ADC (the software of the Aiways Drivers Community) replaces and extends parts of the head unit's software: Bluetooth, CarPlay and the connection menus run on our own code instead of the manufacturer's. It is installed from a USB stick and can be removed again completely. It doesn't install a new operating system; it's more or less an update of the existing firmware. Whether it also works with other base firmware versions, we don't know yet. If you try it and nothing works any more, there's no way back for you for the time being, until we've made a firmware stick for your original version. If nothing works at all, you may have to take off the plastic trim on the passenger side to get at the USB hub and remove it, or you may even need an extra cable for your head unit. So better not try it, unless you're brave and can live with your head unit not working for a few weeks. Most likely everything can be fixed, because the bootloader is never overwritten, but a) that isn't certain and b) it can take a while.

Status: alpha. Version 0.14.2 (10 October 2026) is installed and tested on a test head unit (firmware 0051, app build 052). In a real car only its predecessor 0.14.0 has run so far — use at your own risk, see the disclaimer.

This is an ALPHA!!! version. Lots of things are still difficult, weird and untested. It may well be that “handsfree” stops working, or some audio formats can't be played, or the microphone doesn't work, and so on. Only install this version if you know what you're doing and feel like taking part in the development process. Comments like “my audio doesn't work” don't help. Bug reports are detailed descriptions of what you did in which order, on which device with which firmware version, with an exact description of the fault. We don't provide support if you can't cope, and we won't come round if you can't use your head unit any more because something went wrong But we're happy to use your feedback and bug reports to improve the firmware. If you've already installed your own apps, they may be gone afterwards or stop working. They may also collide with this firmware, so that something doesn't work. Not our problem — just uninstall them and try again. And we fix bugs when we have the time and feel like it. Nagging won't make it faster… trust me.

• Wireless CarPlay — without the manufacturer's CarPlay software, over the car's own 5 GHz hotspot. The CarPlay tile on the home screen shows which phone is connected. New: pinch to zoom; the car icon in CarPlay takes you back to the car's home screen.
• Smoother CarPlay (new) — the head unit also feeds the right-hand part of the driver's display, and that ran at 22 Hz, which held CarPlay back to about 20 frames/s. ADC switches it to 45 Hz at start-up; CarPlay then runs at just under 30 frames/s (measured in one car).
• Wireless Android Auto (new, experimental) — off after installation; switch it on under Settings › Connect › Android Auto. The phone needs the Android Auto app with “Wireless Android Auto” on. Only one runs at a time: Android Auto or CarPlay.
• Switch phones with one tap (new) — tap a paired phone in the Bluetooth menu: it connects and starts CarPlay or Android Auto, and the previous one is disconnected.
• Wired CarPlay — included, but not yet tested in a car (experimental).
• Bluetooth — pairing, music with track info and controls, hands-free calls with call audio, phone book. Might also work in parallel with CarPlay, but that's untested.
• Home screen — the CarPlay tile with the connected phone, an Android Auto tile (dark while Android Auto is off) and the network status (hotspot, mobile data, Ethernet).
• USB sticks — plug one in and the Connect app shows what's on it, with the matching action: install an ADC update, copy the 3D parts catalogue or go back to the stock firmware.
• SSH (new) — an up-to-date SSH server (dropbear 2026.94): keys no longer get lost after a restart, scp and sftp work without extra options, and the key folder is accessible to root only.
• Self-test — after every start a short report is written to /sdcard/OpenAiways/selftest.txt.

The switches are under Settings › Connect. An update keeps what you have set.

• Your head unit must have firmware MX64_V2.01.0051.05-9-R-210326 — it's shown under Settings › About. The installer checks this itself and refuses any other firmware without changing anything.
• The modified Settings and home screen exist only for app build 052 in this version. 060, 104 and other builds get the core (Bluetooth, CarPlay, Android Auto, the Connect app) and keep their own Settings and home screen — the switches above are missing there, including the one for Android Auto.
• Installing on a car without ADC needs a factory reset: paired phones, Wi-Fi networks and settings are deleted. ADC itself survives a later factory reset. The only way back is the stock firmware.
• A USB stick formatted FAT32 (MS-DOS FAT). The head unit can't read exFAT sticks.

Unzip the download and copy the four files — update.zip, update_os.zip, ota_update.ini and OpenAiwaysConnect.apk — to the top level of the stick, not into a folder. Nothing else on this stick, above all no files of the stock firmware (imx6.ini, imx6.bin, imx6ap.bin).

1. Switch the car on and plug the stick into the USB port in the centre console.
2. Open Settings › About › Factory Reset and confirm.
3. The car restarts, deletes its data and installs ADC: first a reset message, then about 25 seconds of black screen, then the installation progress. About 2–3 minutes in total.
4. When the firmware has finished installing, pull out the USB stick; the head unit then reboots automatically. The first start takes a bit longer than normal.

1. Plug in the stick. The Connect app opens a window with a row ADC 0.14.2 — press Install.
2. It copies the update into the car and then asks you to pull out the stick. As soon as it's out, the car restarts and installs. Paired phones and settings are kept.

• Back to the stock firmware (everything as delivered, all data deleted): see Stock firmware 0051. On a car with ADC the Connect app offers Revert as soon as the stick with the stock firmware is plugged in.
• Remove only ADC: the rollback stick puts back every file ADC replaced, from the backup the installer made at the first installation. Prepare it like the install stick, plug it into the front USB port and run Settings › About › Factory Reset. ⚠️ The rollback has only been tested on a computer, not yet in a car — if in doubt, go via the stock firmware.

• Every installation writes a log to /cache/oa-install.log; the backup of every replaced file is under /sdcard/OpenAiways/backup/.
• ADC lives on the system and vendor partitions and therefore survives restarts and factory resets; a factory reset only resets its settings.
• Android Auto is experimental and switched off after installation.
• CarPlay's frame rate is capped by max_fps in /sdcard/aiwayscp.conf (default 30). A value you enter there yourself is left alone by every update.

The firmware is an ALPHA version, a lot is still untested, you'll have to experiment a lot and some things don't work.