How-to Guide
How to Update the Software on an Android Head Unit
Quick answer
Format a USB drive to FAT32, copy the update file onto it, plug it in with the ignition on, then follow the prompt. The drive has to be FAT32 and the capacity doesn't matter. The update performs a factory reset, so your apps reinstall and you'll add your Google account again afterwards.
What this gives you
Most of what you'd report as a fault on these units is fixed by the current software, at no cost and without the unit leaving your vehicle. A Play Store you can't sign in to, a unit that reboots, an OBD connection that drops, and on the earlier units a USB connection that worked for a year and then stopped, all come back to the software.
Before you start
- A USB drive formatted FAT32. New drives usually ship exFAT, which the unit can't read.
- The update file for your exact unit, from its own software update page on our site.
- Your vehicle somewhere it can idle or sit on a charger for fifteen minutes.
- A note of your Google account details, because you'll sign in again afterwards.
Step by step
- Get the right file for your unit
Each unit has its own software update page on our site. A file from a different model won't install, and you can end up chasing a problem you made yourself.
- Format the drive to FAT32
This step decides whether anything happens at all. If your drive is still exFAT, the unit never reads it, so you get no prompt and it looks like the update did nothing. The capacity doesn't matter, a 32GB drive is fine.
- Copy the file across and check it arrived whole
Copy the update onto the drive, then check the file size matches what you downloaded. A part copied file behaves like a corrupt one.
- Plug the drive in with the ignition on
Any of the USB connections will do. The port doesn't matter on this unit, so you don't have to hunt for a particular one or for a special cable.
- Follow the prompt and leave it alone
The install takes roughly ten to fifteen minutes. Don't switch the ignition off, don't pull the drive, and don't press anything while you can see a progress bar or an updating message on screen.
- Take the drive out when it asks you to
It prompts you to remove the update device at the end. If you leave the drive in, the unit keeps rebooting, which looks like a failed update rather than a finished one.
- Set the clock, then sign back in
The update performs a factory reset, so you get the unit back as it left the factory. Set the time zone, date and time first, then update the Play Store, then sign in to your Google account.
- Put everything back
Your apps and their logins, Bluetooth pairings and any settings you changed are gone. Reinstall the apps you use, pair your phone again, then reinstall your mapping app and its offline regions. Allow about half an hour in total once the reinstalls are counted.
If it does not work
- If you get no prompt and nothing happens, the drive format is almost always the answer. Check it's FAT32, never buy a smaller drive.
- If the update starts and fails partway, re-download the file, check the size matches, then copy it again onto a freshly formatted drive.
- If the unit reboots in a loop afterwards, run the update again from a clean drive before you assume a hardware fault.
- If you see something went wrong in the Play Store after the reset, that's the clock. Set the time, power the unit off for ten seconds so it sticks, then try again.
- If you've tried two brand new drives and still nothing, that's the exFAT signature. Both new drives came to you formatted the same wrong way.
Worth knowing
Units dispatched from the current batch ship with the latest software already installed, so you don't need to update a new unit when it arrives.
Still need help?
Tell us your vehicle and what you're seeing on screen, and we can point you to the right step.