Android 4.2.2 HTC One / Parrot MKI 9100 / Navigation (TTS) not working via radio speakers

Hi,

I am connecting my HTC One (Android V.4.2.2) with my Parrot MKI9100 car kit (V.2.20, "Unikat" for steering wheel button integration V.19) in a E87 BMW 1. As Navigation solution I am using Navigon Europe V. 4.9.0 or Google Navigation App (latest version). For bluetooth routing settings I use SoundAbout Pro App in current version 2.5.3..

Phone calls via bluetooth handsfree profile, media-audio streaming in music player via media profile (A2DP) and even text-to-speech test-messages in the android settings are streamed flawlessly with Parrot MKI9100 car kit. The car kit sets radio to "mute on streaming" when streaming and keeps playing radio after stream ends. So far so good!

Unfortunately all messages of navigation apps are not streamed (tested with Navigon and Google Navigation). The radio just keeps playing. I tried to change the in-app settings of navigon with bluetooth channel 1 or 2 without any effect. In the Soundabout App I tried to force Media Streaming to "Bluetooth (A2DP)" and also routing Text-to-speech to "Bluetooth (A2DP)". I tested different utterance delays and played with the other settings...without any effect. Interesting is that in very rare cases after switching the profile back-and-forth the very first navigation utterance is streamed correctly and afterwards again silence.

Clearing cache of MKI9100, factory reset of HTC one, repairing devices does also not have any effect.

The weired thing for me is that Navigation utterances work with my Samsung S2 like a charm (which shows that the car kit is not broken). At the same time streaming of navigation messages is working between my HTC One and other bluetooth handfrees also (which shows that my HTC One is not broken or its not a general software issue of the Navigation apps). My conclusion is that there is a problem with different bluetooth drivers/stacks of HTC One and Parrot MKI9100 that do not work smoothly together.

My workaround: Currently I use Soundabout Pro App to redirect all media streams to the phone speakers. At least I can hear that way my navigation messages. Sadly phone speakers are not nearly as good quality and loud as the car radio speakers. This is truely better than nothing but it is not really a convenient way in the long run.

Thanks if you have any advice or at least a good technical explanation for this. I would appreciate if you find a reliable solution for streaming Navigation messages.

I found a similar situation with my phone, running Android 4.2.2 and my Genesis (car). The Text-To-Speech through Bluetooth mono used to work great, but 4.2.2 has switched from the BlueZ driver to the BroadCom driver on my phone.

Changes like this this make some Bluetooth devices behave differently.

Are you using a ROM like this: http://www.androidrooting.com/android-4-2-2-jelly-bean-google-play-edition-stock-rom-for-htc-one/

It is 4.2.2 stock rom which has been rolled out in Germany by HTC about two weeks ago. However I had the same issue with stock Android 4.1.2 (installed when phone was delivered).

You're right, when I route navigation messages through "bluetooth (mono)" with SoundAbout to the car speakers it is like a permanent call and you hear the navigation utterances, but this would prevent the radio from playing music at all. Although parrot support gave me the advice that navigation announcements need to be streamed by "Bluetooth handsfree"-profile to use "mute on streaming" functionality (which I understand to be the standard "phone"-profile that is "bluetooth (mono)" in your software, right?

You may be able to send navigation through Bluetooth mono while the radio is playing.  When directions play it will send as phone call and stop the radio temporarily.

You may need utterances set to 2 and the delay set to 1.5 when you try this.

I have seen this solution in another thread and tried it already. Unfortunately it does not stop the radio temporarily but permantly: It is like a never ending call that I have to quit by pressing the button on the car kit remote. Seems like the navigation apps do not send any stop signal that stops the stream.

I am still wondering why the tts function works when I use the android test text in the settings. And that media is als played by any music player?

I have the same problem, have you find any solution ?

If you want to receive Beta versions of SoundAbout from Google play, follow the instructions in this post:

https://soundabout.forumotion.com/t138-join-soundabout-beta-testers-google-group-to-get-beta-versions-from-google-play

Unfortunately no solution. I do not have root on my phone. Maybe it is worth to try a custom rom but I doubt that it changes anything. My impression is that it is an incompatibility between the HTC 4.0 and the parrrot 2.0 bluetooth stack.

There is a bluetooth patch that changes the bitpool settings for some android devices which works also for HTC One.
Unfortunately it has been discussed in a german forum. The discussion basically says that there was a patch for Samsung which also works on HTC One to solve some issues with bluetooth connections with Android 4.2 devices)
Installation instructions:

- Extract a2dp-bitpool-fix.zip
- copy audio.a2dp.default.so with file explorer to system\lib\hw kopieren (replace exisiting file)
- reboot device

http://www.android-hilfe.de/root-custom-roms-modding-fuer-htc-one-m7/395491-mod-a2dp-bluetooth-fix.html

There is also an app in the play store which probably does the same. The description does not explain the app functionality at all but maybe worth a try if you have root:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phk.bluetoothfixrepair&hl=de

If someone has root and wants to test these bluetooth fixes please let us know about results.

Android 4.3 will bring a new bluetooth AVRCP 1.3 profile. My lasting hope ist that they fix the bluetooth stack in the same run.

Thanks

Thank you for your answer.

Unfortunately I have no root. Maybe I'll do it when there will be a release of CyanogenMod for HTC One.

However in my case, if I play musique from HTC One on the car with the parrot, music stop when there is a navigation message and the parrot play the message.
Its a little workaround.

I have a similar problem:
HTC One, Android 4.2.2, Parrot MKI9200 and using TomTom as Navigation app. TomTom seems to be using the A2DP profile. I will only hear the spoken directions from TomTOm while i stream a media file from my phone. When i dont stream music i dont hear the directions. I tried SoundAbout setting the media audio to Bluetooth mono dynamic. The TomTom directions break in the radio program like a phonecall and resumes radio after the direction. The downside of this method is that all audio seems to be redirecting to mono output. If i want to stream an audiofile then that audiofile is mono too! I would like to have best of both worlds. Cant i set the audio output for each app so for example TomTOm A2DP to HFP mono and Music stream stays at A2DP stereo?

Android doesn't supply a way to tell if audio is from a certain app. If TomTom uses Text To Speech in order to "say" the street names then you could leave "Media audio" set to "let app decide" where it would find the Bluetooth A2DP by default if it is connected.

Then you set the Text to speech audio to Bluetooth mono, the "max utterance per request" to (1 or 2), and possibly a delay of 1.5 seconds.