Android Auto has been around for years, and now most new cars support it. Some cars can also turn on Android Auto wirelessly, without having to plug your phone in and awkwardly throw it into a cup holder. Wireless AA is mostly limited to luxury cars and higher trim levels of mid-range cars, but what if I told you that Wireless Android Auto could be yours in almost any vehicle for just $90? That’s the price of getting the Motorola MA1, the first automatic wireless dongle that Google sees fit to promote. I’ve been using the MA1 for the past few months, and I’ve barely had to use my USB cables. I was expecting to enumerate this device’s faults, frustrations, and shortcomings in a review, but I’m here to tell you a very different story: The MA1 is great, and you should buy it… if you find it in stock.
Motorola MA1
The Motorola MA1 adds wireless Android Auto to your car in just seconds, and it works surprisingly well.
- Brand
- Motorola audio
- Platform compatibility
- Android 11 or higher
- Gangsters
- 5GHz
- Bluetooth
- 5.0
- weight
- 31 grams
- Reliable connection
- Easy to set up
- Small and separate
- Heavy battery charge
- Often out of stock
Design, hardware and what’s in the box
Everything about the MA1 is simplified, which makes sense. The idea is to place the MA1 in the corner of any vehicle that has your USB port, so you’ll never have to look at it again. It’s a bit like a set-top box in that regard, and it looks like one. It’s a black plastic disc with a non-removable USB cable sticking out of one end. On the other hand, the dongle has a single LED. The only control is a single pairing button on the side, but you may not even need to press it after the initial setup.
The MA1 has a USB-A cable, which is standard in almost all cars these days (only a few have USB-C). Since the cable isn’t very long, the MA1 may hang awkwardly depending on the location of your USB port. I tested the MA1 in a car that had a port under the dash and another inside the center console. The dongle worked in either, but the center console kept it out of sight. I usually plug my phone in and drop it into the console. Now, it can stay in my pocket, and I don’t even have to open the controller.
There’s no microphone on the MA1, so voice controls still need to go through your phone. This would be a minor inconvenience if the idea was to not touch my phone when I get into the car. The phone in your pocket won’t be able to hear you well, after all. I consider this a relatively minor flaw. The assistant in Android Auto isn’t very good at all, even if it hears you perfectly. I try to avoid using it as much as possible.
There is nothing in the MA1 box except the device itself and the instruction manual. The box is also very basic with no prominent branding or fancy graphics – although this is a ‘Motorola’ product, Motorola Sound is just one of many companies that license the Moto name. I wouldn’t hold that against the MA1, though.
Performance and battery
Getting started with the MA1 is easy – all you have to do beforehand is make sure your phone is paired with your car via cable. After that, you can swap the cable for the MA1 dongle. Bluetooth may be too slow unlike Android Auto, but you still start up in the Bluetooth menu. Simply pair your phone with the MA1, which should start streaming once you plug it in. Then, your phone (running Android 11 or higher) will negotiate a Wi-Fi Direct connection to the MA1, and Android Auto will appear on your car’s display like magic. For the record, I tested the MA1 in a 2021 Mazda 3 with a Pixel 6, Z Fold3, and Galaxy S22 Ultra. I initially had issues with the S22 Ultra, but that was a pre-release review unit. I’ve since tested with the retail version of the phone, and it works without issue.
The first pairing will take 15 to 20 seconds, but after that, Android Auto should start in just a few seconds. You shouldn’t need to mess with Bluetooth again, but I did have to manually re-pair at one point for reasons I’ve never been able to confirm. Communication was very fast. Even adding another phone is fairly painless. Simply long press the pairing button, wait for the LED to flash to indicate it is in pairing mode, then connect to a new phone. It even remembers multiple phones so you don’t have to follow the pairing song and dance with another driver. It’s a little more difficult if there are two paired phones nearby. If you need to switch between devices, long press the MA1’s single button to put it into pairing mode and reconnect in the phone’s settings.
A 5GHz Wi-Fi connection with the MA1 has more than enough bandwidth to display the AA interface – my phone reported a connection speed of around 400Mbps. I’m sure running via an external dongle introduces latency, but the good news is that the general slowdown in Android Auto, for once, helps mask that deficiency. Using wireless AA in my car is remarkably similar to using it wired. I had no disconnections, and only a few hiccups, all of which were almost imperceptible. The most troubling part of the experience is the assistant, which doesn’t work well even via cable. I’ve seen Assistant crash a few times while using the MA1, but I can’t say for sure that this is the dongle’s fault.
The primary drawback of the MA1 is its battery life. If you went to all this trouble to get the MA1, you probably don’t want to plug the phone into a charger – that would defeat the purpose. This means that your phone will consume battery power at a rate of 10-20% per hour (depending on your phone’s capacity). Most of my driving consists of short trips, so I spend less than 30 minutes in the car at a time. For me, the MA1 is a great addition to my AA experience. I can leave the phone in my pocket, and losing a little battery life is worth it for the convenience.
I took the MA1 for a longer ride recently. After about an hour of streaming, the dongle was still working fine. On the other hand, the Pixel 6 I was using for testing was burning up. Battery drain was still tolerable, but today’s phones are definitely getting warm. I wouldn’t recommend using the MA1 (or any wireless Android Auto app) while charging a phone that already tends to get warm.
Should you buy it?
YesAnd I’m surprised to say this – I didn’t think the MA1 would work as well as it does. It connects quickly, stays connected, and Android Auto works just as well with a cable. This means it gets the job done. The comfort is definitely there. I can get in the car and start driving without touching my phone, and Android Auto will be there within a few seconds. Although this doesn’t matter much to the average user, I also like how easy it is to add a different phone. It’s really only a 20 second process.
I don’t like how much wireless battery Android Auto uses with the MA1. I tested mostly with a Pixel 6, and that phone burned through 10-12% in an hour, but a phone with a smaller battery will burn more. This is an acceptable trade-off for me because I don’t need to be in the car for long periods, but this may be a deal breaker if you already have range concerns on your phone. The $90 price tag is a bit high, too, but other wireless AA devices are in the same range, and none of them have Google’s blessing. If you’re tired of cables, the MA1 is worth the price. It is in short supply, so you just have to keep an eye on its availability.
Buy it if…
- Your car’s USB port is in the wrong place, and cables become annoying.
- You take a lot of short trips.
Don’t buy it if…
- Your car does not have Android Auto.
- Your phone’s battery life is already questionable.
