I haven't seen this discussed yet, so I thought I'd share my findings.
It's possible to install (sideload) external Android apps (APK files) on the Odyssey's infotainment system, since it is built off of Android. I don't think it's a good idea for me to explain specifically how it's done because it is very easy to make the entire system unusable if you aren't familiar with Android. I managed to get the system stuck in an infinite bootloop while experimenting but was luckily able to revert my changes through Androids package manager utility.
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For those of you who know enough about Android to figure out the details yourself, the process is not much different from other Android devices. You enable Developer Options from the About screen. Then you enable ADB over Wifi. Then you connect to the system via ADB from a computer that is on the same network as the Odyssey. You aslo need to enable the apps from the app manager so that they appear on the main screen.
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Most of the apps I tried to install did not work. The three I got to work that were worth keeping on the system were Total Commander (a file manager), Fast (a network speed test app that happens to also gives access to a web browser), and DiskUsage (available space viewer).
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The DiskUsage app shows that there is about 8GB of available free space on the system. In my image 750MB or so is currently taken up by a movie file.
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Total Commander allow you to move files around. It is also able to read files stored on a USB drive plugged into the USB port in the center console. Transfering files via USB is much faster than using the WiFi network. I was unable to get Total Commander to install an APK file, so that had to still be done over ADB. Total Commander also has a built-in media player, so I was able to play MP4 movie files with audio on the Infotainment screen without any issues. Obviously, this can be very dangerous if done while driving.
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I tried to install several different web browsers, but none of them worked. While testing my network speed using the Fast app, I happened to tap the speedtest.net link in the app and a built-in browser opened. I didn't spend too much time messing with it, but it seemed to be a fairly full-fledged browser.
All of the apps that I installed seemed to be automatically disabled while the van is in motion. The app icons on the main screen for the apps that I installed were greyed out if the van is being driven. I haven't tried launching an app and then driving to see if the app is still functional. One word of warning to anyone who experiments with this is do not allow any app you install to send/place something on the home screen. From the browser in the Fast app I tried to save a shortcut to the home screen and that is how the entire system got itself into an infinite loop of launching and crashing. I was able to fix it by using an ADB "pm" command to clear the launcher/home app user data.
It's possible to install (sideload) external Android apps (APK files) on the Odyssey's infotainment system, since it is built off of Android. I don't think it's a good idea for me to explain specifically how it's done because it is very easy to make the entire system unusable if you aren't familiar with Android. I managed to get the system stuck in an infinite bootloop while experimenting but was luckily able to revert my changes through Androids package manager utility.
For those of you who know enough about Android to figure out the details yourself, the process is not much different from other Android devices. You enable Developer Options from the About screen. Then you enable ADB over Wifi. Then you connect to the system via ADB from a computer that is on the same network as the Odyssey. You aslo need to enable the apps from the app manager so that they appear on the main screen.
Most of the apps I tried to install did not work. The three I got to work that were worth keeping on the system were Total Commander (a file manager), Fast (a network speed test app that happens to also gives access to a web browser), and DiskUsage (available space viewer).
The DiskUsage app shows that there is about 8GB of available free space on the system. In my image 750MB or so is currently taken up by a movie file.
Total Commander allow you to move files around. It is also able to read files stored on a USB drive plugged into the USB port in the center console. Transfering files via USB is much faster than using the WiFi network. I was unable to get Total Commander to install an APK file, so that had to still be done over ADB. Total Commander also has a built-in media player, so I was able to play MP4 movie files with audio on the Infotainment screen without any issues. Obviously, this can be very dangerous if done while driving.
I tried to install several different web browsers, but none of them worked. While testing my network speed using the Fast app, I happened to tap the speedtest.net link in the app and a built-in browser opened. I didn't spend too much time messing with it, but it seemed to be a fairly full-fledged browser.
All of the apps that I installed seemed to be automatically disabled while the van is in motion. The app icons on the main screen for the apps that I installed were greyed out if the van is being driven. I haven't tried launching an app and then driving to see if the app is still functional. One word of warning to anyone who experiments with this is do not allow any app you install to send/place something on the home screen. From the browser in the Fast app I tried to save a shortcut to the home screen and that is how the entire system got itself into an infinite loop of launching and crashing. I was able to fix it by using an ADB "pm" command to clear the launcher/home app user data.
