and make them compatible for our vehicles. I apologize but there is currently no ETA or time table on when these features will be available. However I have documented your feedback and it will get review internally. I am positive that we have not abandoned our pursuit to add these features.

If you have any questions in the future, you can reach me directly using the number and extension below.

Sincerely,
Calvin
Representative, Customer Experience
800.222.5500
Select Prompt 2, then Ext. 1175"

 

[smurray09]

That's pretty cool. I actually want to try out android auto/car play on the iA.

 

[Jin]

That's pretty cool. I actually want to try out android auto/car play on the iA.

Android Auto would be great because the GPS (I haven't brought it) doesn't have data so doesn't take in consideration of traffic - which is extremely important in LA area ><

 

[RobW]

CarPlay/Android Auto installed

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and a new Yaris iA owner.

I noticed there have not been any updates to this thread, please direct me to an alternative if available.

Today I finished up my Apple CarPlay/Android Auto install, I thought I would share some of the key points in hope that it could benefit others.

I initially started down this path because I was experiencing tuner(unable to tune and default to beginning of the band) and audio issues(erratic volume, balance, fade, and attenuation control) Through this and Mazda forums I narrowed down my issue to a faulty TAU (Tuner Amplifier Unit). Found it behind the glovebox on the right, retrieved numbers off of it and visited car-parts dot com and searched for 'radio' or 'amplifier' and purchased one for $110. Installation was challenging, very tight area with the HVAC assembly hindering access. After installation it fixed my audio issues. (You can send your TAU to: United Radio for free analysis and for fee repair)

What preceded above was installation of the AiO tweaks, which went smoothly. The audio issues started about a month after the tweaks were applied, so I uninstalled them with no audio improvement(My thought is that this issue plagued the last two previous owners and Toyota couldn't fix the issue... Mazda in a Toyota dealer!). Next I updated the firmware to Mazda (Version: 70.00.335C), still no luck with my audio issues... and my nav card was now invalid.

Found an eBay Mazda nav card for $35 and I have my nav back.

Purchased the AirPlay/Auto USB hub & cable kit (Kit# 0000-8F-Z34) from Werner Mazda (N.H.) on eBay (wernermazdaparts) for $146. Installation was fairly easy. First install Mazda firmware (V70.00.021B or higher) **WARNING- This will turn your Yaris iA into a Mazda** (i.e. boot graphics are now the Mazda badge with red themed UI, everything else is fine) Firmware here: https://my.hidrive.com/share/hsodpqja.l#$/Mazda_Firmware
Make sure you verify your download checksum before install.

Installation of the kit required removal of the touch screen/CMU (Linux computer) unit from the top of the dash (two trim pieces, two 10mm head bolts, and gently pop it up from the dash-two snap clips under the screen). Remove the old USB hub by drilling through the face of the unit to break off the retaining clips:
"Mazda CarPlay/Android Auto Install Hack" on YouTube.

Remove the glovebox and then feed the two new cables down from the touch screen/CMU (insure that the terminal plugs are correctly oriented... The old four terminal cable from the CMU to the USB hub is not used, I left it in place within the vehicle) to the USB hub. I bundled the extra cable in a 6-8" loop, secured it with four of the included tye wraps, and then covered it with foam (also provided) and stuffed it behind the CMU. Covered the cable run to the USB hub with foam as well.

I would recommend checking the correct operation of CarPlay or Auto before snapping the USB hub into the dash and bolting the touch screen/CMU back in.

Reassemble and enjoy!

Cheers!

Rob
Mazota

 

[DRL]

My wife just bought a Yaris in May and I having been wanting some confirmation that the procedure works like other Mazda’s.

 

[MazIonOta owner]

I just did this upgrade on my 2017 Yaris iA. I used the official method instead of drilling out the USB hub, but it still took just over an hour total.

The firmware install took 25 minutes to go from Toyota v59.00.xx to Mazda v70.00.335 and I spent almost that whole time removing trim pieces, wrapping the foam around the cable and routing the cable around inside the dash (without disconnecting anything). By the time the firmware was done all I had left to do was the final removal of the hub and CMU and five more minutes of cable routing before putting it all back together.

The only flaw I've found so far is that the car will no longer import contacts from my phone via bluetooth which means I HAVE to use the cable and google assistant to make hands-free calls. On the other hand since I pretty much always plug the phone in to keep it charged anyway it's not really a problem. Pushing the talk button on the steering wheel activates google assistant even if you are using one of the other infotainment system screens (like the fuel screen or radio).

I'd like for it to connect properly via bluetooth for when I'm making short drives, but all in all having the live traffic and real-time map updates is worth having to plug in the phone.

 

[MazIonOta owner]

Edit: Found the problem with the contacts import, it was the phone. Even though I had paired the phone to the car after the firmware upgrade, the phone still had an entry in it's database for "Toyota" with the same MAC address. I cleared the phone cache of all previously paired bluetooth devices and repeated paring with the car. Now everything works like it should.

As long as I don't plug the USB cord in the stock bluetooth infotainment contacts sync up and all the controls work like before. If I plug the cord in Android Auto effectively takes control of everything except the radio and fuel monitor functions.

 

[Potentialowner]

Do you know if this still works? I can’t tell if the link you provided had the up to date software or not

 

[MazIonOta owner]

Looks like some of the data in the link changed since I last read it (or I'm thinking of a different link I can't find now.) The Mazda3Rev website is all about a way to install personalized tweaks. The method I used just updated to the newest Mazda firmware and replaced the USB port/hub in the dash. Tweaks might be nice, but I'm content with having google maps on the screen and having the phone handle calls and questions through the car interface.

 

[MazIonOta owner]

Do you know if this still works? I can’t tell if the link you provided had the up to date software or not

I found the link to the detailed instructions here. This is the straight and very stable upgrade to Mazda firmware and hardware, not a tweak.

[edit]

The software storage host seems to have gone down so some of the links in that document are dead. I found the firmware in a couple of other places though, including an even newer version (74.00.230A) and a video of a guy doing the install on his car. The video is in a Miata, but other than the location of trim pieces the procedure is the same.