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Secret Feature? Hidden Voice Control Button

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by Bohemian Grove, Feb 3, 2023.

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  1. Bohemian Grove

    Bohemian Grove Junior Member

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    As you can see in the picture, my car does not have the Voice Activation button, but the circuitry seems to be all connected.

    Do you think if I solder a button onto that empty space, I’ll be able to use voice control… on my aftermarket android headunit?

    Did Toyota try to entice us into paying more for fancy futuristic voice control, despite it only costing them $0.05 to add that little button?

    23CDDB5B-9375-4C83-88BB-9794B4241285.jpeg E6F92DE8-EA9F-4161-B524-C49B8713952E.jpeg
     
    #1 Bohemian Grove, Feb 3, 2023
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Fair chance of it working. Assuming the head unit is already correctly interpreting the other steering wheel controls, anyway.

    I think your car was missing more than a $0.05 switch, but now that you've replaced the head unit the other stuff isn't missing anymore.
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Feb 3, 2023
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  3. Bohemian Grove

    Bohemian Grove Junior Member

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    That makes sense. I had the base model touchscreen, I guess they left out the code to interpret sound waves like the upgraded unit…

    All the controls work perfect with the android. I wonder if google assistant would pop up when I install the button… Would be cool to say “play x song” and it works!

    I’ll report back when I do it. In the meantime I’ll need that silver button to replace the blank… Let me know if you have any extras laying around !
     
    #3 Bohemian Grove, Feb 3, 2023
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  4. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    My guess would be “yes.” My car didn’t have a backup camera, but the software and head unit were set up as if it had one. Bought a kit off Amazon for $300 and installed it. Plug and play. A different circuit board is one thing, changing the whole system to be model specific is another. You could probably pull the circuit board (and button) from an equipped Prius in a salvage yard and install it.

    That said, Siri works by voice activation, so I have the feature so long as my phone is face up.
     
    #4 qdllc, Feb 4, 2023
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  5. Bohemian Grove

    Bohemian Grove Junior Member

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    Turns out the answer was no… There’s also a little thingy missing on the bottom right of the circuit board, labeled R56, you can see in the picture.

    I just bought a used unit on eBay, swapped the circuit board. I works perfectly. Press the new button, and Google assistant pops up. No more taking eyes off the road to pull up a specific song or playlist. Just say “directions home”

    Huge upgrade!!!
     
    #5 Bohemian Grove, Feb 11, 2023
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  6. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    Can you share which head unit you purchased and the harnessed needed. I like your set up.
     
    #6 Montgomery, Feb 19, 2023
  7. Bohemian Grove

    Bohemian Grove Junior Member

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    I searched on AliExpress “Prius CarPlay”. There’s many sellers selling the same looking thing, I bought from the seller called Sadocom. It came with the harness and was all easy plug and play.

    People hate on these no-name units, but I’ve had mine a year and it’s amazing. It makes the stock speakers sound much better too. There’s also a plug in the back to install a 3D 360 camera system, which I did. Totally worth it!
     
    #7 Bohemian Grove, Feb 20, 2023
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  8. Wums

    Wums New Member

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    what 3D Camera system did you get? I got a similar unite but mine doesn't have the nice knobs at the top. Still troubleshooting this thing!
     
    #8 Wums, May 15, 2023
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  9. Bohemian Grove

    Bohemian Grove Junior Member

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    I bought it from aliexpress from a seller called “OneGoodCar Store” for $54 ! It was easy plug and play (besides drilling holes to mount the cameras… still easy enough… totally worth it)

    If you let me know what you’re troubleshooting, maybe I can help!
     
    #9 Bohemian Grove, May 15, 2023
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