Screen is all black !

[Harald]

Seen this during boot up which was all completed prior to setting off. It’s not on that this would happen while driving. Most disconcerting.
Geoff I’m sure all the chat about CarPlay is due to it really being the main new thing in the update. Obviously this leaves out all the android phone users. It’s odd that as an android based system it doesn’t have android screen mirroring. I had just assumed it would have this.

When I contacted Volvo the other day, in addition to asking about the battery, I also asked about the key and Android Auto, two "future features" included in the specifications when I bought the car. They confirmed that the Android digital key will be released soon, but that Android Auto...there's nothing on the horizon. I don't know how they "motivate" developers from large companies (Netflix, Meta... or Google, which still doesn't include Google Home) to develop apps for Android Automotive OS. If this were to happen, we might not miss Android Auto, at least until the four years of free support for the infotainment and connectivity system end.

[andrewollason]

That’s interesting. Android Automotive is being adopted by more and more manufacturers so hopefully more apps will appear. Google are developing a tier system to enable easier integration with AAOS. We shall see. With no physical data connection in the EX30 Android Auto may be tricky.

[kildare]

There are already dozens of official apps for Android Automotive approved by Google.
But we can't find all of them in the EX30 App Store because Volvo doesn't want most of them:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/stre ... _aae?hl=en

Included also the Android Auto Receiver app which allows to run Android Auto on Android Automotive:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... projection

[andrewollason]

I can see why Volvo wouldn’t bother approving many of those. I think the point is that the very popular apps like Netflix are not there. Hopefully as more users are on AAOS it will get the attention of the big hitters.

[MO1]

Screen went black quite a few times over a few months in my wife’s EX30. But since onto Volvo to have various things looked at, they updated the software to 1.5 and the screen has gone black many times since. Including during a long drive where none of the car features could be used which was a big concern as it was dark and a 7 hour drive. It took many cycles of hard resets and screen going black again and repeating over and over. Not ideal at the best of times but definitely not when you’re driving and almost all of the functions are on the screen. If you’re not yet on 1.5 I would advise against it.

[gloucester]

...
I also asked about the key and Android Auto, two "future features" included in the specifications when I bought the car.
...

To my knowledge Volvo has never mentioned "Android Auto" in any official publication re the EX30.

Yes, some of the early press reviews may have mentioned it, but they were clearly mistaken by the fact AAOS sounds so similar.

[SP1959]

Yes Android Automotive and Android Auto sound similar. I paid for and used Android Auto in my last Volvo, and wasn't aware that the EX30 didn't have it until I tried to get it to work and found it didn't exist.

But to be fair, they never stated the car would have it, I just assumed that it would.

I have been in contact with the developers of an app that is on Android Auto but not on Android Automotive. They say that the app needs to be completely re-written for Android Automotive, which takes time - and as so few cars use Android Automotive at the minute, it isn't a priority.

[Harald]

...
I also asked about the key and Android Auto, two "future features" included in the specifications when I bought the car.
...

To my knowledge Volvo has never mentioned "Android Auto" in any official publication re the EX30.

Yes, some of the early press reviews may have mentioned it, but they were clearly mistaken by the fact AAOS sounds so similar.

Yes it was. Probably not on the oficial specs, but in the dealers promos. As the months went by, this reference disappeared from all official promotional spec sheets. Volvo gradually removed it from its website and dealerships, but Google has its flaws, and when you typed "Volvo EX30" into the search engine (in 2024), the headings mentioning Android Auto still appeared in the Volvo official dealers search results. Not in their webs. Just in Google search. I think I took a screenshot; if I find it, I'll upload it. But they're the headings...at all official Volvo dealerships here. Of course, now it's totally gone.

Adding captures:

[zaphod]

yep, been there had that - on day two of a drive. whole screen froze and then rebooted. car drove as usual but I think that if this had been my first EV I would have driven straight to the dealer and ... discussed ... it with them.

[zaphod]

FWIW I had it happen to me (again) today. I stopped into a place for a minute on the way home using Waze to get there. Popped back into the car backed out (had the screen) and then a block away noticed it was black. stayed that way for several blocks and then a grey screen with the error message "Waze seems to not be responding - Exit?" I pressed Yes to exit and the the normal screen returned.

So in this case it was Waze that hung/crashed/whatever and put all to black.