I am tired of messing with the USB cable connection and would like to
hear from somebody who has some experience with one of those WiFi
dongles that would replace the cable. My Google search found some, such
as AAWireless and CarDroid, but they still look like in a kick-starter
stage, not yet ready for sale. Any of you using one of the dongles
satisfactorily? Thanks.

Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:

> I am tired of messing with the USB cable connection and would like to
> hear from somebody who has some experience with one of those WiFi
> dongles that would replace the cable. My Google search found some, such
> as AAWireless and CarDroid, but they still look like in a kick-starter
> stage, not yet ready for sale. Any of you using one of the dongles
> satisfactorily? Thanks.

I take it your unidentified phone or unidentified vehicle are listed as
compatible with wireless Android Auto? See:

https://support.google.com/androidauto/answer/6348029
https://www.lifewire.com/android-auto-wireless-4176354

There are links in the first article for phones and cars where wifi can
be used with the Android Auto app. Don't know how accurate is the
article; i.e., if those are the only phones and cars where wifi can be
used with Android Auto. You might want to search online for a list of
cars that are wifi capable that will work with Android Auto, and see if
your car is listed.

CarDongle doesn't describe how their product works. Is it a
Bluetooth+Wifi transceiver that connects to your phone via wifi and
connects to your car's head unit via Bluetooth? Or is it a wifi hotspot
hub, so both your phone and car use wifi to it? If the latter, I would
first check if your phone and car were listed as wifi-capable for
Android Auto. AAwireless is even less informative: Simply plug it in
and forget about it. Uh huh.

Nope, not using a wifi dongle. My car is way too old (2002) to have a
head unit, but I can still get audio from my phone to my car's stereo to
hear driving instructions from Google Maps. I use a FM+Bluetooth
transceiver plugged into the cigarette lighter (which later got renamed
to a "power port" in later cars). The phone connects to the transceiver
via Bluetooth, and the transceiver connects to my stereo via FM (so I
tune into the same frequency on the stereo as set in the transceiver).
I don't have a head unit to display anything from the phone, so need for
the higher bandwidth of video, and the audio can be sent via Bluetooth.
With my large phone on the dash, it becomes the head unit, but I wanted
louder audio through the stereo due to road noise, and the phone's
speaker isn't loud enough to ensure I'd hear it over road noise and
talking passengers.

Your unidentified car might be newer and have a head unit. Does it have
wifi connectivity?

On 6/11/2021 12:20 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
> Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:
>
>> I am tired of messing with the USB cable connection and would like to
>> hear from somebody who has some experience with one of those WiFi
>> dongles that would replace the cable. My Google search found some, such
>> as AAWireless and CarDroid, but they still look like in a kick-starter
>> stage, not yet ready for sale. Any of you using one of the dongles
>> satisfactorily? Thanks.
>
> I take it your unidentified phone or unidentified vehicle are listed as
> compatible with wireless Android Auto? See:
>
> https://support.google.com/androidauto/answer/6348029
> https://www.lifewire.com/android-auto-wireless-4176354
>
> There are links in the first article for phones and cars where wifi can
> be used with the Android Auto app. Don't know how accurate is the
> article; i.e., if those are the only phones and cars where wifi can be
> used with Android Auto. You might want to search online for a list of
> cars that are wifi capable that will work with Android Auto, and see if
> your car is listed.
>
> CarDongle doesn't describe how their product works. Is it a
> Bluetooth+Wifi transceiver that connects to your phone via wifi and
> connects to your car's head unit via Bluetooth? Or is it a wifi hotspot
> hub, so both your phone and car use wifi to it? If the latter, I would
> first check if your phone and car were listed as wifi-capable for
> Android Auto. AAwireless is even less informative: Simply plug it in
> and forget about it. Uh huh.
>
> Nope, not using a wifi dongle. My car is way too old (2002) to have a
> head unit, but I can still get audio from my phone to my car's stereo to
> hear driving instructions from Google Maps. I use a FM+Bluetooth
> transceiver plugged into the cigarette lighter (which later got renamed
> to a "power port" in later cars). The phone connects to the transceiver
> via Bluetooth, and the transceiver connects to my stereo via FM (so I
> tune into the same frequency on the stereo as set in the transceiver).
> I don't have a head unit to display anything from the phone, so need for
> the higher bandwidth of video, and the audio can be sent via Bluetooth.
> With my large phone on the dash, it becomes the head unit, but I wanted
> louder audio through the stereo due to road noise, and the phone's
> speaker isn't loud enough to ensure I'd hear it over road noise and
> talking passengers.
>
> Your unidentified car might be newer and have a head unit. Does it have
> wifi connectivity?

I have an after-market head unit with Android Auto. While it's an
annoyance to have to connect with USB, Bluetooth isn't fast enough and
the head unit doesn't have Wi-Fi. However since I plug my phone in
anyway, to charge it, having to use a USB cable isn't really a big deal.
Just wish the USB from the head unit was fast charging, but it isn't.

Cardongle apparently only works with factory installed Android Auto
systems. It also doesn't mention Bluetooth. It would be nice if it had
Bluetooth so you could link an OBD-II dongle to it.

On 6/11/2021 9:20 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
> Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:
>
>> I am tired of messing with the USB cable connection and would like to
>> hear from somebody who has some experience with one of those WiFi
>> dongles that would replace the cable. My Google search found some, such
>> as AAWireless and CarDroid, but they still look like in a kick-starter
>> stage, not yet ready for sale. Any of you using one of the dongles
>> satisfactorily? Thanks.
>
> I take it your unidentified phone or unidentified vehicle are listed as
> compatible with wireless Android Auto? See:
>
> https://support.google.com/androidauto/answer/6348029
> https://www.lifewire.com/android-auto-wireless-4176354
>
> There are links in the first article for phones and cars where wifi can
> be used with the Android Auto app. Don't know how accurate is the
> article; i.e., if those are the only phones and cars where wifi can be
> used with Android Auto. You might want to search online for a list of
> cars that are wifi capable that will work with Android Auto, and see if
> your car is listed.
>
> CarDongle doesn't describe how their product works. Is it a
> Bluetooth+Wifi transceiver that connects to your phone via wifi and
> connects to your car's head unit via Bluetooth? Or is it a wifi hotspot
> hub, so both your phone and car use wifi to it? If the latter, I would
> first check if your phone and car were listed as wifi-capable for
> Android Auto. AAwireless is even less informative: Simply plug it in
> and forget about it. Uh huh.
>
> Nope, not using a wifi dongle. My car is way too old (2002) to have a
> head unit, but I can still get audio from my phone to my car's stereo to
> hear driving instructions from Google Maps. I use a FM+Bluetooth
> transceiver plugged into the cigarette lighter (which later got renamed
> to a "power port" in later cars). The phone connects to the transceiver
> via Bluetooth, and the transceiver connects to my stereo via FM (so I
> tune into the same frequency on the stereo as set in the transceiver).
> I don't have a head unit to display anything from the phone, so need for
> the higher bandwidth of video, and the audio can be sent via Bluetooth.
> With my large phone on the dash, it becomes the head unit, but I wanted
> louder audio through the stereo due to road noise, and the phone's
> speaker isn't loud enough to ensure I'd hear it over road noise and
> talking passengers.
>
> Your unidentified car might be newer and have a head unit. Does it have
> wifi connectivity?

Mine is a 2018 Hyundai Kona that does have a head unit with Android
Auto, but it can only be connected to the phone with USB cable. It works
that way fine, but I just hate to mess with that cable connection.

Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:

> 2018 Hyundai Kona

And the smartphone brand and model? Takes two to tango.

The 2019 Hyundai Kona does not have wifi, so it is unlikely an even old
year-model would have wifi. That's for the North American editions of
the Kona. The UK edition of the 2019 model has wifi. The only wireless
connection it has is Bluetooth. Bluetooth has enough bandwidth for
audio but not for audio+video, and why you must use either a wifi for a
wireless connection, or the USB cable.

In the head unit, go to the Setup menu (click the gear icon in the home
screen). Is there a wifi option there? If so, there is a "Use Wi-Fi
for Phone Projection" is enabled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYGQrLo8T9M

On 11/06/2021 12:50, Cameo wrote:
> I am tired of messing with the USB cable connection and would like to
> hear from somebody who has some experience with one of those WiFi
> dongles that would replace the cable. My Google search found some, such
> as AAWireless and CarDroid, but they still look like in a kick-starter
> stage, not yet ready for sale. Any of you using one of the dongles
> satisfactorily? Thanks.

I backed the AAWireless adapter, received it a few weeks ago, and I have
to say it works quickly and flawlessly for me (although it was a little
fiddly to set up).

However, I know they're still having production issues so not everyone
has theirs yet, and despite a few firmware updates there still seem to
be problems with a few makes and models of car and phone. So there's
probably no way to know how well it would work for you without trying one.

On 6/12/2021 12:15 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
> Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:
>
>> 2018 Hyundai Kona
>
> And the smartphone brand and model? Takes two to tango.
>
> The 2019 Hyundai Kona does not have wifi, so it is unlikely an even old
> year-model would have wifi. That's for the North American editions of
> the Kona. The UK edition of the 2019 model has wifi. The only wireless
> connection it has is Bluetooth. Bluetooth has enough bandwidth for
> audio but not for audio+video, and why you must use either a wifi for a
> wireless connection, or the USB cable.
>
> In the head unit, go to the Setup menu (click the gear icon in the home
> screen). Is there a wifi option there? If so, there is a "Use Wi-Fi
> for Phone Projection" is enabled.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYGQrLo8T9M

I mentioned it so many times that I had an LG G6 with Android 9, so I
didn't think I should repeat it. BTW, I knew my car had no WiFi, that's
why I am looking for the USB-WiFi dongle. I have an EU edition of Kona
which does have Bluetooth built into the head unit.

Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:

> On 6/12/2021 12:15 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
>> Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> 2018 Hyundai Kona
>>
>> And the smartphone brand and model? Takes two to tango.
>>
>> The 2019 Hyundai Kona does not have wifi, so it is unlikely an even old
>> year-model would have wifi. That's for the North American editions of
>> the Kona. The UK edition of the 2019 model has wifi. The only wireless
>> connection it has is Bluetooth. Bluetooth has enough bandwidth for
>> audio but not for audio+video, and why you must use either a wifi for a
>> wireless connection, or the USB cable.
>>
>> In the head unit, go to the Setup menu (click the gear icon in the home
>> screen). Is there a wifi option there? If so, there is a "Use Wi-Fi
>> for Phone Projection" is enabled.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYGQrLo8T9M
>
> I mentioned it so many times that I had an LG G6 with Android 9, so I
> didn't think I should repeat it.

Don't expect anyone to go hunting through your past articles to guess
what phone you are asking about (which could be different than what you
mentioned before, anyway), nor do they compile biographies of trivia.
Do expect others to use what info you provide within a thread (not all
your threads).

> BTW, I knew my car had no WiFi, that's why I am looking for the
> USB-WiFi dongle. I have an EU edition of Kona which does have
> Bluetooth built into the head unit.

Do you need to use the head unit in the car for the video, or can you
use your phone's screen? If you have a small phone, probably not, but
if you have a large phone it might be nearly as large as some head
units. A Bluetooth connection is good for audio transfer, but not for
video+audio, and why a cable or wifi is needed.

From specs for the LG G6, its screen size is 5.7 inches. I have the LG
V20 with a screen size of also 5.7 inches. I don't have a head unit in
my ancient car (2005). I find the phone's screen more than ample to see
maps and driving instructions from Google Maps (about the only use for
my phone in my car). The Kona head unit's screen size is 9 inches, so
definitely bigger, but maybe your phone is big enough.

Seems the devices you mentioned are primarily to provide a wifi hotspot:
wifi from phone to dongle, and cable from dongle to head unit. The
cable is only needed to get from the wifi hotspot hub to a USB port in
the car. But a USB wifi dongle that plugs directly into a USB port
would eliminate the cable. Those ones you mentioned must do something
more than just what other USB wifi dongles can do, like:

https://www.amazon.com/Blueshadow-USB-WiFi-Adapter-Wireless/dp/B077XJB1Z8/

If more than a wifi connect (albeit not directly to the head unit but
through a dongle) is all that is needed, I would think something like
about that lets you pair 2 wifi devices would be enough. If they do
more, there seem to be other choices than what you listed, and not so
experimental, like:

https://www.amazon.com/Carlinkit-Wireless-Carplay-Android-MirrorScreen/dp/B08BRF7LLX
https://www.amazon.com/Receiver-Adapter-Portable-Assistant-Navigation/dp/B0892KWLHD

Seem plenty to choose from, and perhaps cheaper, too. However, to me,
that would still be a mess of the hub box and cables. Yeah, no cable
from phone to car USB port, but still a mess in the car. I'd be curious
what they provide more than just a USB wifi dongle you'd plug into the
car's USB port.

On 6/12/2021 11:48 AM, Cameo wrote:
> On 6/12/2021 12:15 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
>> Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> 2018 Hyundai Kona
>>
>> And the smartphone brand and model? Takes two to tango.
>>
>> The 2019 Hyundai Kona does not have wifi, so it is unlikely an even old
>> year-model would have wifi. That's for the North American editions of
>> the Kona. The UK edition of the 2019 model has wifi. The only wireless
>> connection it has is Bluetooth. Bluetooth has enough bandwidth for
>> audio but not for audio+video, and why you must use either a wifi for a
>> wireless connection, or the USB cable.
>>
>> In the head unit, go to the Setup menu (click the gear icon in the home
>> screen). Is there a wifi option there? If so, there is a "Use Wi-Fi
>> for Phone Projection" is enabled.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYGQrLo8T9M
>
> I mentioned it so many times that I had an LG G6 with Android 9,

When asking questions, you should always be specific about your hardware
and software. It doesn't matter how many times you mentioned it before,
for two reasons:

1. Many usenet participants (me, for example) read many messages every
day, and don't remember the details of all of them.

2. There may be a new participant who could help you, but never saw your
old messages.

> so I
> didn't think I should repeat it.

You should.

--
Ken

On 6/12/2021 11:01 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
> Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 6/12/2021 12:15 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
>>> Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> 2018 Hyundai Kona
>>>
>>> And the smartphone brand and model? Takes two to tango.
>>>
>>> The 2019 Hyundai Kona does not have wifi, so it is unlikely an even old
>>> year-model would have wifi. That's for the North American editions of
>>> the Kona. The UK edition of the 2019 model has wifi. The only wireless
>>> connection it has is Bluetooth. Bluetooth has enough bandwidth for
>>> audio but not for audio+video, and why you must use either a wifi for a
>>> wireless connection, or the USB cable.
>>>
>>> In the head unit, go to the Setup menu (click the gear icon in the home
>>> screen). Is there a wifi option there? If so, there is a "Use Wi-Fi
>>> for Phone Projection" is enabled.
>>>
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYGQrLo8T9M
>>
>> I mentioned it so many times that I had an LG G6 with Android 9, so I
>> didn't think I should repeat it.
>
> Don't expect anyone to go hunting through your past articles to guess
> what phone you are asking about (which could be different than what you
> mentioned before, anyway), nor do they compile biographies of trivia.
> Do expect others to use what info you provide within a thread (not all
> your threads).

OK, I've got it.

>> BTW, I knew my car had no WiFi, that's why I am looking for the
>> USB-WiFi dongle. I have an EU edition of Kona which does have
>> Bluetooth built into the head unit.
>
> Do you need to use the head unit in the car for the video, or can you
> use your phone's screen? If you have a small phone, probably not, but
> if you have a large phone it might be nearly as large as some head
> units. A Bluetooth connection is good for audio transfer, but not for
> video+audio, and why a cable or wifi is needed.
>
> From specs for the LG G6, its screen size is 5.7 inches. I have the LG
> V20 with a screen size of also 5.7 inches. I don't have a head unit in
> my ancient car (2005). I find the phone's screen more than ample to see
> maps and driving instructions from Google Maps (about the only use for
> my phone in my car). The Kona head unit's screen size is 9 inches, so
> definitely bigger, but maybe your phone is big enough.

I've used my phone's navigation directly before on older cars where I
could find a convenient way to suspend the phone on the dash.
Unfortunately Kona's dash is too small and crowded for that. And that
big had unit screen is so nice and big, right there where I want it.

> Seems the devices you mentioned are primarily to provide a wifi hotspot:
> wifi from phone to dongle, and cable from dongle to head unit. The
> cable is only needed to get from the wifi hotspot hub to a USB port in
> the car. But a USB wifi dongle that plugs directly into a USB port
> would eliminate the cable. Those ones you mentioned must do something
> more than just what other USB wifi dongles can do, like:
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Blueshadow-USB-WiFi-Adapter-Wireless/dp/B077XJB1Z8/
>
> If more than a wifi connect (albeit not directly to the head unit but
> through a dongle) is all that is needed, I would think something like
> about that lets you pair 2 wifi devices would be enough. If they do
> more, there seem to be other choices than what you listed, and not so
> experimental, like:
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Carlinkit-Wireless-Carplay-Android-MirrorScreen/dp/B08BRF7LLX
> https://www.amazon.com/Receiver-Adapter-Portable-Assistant-Navigation/dp/B0892KWLHD
>
> Seem plenty to choose from, and perhaps cheaper, too. However, to me,
> that would still be a mess of the hub box and cables. Yeah, no cable
> from phone to car USB port, but still a mess in the car. I'd be curious
> what they provide more than just a USB wifi dongle you'd plug into the
> car's USB port.
>

These devices don't sound like what I am looking for and their
description keeps mixing Android with iOS. So far I only saw that
crowd-funded project AAWireless that substitutes the USB cable between
the phone and the car. Maybe it will be available soon to anybody, not
just the early funders.

Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:

> I've used my phone's navigation directly before on older cars where I
> could find a convenient way to suspend the phone on the dash.

If not a holder on the dash, there are suction cup holders to mount on
the windshield. Check your area since it is illegal to block the
windshield with a phone (or a handicap placard dangling from the rear
view mirror, or stickers other than at the bottom corners, and so on.

> Unfortunately Kona's dash is too small and crowded for that. And that
> big had unit screen is so nice and big, right there where I want it.

I saw a taxi driver use a really long gooseneck holder. It ran from the
power port (cigarette lighter) in the console (a part under the dash) to
dash height, so the phone was in view at the top of the dash (instead of
making drivers look down with those cuphole holders). He used a piece
of self-stick velcro on the back of the top of the gooseneck holder and
on the dash to keep the phone from bouncing around. With a gooseneck
extending over a foot long, the phone would bounce around without some
support at the top. Although the gooseneck phone holder plugged into
the power port, it didn't provide power. It just used the power port to
support the bottom end.

I've seen cup-hole phone holders that also had a gooseneck to extend the
phone upward to better viewing at dash height. However, the cupholders
in my ancient car are back at the parking brake lever, not forward by
the dash, so the phone would be too close to my torso. From the pic
below, your cupholders are too close to you, too.

https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/autos/opinion/2018/04/18/hyundai-kona-rises-to-the-top-of-its-class/kenzie_hyundai_kona_dash_2.jpg

I'm not sure a goosenecked holder in the power port would work, either,
since by the pic it looks like the power port and shift lever (in park
position) could be too close. Depends on how long is the part that
plugs into the power port and how sharp the gooseneck can be bent.
There are some cupholder gooseneck phone holders with long goosenecks,
so it could be extended forward. The longer the gooseneck, the more the
phone bounces. Also, bending the gooseneck forward means interference
with the stick shifter unless you also bend toward the passenger seat.

There are gooseneck holders that clamp onto the rear view mirror, arch
down and forward, and would hold the phone near or on the top of the
dash. Again, the holder and phone would obstruct a bit of the
windshield view.

I've seen some phone holders that mount to the center of the steering
wheel. However, if its air bag blows, you have a phone blasted into
your face. Instead of in the middle of the steering wheel, there are
some that clip the phone to the circular part of the steering wheel, so
the phone is in the gap between the steering wheel and the airbag
center. The problem is the phone will be rotating with the steering
wheel. When not turning, you can see the phone okay, but during turning
the phone is rotating. However, you shouldn't be using the car's head
unit, either, while turning.

I've seen visor-mounted phone holders. The ones that fold down with the
visor up put the phone far too close to your face to focus. If the
phone is at the front of the visor, you won't be able to fold down the
visor. A phone hanging down from the visor could also violate local
laws regarding obstructing the windshield. Instead of using the
driver's visor, you could use the passenger's visor. I had a visor
mount that slid onto the visor, and I could angle it (with visor up) to
point at me. Since I rarely have passengers, no problem with using that
visor to block the sun.

I know you probably don't remember CDs, but my old 2005 had a CD player
which I never used. I don't listen to music while driving. There are
phone holders that slide into and pinch the CD slot. That's what I'm
using now, but it makes me twist my hand to get behind it to get at the
A/C-heat controls.

Those phone holders that clip onto vent vanes are worthless except for
tiny phones. The phone has too much weight, and the vanes will fall
down to their lowest position, so the phone points down either right
away or after the car shakes a bit on the road.

There are dash-mounted suction cup phone holders with folding rigid
arms. That might let you have the arms bend to place the holder part
over the top of the head unit. The phone would be partially in front of
the head unit, but that would minimize windshield obstruction.

I once had a phone holder that was a clamp. The spring clamp section
slid onto the dash above the center hud (speedometer, RPM, fuel, etc).
There is usually a lip over the hud to block direct sunlight (to make
the gauges easier to read). The other end is a jaw clamp that holds the
phone. The phone would be directly ahead of you in front of the
steering wheel on top of the dash. How well it works depends if the
underside of the lip is flat, or if it is angled which means the spring
clamp might slide off (although you could use a small self-stick black
velcro square to keep it in place). I don't know what that bubble is
atop the dash in front of the steering wheel in your car. If another
airbag (beside the one in the steering wheel), you won't want anything
mounted there.

There are lots of phone holders, but they all result in a compromise,
look or are clumsy, the phone isn't in the best location, and often
something gets blocked. If your phone has a magnometer (compass), don't
get a magnetic car phone holder.

If you're okay with heating and bending acrylic (not that hard,
hobbyists do it) without creating cracks (there are Youtube videos to
help), you could get or cut a sheet the width of the head unit, bend it
so one flap lays on the down angled backside of the head unit, bends
over the top lip, down over the head unit, and a small lip at the bottom
to hold the phone. Then your phone lays over the head unit. Despite
the convenience of a head unit (if featured enough), smartphones still
let you run more apps than a head unit, and there's no subscript to pay
every 1 to 3 years for car maps to download into the head unit.

You could wait until you buy your next phone, and repurpose your old
phone to leave it in the car. I've done that with old phones, like to
use one just to watch the wifi security cams around the house. Use some
self-stick cable clips to hold the USB cable out of the way; however,
looks like your USB ports are next to a recess where you could store the
old phone. Looks like there is a storage recess at the front of the
console which, if wide enough, could hold the phone. I have old phones
that just sit in a drawer getting stored but I've repurposed some for
something else. The only reason why plugging/unplugging the phone to a
USB cable to the car's USB port is a nuisance is that you take the phone
with you when you leave the car. If the phone resides within the car,
no cable connects/disconnects are needed.

On 6/13/2021 11:47 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
> Cameo <cameo@unreal.invalid> wrote:
>
>> I've used my phone's navigation directly before on older cars where I
>> could find a convenient way to suspend the phone on the dash.
>
> If not a holder on the dash, there are suction cup holders to mount on
> the windshield. Check your area since it is illegal to block the
> windshield with a phone (or a handicap placard dangling from the rear
> view mirror, or stickers other than at the bottom corners, and so on.
>
>> Unfortunately Kona's dash is too small and crowded for that. And that
>> big had unit screen is so nice and big, right there where I want it.
>
> I saw a taxi driver use a really long gooseneck holder. It ran from the
> power port (cigarette lighter) in the console (a part under the dash) to
> dash height, so the phone was in view at the top of the dash (instead of
> making drivers look down with those cuphole holders). He used a piece
> of self-stick velcro on the back of the top of the gooseneck holder and
> on the dash to keep the phone from bouncing around. With a gooseneck
> extending over a foot long, the phone would bounce around without some
> support at the top. Although the gooseneck phone holder plugged into
> the power port, it didn't provide power. It just used the power port to
> support the bottom end.
>
> I've seen cup-hole phone holders that also had a gooseneck to extend the
> phone upward to better viewing at dash height. However, the cupholders
> in my ancient car are back at the parking brake lever, not forward by
> the dash, so the phone would be too close to my torso. From the pic
> below, your cupholders are too close to you, too.
>
> https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/autos/opinion/2018/04/18/hyundai-kona-rises-to-the-top-of-its-class/kenzie_hyundai_kona_dash_2.jpg
>
> I'm not sure a goosenecked holder in the power port would work, either,
> since by the pic it looks like the power port and shift lever (in park
> position) could be too close. Depends on how long is the part that
> plugs into the power port and how sharp the gooseneck can be bent.
> There are some cupholder gooseneck phone holders with long goosenecks,
> so it could be extended forward. The longer the gooseneck, the more the
> phone bounces. Also, bending the gooseneck forward means interference
> with the stick shifter unless you also bend toward the passenger seat.
>
> There are gooseneck holders that clamp onto the rear view mirror, arch
> down and forward, and would hold the phone near or on the top of the
> dash. Again, the holder and phone would obstruct a bit of the
> windshield view.
>
> I've seen some phone holders that mount to the center of the steering
> wheel. However, if its air bag blows, you have a phone blasted into
> your face. Instead of in the middle of the steering wheel, there are
> some that clip the phone to the circular part of the steering wheel, so
> the phone is in the gap between the steering wheel and the airbag
> center. The problem is the phone will be rotating with the steering
> wheel. When not turning, you can see the phone okay, but during turning
> the phone is rotating. However, you shouldn't be using the car's head
> unit, either, while turning.
>
> I've seen visor-mounted phone holders. The ones that fold down with the
> visor up put the phone far too close to your face to focus. If the
> phone is at the front of the visor, you won't be able to fold down the
> visor. A phone hanging down from the visor could also violate local
> laws regarding obstructing the windshield. Instead of using the
> driver's visor, you could use the passenger's visor. I had a visor
> mount that slid onto the visor, and I could angle it (with visor up) to
> point at me. Since I rarely have passengers, no problem with using that
> visor to block the sun.
>
> I know you probably don't remember CDs, but my old 2005 had a CD player
> which I never used. I don't listen to music while driving. There are
> phone holders that slide into and pinch the CD slot. That's what I'm
> using now, but it makes me twist my hand to get behind it to get at the
> A/C-heat controls.
>
> Those phone holders that clip onto vent vanes are worthless except for
> tiny phones. The phone has too much weight, and the vanes will fall
> down to their lowest position, so the phone points down either right
> away or after the car shakes a bit on the road.
>
> There are dash-mounted suction cup phone holders with folding rigid
> arms. That might let you have the arms bend to place the holder part
> over the top of the head unit. The phone would be partially in front of
> the head unit, but that would minimize windshield obstruction.
>
> I once had a phone holder that was a clamp. The spring clamp section
> slid onto the dash above the center hud (speedometer, RPM, fuel, etc).
> There is usually a lip over the hud to block direct sunlight (to make
> the gauges easier to read). The other end is a jaw clamp that holds the
> phone. The phone would be directly ahead of you in front of the
> steering wheel on top of the dash. How well it works depends if the
> underside of the lip is flat, or if it is angled which means the spring
> clamp might slide off (although you could use a small self-stick black
> velcro square to keep it in place). I don't know what that bubble is
> atop the dash in front of the steering wheel in your car. If another
> airbag (beside the one in the steering wheel), you won't want anything
> mounted there.
>
> There are lots of phone holders, but they all result in a compromise,
> look or are clumsy, the phone isn't in the best location, and often
> something gets blocked. If your phone has a magnometer (compass), don't
> get a magnetic car phone holder.
>
> If you're okay with heating and bending acrylic (not that hard,
> hobbyists do it) without creating cracks (there are Youtube videos to
> help), you could get or cut a sheet the width of the head unit, bend it
> so one flap lays on the down angled backside of the head unit, bends
> over the top lip, down over the head unit, and a small lip at the bottom
> to hold the phone. Then your phone lays over the head unit. Despite
> the convenience of a head unit (if featured enough), smartphones still
> let you run more apps than a head unit, and there's no subscript to pay
> every 1 to 3 years for car maps to download into the head unit.
>
> You could wait until you buy your next phone, and repurpose your old
> phone to leave it in the car. I've done that with old phones, like to
> use one just to watch the wifi security cams around the house. Use some
> self-stick cable clips to hold the USB cable out of the way; however,
> looks like your USB ports are next to a recess where you could store the
> old phone. Looks like there is a storage recess at the front of the
> console which, if wide enough, could hold the phone. I have old phones
> that just sit in a drawer getting stored but I've repurposed some for
> something else. The only reason why plugging/unplugging the phone to a
> USB cable to the car's USB port is a nuisance is that you take the phone
> with you when you leave the car. If the phone resides within the car,
> no cable connects/disconnects are needed.
>

As you've observed, virtually all of the phone suspension methods had
some drawbacks, so I'll just keep the USB cable connection till
something better comes along.