USB port deactivates while connecting Android Auto

Hello.

I’ve changed my phone, this new one has an USB-C port.
I’ve changed my old cable (Micro USB) for a new one, and I’ve noticed that from time to time when I connect my phone, it starts charging for a bit then nothing. Android Auto is not started, and the phone does not charge.

If I unplug the USB-A side of the cable and connect a pendrive with mp3 files to the USB port, the pendrive is not recognized. It’s like the port shuts off.
Only way to recover it is to reboot sync3, waiting for the back-light to go off.

The troubling USB port is under the arm rest.
If when that happens I connect the phone to the port that’s in front of the shifter, it works without issues.

This happened to me with my older phone, but from time to time.
I’ve noticed that with this new phone it’s happening more often.

What do you think?, bad cable?.
Bad port?.

Not sure if there’s anything to troubleshoot.

Thanks.

I have the exact same issue but for me its with an iPhone.

Its exactly like you wrote the phone starts charging for a very brief moment then power gets cut off and the port is dead. (You can even see it immediately stops as the battery icon turns back to monochrome while the short animation is still playing)

Only way to recover is restart or soft reset (Volume+Skip) the unit.

So far this happend to me a couple times since 2020 and only when I plugged in the Phone while the engine was off and the sync 3 unit just powered on via Volume Knob button.

I’m not an expert but I have the feeling it may be some kind of power limiter engaging since the full 5V 2.1A are drawn. But I don’t want to rule out a hardware defect.

1 Like

I remember F150 saying something about this. The one in the center console is the same setup as the Explorers and the Mustang. Its just a satellite connection and is nothing more than a USB cable extension. The lighted hub is where its all at on this setup so it makes sense that it works when you plug into that. You could have a bad hub and since it’s powered off the APIM than it would require an APIM reset to get the hub working.

I would say it might be drawing to much current on the new phone and it is going into a failsafe or protect mode. Newer APIM or Hub could be the solution as they may provide more power or know how to deal with the greater power draw. Since it works when you plug it into the hub I would start there since its cheeper.

1 Like

The Ford USB hubs connected to the Sync unit will only handle about 1.5 amps max. They will not supply 2.1 amps, they will shut down and have to be reset. Too many times will cause the unit to fail. Ford hubs also do not support the fast charging. Some phones will try to charge as fast as they can on usb, and will cause the issues above. Basically it’s like blowing the circuit breaker.

I have not seen a single port usb hub that has pass thru, like the ones in the console, with USB-C. The newer Ford hubs with USB-C are slightly better on the amperage, but still do not support fast charging. The limiting factor here is actually the Sync 3 APIM.

2 Likes

Hello all, thank you for the feedback.

Well, it seems I’m not alone on this one.
This new phone supports crazy fast charging, the older phone only supported fast charging. Maybe that’s why the issue is more present with this phone.

I’ve replaced my car’s battery a few months ago, I performed the BMS reset procedure just to be safe but didn’t do a thing.

Like you, I also think it’s something related to how much current the phone draws while the connection is made. Furthermore, with this phone I’ve noticed that when connected, it will say “Charging” for a second or two while it charges, then will stop charging. If the USB port is not disabled, it will resume charging but the phone will say “Charging Slowly” and Android Auto will launch.

Once a connection is made, it won’t fail.
Also, I’ve not been able to find a pattern, since I not always connect the phone the same way. I will start testing with greater attention to details, like if the engine is running or not.

About USB ports, in my case the lighted one is hidden under the arm rest. The one under the screen I assume is the “master” one (which in my case has no light), and the lighted one the slave.

If so, I will try the master one for a few weeks to see how it goes.

It’s a shame really, because the damn cable is hanging everywhere while connected there… When using the one under the arm rest, just a small portion of the cable is seen…

Will keep you posted.

Home » How to » How to Enable or Disable Fast Charging on Samsung Galaxy Phone

How to Enable or Disable Fast Charging on Samsung Galaxy Phone

By: Waseem Patwegar

Most modern Android Phones are equipped with Fast Charging technology, which can significantly reduce the time required to charge your device. You will find below the steps to Enable or Disable Fast Charging on Samsung Galaxy Phone.

Fast Charging on Samsung Galaxy Phone

While a fast charging enabled Phone can go from zero to full charge within 30 minutes, it is widely believed that Fast Charging generates more heat compared to regular charging. The overheating of device can be a problem if you are located in an overheated room or seated in a Car with no air conditioning.

Samsung appears to has taken these concerns into consideration and provides an easy way to enable or disable Fast Charging.

1. Enable or Disable Fast Charging (Android 10 and above)

Follow the steps below to Enable or Disable Fast Charging on Phones using Android 10 and above.

1. Go to Settings > Device Care > Battery > Charging.

2. On the next screen, move the toggle next to Fast Charging to OFF position.

Disable Fast Charging on Android Phone

At any time, you can Enable Fast Charging by moving the toggle to ON position.

I’m a Motorola fan, so that does not apply to me.
Buy i will see if there’s some setting on this phone, although I would not disable it for good.

I thought you had a little green man…! But you have Batman!

I bet they fixed that on the Sync 4 APIM’s. Ford also has problems with the wireless chargers and the Apple 12&13 on them.

My troubleshooting methods are limited, since I do not have a proper way of testing voltages and such. BUT, there’s something I’ve noticed.
I’ve a power bank, I’ve tested both cables with it and the phone stays at “charging” after the 1st connection to it.
While at the car, both cables exhibit the same behavior: once connected to the phone, briefly “Charging” appears, then nothing, then “Charging Slowly”.
So clearly there’s something about the voltage the USB gives.
BUT, the phone does not try to fast charge right away.

I’ve tried connecting the phone to a computer, using a super short cable, it says “charging”.
Using both standard 1M cables, it says “Slow Charging”.

So it makes you wonder, if this is combination of Ford’s low power USBs + 1 meter long cable.

It is a limitation of the current, not voltage, that can be sourced from the APIM. USB is +5Volts DC (+5 VDC). However, the chargers vary widely as to how much current can be supplied to the device being charged. Cables can reduced the available current and/or voltage, especially longer cables or old cables that are damaged. The longer the cable, the more resistance to voltage supplied to the device, which drives the current to rise, reaching the limit of the USB port quicker. Always use the shortest cable practical. This will help maintain the proper voltage and keep the current from rising. (Voltage and current are inverse and can be disproportionate due to cable resistance or impedance.)

Short version, shorter cables will perform better and reduce issues with charging…

Guys, I’ve started testing this taking notes of the conditions.
I will have some results in the next few weeks.

But I wanted to clarify something: I said before that the phone Slowly Charged while connected to the car. I’ve noticed that this is due to the phone’s configuration.
If the phone’s battery is under 80%, it will charge normally (no fast charge, which is ok) while connected to the car. If the battery is at 80% or above, it will briefly “charge normally” and then back to “charging slowly”, which makes sense to current charging habits the companies code on their phones.

So one variable already figured out.

I wonder if any of these issues will be addressed in the new SYNC release or calibrations comming out.

1 Like

The idea is for me to get a real grasp of what are the conditions that trigger this behavior. It’s soon to tell, but I have a feeling having the engine running while connecting the phone is important.

I’m currently focusing on that, I’m even using the armrest port again. First I will try to make it fail under this condition.

If I’m unable to make it fail with the engine running, then we’ll know…

So far I’ve had zero issues with my Pixel 4a in my C-Max. Though a couple caveats there being that the DC-DC converter does seem to wake up upon unlocking/opening a door and provides a failsafe ~13v until the vehicle is actually started. I also usually don’t plug mine in until after I get in and start it anyways. And I’m not sure if the Pixel 4a counts as a ‘power hungry’ device at the 5V level. I also use a chonky Anker cable in mine.

I do have an old LG V20 and I think an even older Moto X Pure to test with if those would even matter much. I’d like to eventually upgrade to a Pixel 6/6Pro/6a but sadly with finances that’s probably out of the question for a while yet.

If there’s anything I could potentially test, definitely let me know. I’d be more than happy to add any additional data points.

I’ve some preliminaries results so far…
Since I’ve started testing this recently, I do not have a lot of data points, about 10.
But it’s a good enough sample, since results are consistent in about 10 connections.

This is what I’ve got:

  • As said before, the port under the armrest is the one I’m testing
  • All tests were performed with the engine running when connecting the phone to the cable. Not a single time it failed, not once.
  • When connecting the phone while the phone is locked (screen off) it will display “Slowly Charging”
  • When connecting the phone while the phone is unlocked (screen on) it will display “Charging”

Again, I know 10 data points are not that much, but these results are pretty consistent.
But so far, it seems to point with what Chris01 said before about the engine running.

About the “normal” or “slow” charging while connected, the battery level does not seem to be a factor, but rather if the phone is locked with screen off or unlocked with the screen on.

This makes sense as the screen is consuming battery power, so the phone will up the charge rate. Engine running is also important to supply proper voltage (or current) for the charging.

I think you nailed this.

You may think so, but when the phone is locked and screen “off”, sometimes the screen saver is on. Also, you can turn the screen on without unlocking the phone.

What I’ve noticed is that when I turn the screen on but the phone is locked, the phone will display “Charging” and then switch to “Slow Charging”. This is the “switch” Chris mentioned before. And it will stay at “Slow Charging”.

By the way, the only place I can see if the phone is charging or slowly charging is at the lock screen.

This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.