Phones can have the battery icon showing in the status bar on Android, and so can the Android head units fitted to your car.
Battery voltage status
The battery icon on the Android head unit is accompanied by the measured battery voltage. This measurement in volts is the most useful feature of the battery indicator. Unlike phones that need to show the battery charge remaining, the Android head unit shows the instantaneous battery/alternator voltage.
android Headunit Tip
V is for Volts<br /> The battery icon for the android headunit is not useful by itself. The numbers next to the battery symbol show the measured Voltage in Volts, signified by the letter v. The voltage of the battery and charging circuit can help with fault diagnosis or give a limited health reading of the car electrical starting and charging system
Battery or Alternator
With the engine off and the Android head unit powered up, the battery icon will show a voltage of around 12v. This engine off-display can be a good indicator of the actual car battery health. With the engine running, the voltage displayed is that of the vehicle alternator charging circuit and will be closer to 14v. This reading can help give the health of the charging system.
Compatibility
Not all Android headunits can access the voltage of the vehicle and these are notably the universal fit Android headunits. But nearly all, if not all, the custom-fit Android headunits that can communicate over the CAN BUS will be able to get the voltage information.
Battery icon display
Follow these simple steps to enable the battery icon display on the Android headunit.
- Access setting app
- Find ‘CAR’ or ‘Vehicle’
- Locate ‘Extra Settings’
- In the menu choose ‘Battery voltage display’ and toggle OFF to ON
- Go back, back, back to the main screen
Your battery icon and voltage should now be displayed in the notification area of your Android head unit.
Problems
- If prompted for a password, try our Android head unit password list for the code.
- If there are no car settings or vehicle settings, you may have a universal fit Android headunit and the car voltage information can not be read over the CAN BUS.
- You have a custom-fit Android, have the CAN BUS box connected correctly, set the toggle ‘Battery voltage display’ to ‘on,’ and still no battery icon? Check you have the correct vehicle selected in the can bus settings app.
