Hey all, I have a massive phone (Samsung Galaxy Note 9) and if you want to use a cable to access Android Auto it's near impossible without it sticking out the front of the bin and looking untidy. This to me is pretty crap, so I worked at it and came up with a solution:
This is 2 x 1cm thick foam layers cut to fit the bin. You can use the bottom of the bin itself as a template, there is a tab on the left front side for removing the rubber base. Just make sure to make it larger than the template so as to fit the tapering edges. Better to remove material as you can't add it later!
In addition to this I grabbed a USB-A to USB-C short 90degree angle cable to reduce on the overall length, this now still only just fits but works very well. The cable I bought is here: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B06X9RLYPJ?ref_=pe_2361882_297267902_302_E_DDE_dt_1 and I can recommend it. Not sure about lightning and Micro cables, there will be some out there but haven't looked, took me ages finding the right one for USB-C that wasn't too long or from a dodgy source.
You simply need to elevate the phone as the bin tapers outwards towards the top and increases the overall length allowing the larger phones to fit. If you were super fancy (and I did in fact consider this but trial and error would be annoying) you could take measurements and then 3D print a piece to fit the bin perfectly. As it is with the foam the phone doesn't move around and it's cushioned. There is still plenty of lip above the phone so that it can't bounce out or be thrown out of the bin.
Also remember to disable your QI charging through the car settings so it's not attempting to make a connection while the phone is higher above it. Shouldn't be a problem and should be outside of the charging distance range but why have it on when it's not going to do anything anyway. Just didn't want the qi charger to start trying to handshake with the phone randomly. I only use Android Auto on slightly longer drives or bluetooth streaming if its just popping down to the shops, would pretty much never use the qi charger so I'm not worried about that.
Hope this helps a few people. As for sourcing the foam, I grabbed some leftover packing foam from inside an Apple iMac box. Probably Clark rubber or Spotlight or something will have some.
This is 2 x 1cm thick foam layers cut to fit the bin. You can use the bottom of the bin itself as a template, there is a tab on the left front side for removing the rubber base. Just make sure to make it larger than the template so as to fit the tapering edges. Better to remove material as you can't add it later!
In addition to this I grabbed a USB-A to USB-C short 90degree angle cable to reduce on the overall length, this now still only just fits but works very well. The cable I bought is here: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B06X9RLYPJ?ref_=pe_2361882_297267902_302_E_DDE_dt_1 and I can recommend it. Not sure about lightning and Micro cables, there will be some out there but haven't looked, took me ages finding the right one for USB-C that wasn't too long or from a dodgy source.
You simply need to elevate the phone as the bin tapers outwards towards the top and increases the overall length allowing the larger phones to fit. If you were super fancy (and I did in fact consider this but trial and error would be annoying) you could take measurements and then 3D print a piece to fit the bin perfectly. As it is with the foam the phone doesn't move around and it's cushioned. There is still plenty of lip above the phone so that it can't bounce out or be thrown out of the bin.
Also remember to disable your QI charging through the car settings so it's not attempting to make a connection while the phone is higher above it. Shouldn't be a problem and should be outside of the charging distance range but why have it on when it's not going to do anything anyway. Just didn't want the qi charger to start trying to handshake with the phone randomly. I only use Android Auto on slightly longer drives or bluetooth streaming if its just popping down to the shops, would pretty much never use the qi charger so I'm not worried about that.
Hope this helps a few people. As for sourcing the foam, I grabbed some leftover packing foam from inside an Apple iMac box. Probably Clark rubber or Spotlight or something will have some.
