Android Auto and CarPlay Cluster Integration - Mh2p / PCM5 and Mhi2 / PCM4

Overview

Turns the digital instrument cluster on Porsche PCM5 ~~/ VW / Audi~~ MH2P into a proper second navigation display driven by your phone — both Android Auto and CarPlay. Live map view, turn-by-turn arrows on the physical dial, seamless handoff back to native Porsche navigation when the phone disconnects.

✅ Status: Stable release — CarPlay cluster rendering now live alongside Android Auto.

What it does

CarPlay cluster nav — Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, whatever iPhone is running gets pushed to the digital cluster in real time
Android Auto cluster nav — Google Maps, Waze, other AA-compatible apps mirror live to the cluster
Turn-by-turn on the physical dial — maneuver icons, distance, lane guidance, roundabout exits, for both platforms
Native maps come back cleanly — when the phone disconnects, Porsche's built-in navigation reclaims the cluster automatically
HMI-independent — leave the main head-unit screen on native infotainment; the cluster keeps showing phone nav
Session-stable — reconnects, park/drive cycles, HMI-off transitions all handled without the mirror dying
Intercepts Android Auto navigation events via DSI, CarPlay navigation via RGI
Second video stream (H.264 via NvMedia) decoded on the head unit and composited on the cluster's dedicated video surface
Heartbeat-based override so the display holds against native nav re-writes
Supports Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, and other third-party nav apps

Features

🚗

CarPlay Cluster Nav

Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze — iPhone navigation renders on the digital cluster in real time. Turn arrows on the physical dial too.

📱

Android Auto Cluster Nav

Live Android Auto navigation view on the cluster — Google Maps, Waze, and every other AA-compatible nav app.

🗺️

Full Turn-by-Turn

Turn arrows, distance, road names, roundabouts, highway exits, lane guidance — everything from your phone rendered on the cluster arrow display.

🔄

Native Maps Handoff

When the phone disconnects, the built-in Porsche navigation reclaims the cluster automatically. No reboot, no menu-diving.

🖥️

HMI-Independent

You can leave the centre display on native infotainment and the cluster keeps showing phone nav underneath. HMI-off / HMI-on transitions no longer kill the mirror.

🌍

Auto Unit Detection

Automatic km/mi and LHD/RHD detection via platform services with JSON country fallback. Supports 60+ countries.

🔧

JSON Configuration

Runtime-configurable logging, heartbeat, units, and more via JSON. Override via USB/SD without reinstall.

📊

Comprehensive Logging

Detailed dual-timestamp logs with optional privacy hashing and external USB/SD output for support and debugging.

🚙

Multi-Car Config

Per-car overrides for Cayenne, 911, Panamera, Macan, Audi A7. Bargraph mode and cluster behaviour auto-detected per variant.

Supported vehicles

Model years 2019–2021. Firmware range 9xxx–28xx. Other firmwares can be enabled on request; the OEM/firmware gate is tunable in the installer.

Model	Head unit	Status
Cayenne (9Y0)	PCM5 / MH2P	Supported
Macan	PCM5 / MH2P	Supported
Panamera	PCM5 / MH2P	Supported
992.1 (911)	PCM5 / MH2P	Supported
718 (Cayman / Boxster)	MHI2 / PCM4	AA and CarPlay working (not released)

Support continued development

This software is developed and maintained in my spare time, and made available completely free of charge. If you find it useful, please consider supporting further development and testing.

Support this project on Ko-fi ↓ Download latest release

Donations are optional. The software is free.

Stable — CarPlay cluster rendering + AA reliability rewrite LATEST

CarPlay nav in the cluster is live for the first time. Android Auto black-screen-on-connect race fixed. Session stability across park/drive cycles. HMI-independent operation. Native maps handoff on disconnect. Turn-by-turn fixes across both platforms.

718 (MHI2/PCM4) port IN PROGRESS

Android Auto working. CarPlay next.

Installation

Based on MH2p Mod Kit

⚠️ Warning: This modifies files on your PCM5 / MH2P unit. Only proceed if you understand the risks. Uninstall is reversible.

Prerequisites

Car with PCM5 / MH2P head unit
SD card (FAT32)
Android Auto or CarPlay compatible phone
For troubleshooting, please refer to the official MH2p SD ModKit documentation
It can be installed over the previous versions of the Cluster Integration
If you need Android Auto and Carplay activated in the first place for details follow MH2p_SD_ModKit_Site
Cluster is a standalone install. If Android Auto and Carplay (full screen or not) were activated before you don't need to run them again

Steps

Download the latest release
Format the SD card as FAT32
Extract the ZIP to the root of the SD card.

The SD card should look like this:

Using a Mac? Additional steps are required: Video guide · macOS text guide
Start the vehicle
Insert the SD card
Within a few seconds, the head unit will reboot
The update installs automatically
When done, a prompt says "Please remove update media"
Remove the SD card from the vehicle
Head unit reboots into normal mode with the mod installed

Uninstall

On the SD card, rename uninstall.txt.template to uninstall.txt
Re-run the ModKit update procedure with the SD card
Update/uninstall.sh runs automatically and restores originals from backup
Remove uninstall.txt from the SD card afterwards so it doesn't re-trigger on the next boot

Architecture

ClusterIntegration bridges the Android Auto DSI event stream and the CarPlay RGI event stream to the Porsche instrument cluster BAP navigation protocol, plus a second video stream from the phone that is decoded on the head unit and composited to the cluster's dedicated video surface.

Data Flow

Phone (Android Auto or CarPlay)
        ↓
    Nav events (DSI / RGI)      +    H.264 video stream
        ↓                                    ↓
ClusterIntegration               Cluster daemon
    ├─ event → BAP maneuver          ├─ NvMedia H.264 decode
    ├─ heartbeat (every 2s)          ├─ YV12 → RGBA
    └─ CombiBAPServiceNavi           └─ Cluster video window
        ↓                                    ↓
Instrument Cluster (arrow dial + video display)

Service Injection

All platform services are injected via setters after construction:

Service	Purpose
`CombiBAPServiceNavi`	BAP cluster output — maneuver, distance, RGStatus, destination
`ISysServices`	Unit system detection, car clock, car type/variant detection
`ICarCoreServices`	Drive-side detection via `exteriorLight().leftHandTraffic()`
`StorageMountHandler`	Remounts USB/SD R/W for external log writing
`ICarStatisticsService`	Injected but not currently used in active code

AA / CarPlay Event → BAP Maneuver Translation

Maps eventCode (1–19) + turnSide + angle + num to a BAP maneuver descriptor.
Direction is a 0–255 byte (0=straight, 64=left/90°, 128=back/180°, 192=right/270°).

Event(s)	Translation
`event=3–5` (turns)	TURN, direction from `angle` or fallback to `turnSide`
`event=6` (U-turn)	UTURN
`event=7` (on-ramp)	TURN_ON_MAINROAD, direction from `turnSide`
`event=8/10` (off-ramp/merge)	EXIT_LEFT or EXIT_RIGHT based on `turnSide`; side=0 → FOLLOW_STREET
`event=9` (fork)	FORK_2
`event=14` (STRAIGHT/KEEP)	`num==1` = Waze lane-keep → FOLLOW_STREET; `num==0` or `num>1` = motorway exit → EXIT_LEFT/RIGHT
`event=11–13` (roundabout)	ROUNDABOUT_TRS_LEFT/RIGHT. RHD angle correction: `(540−angle)%360`; LHD: `(angle+180)%360`. T-junction override: 180° → 0° when exit ≤ 2
`event=16/17` (ferry)	FERRY
`event=19` (destination preview)	Sets flag, falls through as FOLLOW_STREET. DESTINATION symbol shown only on `event=0 valid=2`

Distance Update Pipeline

Throttle check — minimum ms between sends per proximity zone (veryFar=2000ms down to now=100ms).
Maneuver change detection — key = road|eventCode|turnSide. New maneuver resets baseline distance and bypasses throttle for first update.
Distance threshold — minimum change required per zone (100m at veryFar down to 5m at now).
Unit conversion — metric: m below 100m, tenths of km to 19.9km. Imperial: yards below 161m, tenths of miles to 9.9mi.
Bargraph — (1 − distance/maneuverInitialDistance) × 100, clamped 0–100.
Roundabout traversal — force distance/bargraph to 0 during CONTINUE events to suppress erratic display inside roundabouts.

Heartbeat

A daemon timer fires every heartbeatInterval ms (default 2000ms) while navigation is active. It resends the last cached maneuver, distance, bargraph, and destination data to continuously override the cluster's native navigation display.

Bargraph Auto Mode — Car Variant Detection

When bargraphMode="auto", the car type is queried at runtime via sysServices.config().carType():

Car	carClass	generation	Resolved mode
Cayenne E3	5	3	`"always"`
911 992	6	8	`"always"`
Panamera G2	6	2	`"always"`
Macan	4	1	`"distance"`
Unknown	any	any	`"always"` (safe default)

Explicit JSON values always override auto-detection.

Logging

Two parallel log files: plain (full road names) and hashed (road names, music metadata replaced with [HASH_nnn] for privacy).
Each entry has a dual timestamp: QNX boot time + real car clock.
When enableExternalLogging=true, logs are written to USB/SD if writable, with automatic fallback to /tmp.

Configuration

The config file cluster_config.json is installed on the head unit. To override without reinstalling, place a file on a USB stick or SD card — the app checks these paths first:

/fs/usb0_0/cluster_config.json
/fs/usb1_0/cluster_config.json
/fs/sda0/cluster_config.json
/fs/sdb0/cluster_config.json

Logging

Key	Type	Default	Description
`enableFileLogging`	bool	`true`	Master switch for all file logging.
`enableFileHashing`	bool	`false`	Write a second log with road names/music hashed for privacy.
`enableExternalLogging`	bool	`false`	Write logs to USB/SD if present; falls back to `logFilePath`.
`logFilePath`	string	`/tmp/cluster.log`	Plain log file path.
`hashedLogFilePath`	string	`/tmp/cluster_hashed.log`	Hashed log file path.
`logFileSize`	int (MB)	`50`	Max file size before rotation. Range: 1–100.

Features

Key	Type	Default	Description
`enableRoundaboutLatching`	bool	`true`	Cache and hold roundabout exit direction across ENTER→CONTINUE→EXIT events to prevent arrow flickering.
`enableHeartbeat`	bool	`true`	Periodically resend last maneuver+distance to prevent native nav from overwriting.
`heartbeatInterval`	int (ms)	`2000`	Heartbeat period. Range: 100–10000.
`maneuverStateMask`	int	`0`	Bitmask for `updateManeuverState` calls. `0` = disabled. bit0=FOLLOW (>500m), bit1=PREPARE (200–500m), bit2=DISTANCE (50–200m), bit3=CALL_FOR_ACTION (<50m). Example: `15` = all states.

Units and Display

Key	Type	Default	Description
`forceImperial`	bool	`false`	Always use miles/yards, ignoring car settings.
`forceRHD`	bool	`false`	Always treat vehicle as right-hand drive.
`metricUnitThreshold`	int (m)	`100`	Below this, display switches from km to m. Range: 50–5000.
`imperialUnitThreshold`	int (m)	`161`	Below this (~0.1 mi), display switches from miles to yards. Range: 50–5000.
`destinationDisplayDuration`	int (ms)	`5000`	How long to hold arrival maneuver on screen before clearing. Range: 0–10000.

Bargraph

Key	Type	Default	Description
`bargraphMode`	string	`"auto"`	`"auto"` — detect car variant at runtime. `"always"` — send both text and bargraph. `"distance"` — text only. `"dynamic"` — bargraph only within `dynamicBargraphDistance`.
`dynamicBargraphDistance`	int (m)	`100`	In `"dynamic"` mode: distance below which bargraph replaces text. Range: 10–500.
`dynamicBargraphPercent`	int (%)	`50`	In `"dynamic"` mode: for short maneuvers, switch point as % of initial distance. Range: 10–90.

Dynamic Thresholds

Controls how aggressively distance updates are sent per proximity zone. Each zone has a boundary (upper edge in metres), distance threshold (minimum change to trigger a send), and rateLimit (minimum ms between sends). now has no boundary — catch-all below veryClose.boundary.

Zone	Default boundary	Default distance	Default rateLimit
`veryFar`	5000 m	100 m	2000 ms
`far`	1000 m	50 m	500 ms
`approaching`	500 m	25 m	250 ms
`near`	200 m	15 m	200 ms
`close`	100 m	15 m	150 ms
`veryClose`	50 m	10 m	120 ms
`now`	—	5 m	100 ms

"dynamicThresholds": {
  "veryFar":    { "boundary": 5000, "distance": 100, "rateLimit": 2000 },
  "far":        { "boundary": 1000, "distance": 50,  "rateLimit": 500  },
  "approaching":{ "boundary": 500,  "distance": 25,  "rateLimit": 250  },
  "near":       { "boundary": 200,  "distance": 15,  "rateLimit": 200  },
  "close":      { "boundary": 100,  "distance": 15,  "rateLimit": 150  },
  "veryClose":  { "boundary": 50,   "distance": 10,  "rateLimit": 120  },
  "now":        {                    "distance": 5,   "rateLimit": 100  }
}

Countries

Country overrides for when locale cannot be detected from platform services. forceImperial and forceRHD override this table entirely.

{ "code": "GB", "name": "United Kingdom", "rhd": true, "imperial": true }
{ "code": "US", "name": "United States",  "rhd": false, "imperial": true }
{ "code": "DE", "name": "Germany",        "rhd": false, "imperial": false }

Scope of the project

Two years of evenings and weekends. Reverse engineering of the QNX Screen API, NvMedia decoder, iAP2 protocol, Android Auto and CarPlay wire protocols, Porsche's BAP cluster protocol, and the composition stack on both PCM5 and MHI2 head units.

Rough labor equivalent at specialist embedded / reverse-engineering contractor rates: $90k–$200k. For an automotive middleware vendor doing this cleanly with docs and full test rig: $250k–$400k. What an OEM would price this at as a factory feature: $500–$2000 per vehicle.

This project is free. None of that value is going anywhere except back into more releases.

If someone is asking you for money for a cluster mod built on this work, they got the underlying code for free too.

Contributing & Troubleshooting

This project is the result of extensive reverse-engineering and testing on MH2P. Contributions welcome via the ModKit Discord.

Troubleshooting / bug reports

Format a FAT32 SD card
Put the SD in the head unit before turning ignition on
Drive → afterwards when you turn ignition off → pull SD card → look in the log for the event that was wrong → match it to the same one in the hashed log (timestamps help)
Share the hashed logs + expected vs actual cluster behaviour on the Discord

Known limitations

RHD and metric/imperial coverage still expanding — report issues
Roundabout accuracy limited by what the phone sends (Waze in particular can lack exit angles)
Data granularity and update rate limit accuracy on very short maneuvers
Some glitches are inherent to Android Auto / CarPlay themselves

Credits

LukaDev: Managing screens in VW/MIB2, CarPlay RGI and GAL hacking, https://github.com/luka-dev/mib2q-carplay-rgi/

One1Blt: Android Auto / VNC to MIB2 rendering, https://github.com/OneB1t/VcMOSTRenderMqb

adi961: Turn-by-turn to VC integration, https://github.com/adi961/mib2-android-auto-vc

LawPaul: MH2P Modkit, https://lawpaul.github.io/MH2p_SD_ModKit_Site

CosminBC: MH2P/MhHI2 Audi/VW paid ofr VC: https://altscreen.mib-helper.com/

litdreams10: general platform knowledge, Android Auto testing

ModKit Discord community: testing, bug reports, cross-car validation

Overview

What it does

Features

CarPlay Cluster Nav

Android Auto Cluster Nav

Full Turn-by-Turn

Native Maps Handoff

HMI-Independent

Auto Unit Detection

JSON Configuration

Comprehensive Logging

Multi-Car Config

Supported vehicles

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Support continued development

Stable — CarPlay cluster rendering + AA reliability rewrite LATEST

718 (MHI2/PCM4) port IN PROGRESS

Installation

Based on MH2p Mod Kit

Prerequisites

Steps

Uninstall

Architecture

Data Flow

Service Injection

AA / CarPlay Event → BAP Maneuver Translation

Distance Update Pipeline

Heartbeat

Bargraph Auto Mode — Car Variant Detection

Logging

Configuration

Logging

Features

Units and Display

Bargraph

Dynamic Thresholds

Countries

Scope of the project

Contributing & Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting / bug reports

Known limitations

Credits