WebLink® Frequently Asked Questions
WebLink is a next-generation application delivery platform for in-vehicle infotainment. It leverages the power of the phone to deliver driver-relevant applications to the in-vehicle displays (car radios) in a safe manner. WebLink enabled applications run on the smartphone and are “projected” to the in-vehicle systems.
Once the connection between the phone and car radio is established, the car radio will pass its identity to WebLink and the corresponding apps will be displayed in the “Apps” tab of the WebLink Host application which is available when the phone is not connected to a car radio. When the WebLink Host app is launched and connected to the car radio, the WebLink home screen on the car radio will show the compatible app icons.
App compatibility may vary by car radio.
- iPhones with iOS version 15.0 and above are supported by WebLink.
- Android phones with Android version 9.0 and above are supported. Please note that a minimum requirement is that the Android phone must be certified by Android in order to have compatibility with WebLink. Note that not all Android certified phones may be compatible with WebLink. For a list of Android certified phones, please visit the following website.
In addition to being an Android Certified phone, the phone must meet the following minimum hardware requirements:
- Smartphone must have a hardware video decoder
- Minimum Smartphone CPU: 1.5GHz Dual Core
- Minimum Smartphone RAM: 2GB
Each car radio has a unique set of applications which are defined by the car radio manufacturer. It is possible that new applications will become available to you at a later time. If you have any suggestions on specific apps you’d like to see compatible with WebLink, please send us a message.
We suggest following these steps:
- Start by reading the owner’s manual supplied by the car radio or car manufacturer of your WebLink compatible unit.
- Ensure you have downloaded the WebLink Host application on your smartphone.
- If it’s the first time you’ve launched the application, please be sure to read and accept the WebLink Host app “Terms of Service” prior to connecting to the car radio.
- Connect your iPhone or Android device to the car radio using a certified USB cable. Be sure to connect the phone to the correct USB input as described by your WebLink compatible car radio/car manufacturer’s owners manual.
- Some car radios may require you to adjust the settings in their menu to enable WebLink. Be sure the WebLink settings are enabled on the car radio as described in your owner’s manual.
- Make sure your phone is unlocked when connecting to the car radio. For security purposes, the apps will not project onto the car radio if the phone screen is locked.
If you have any suggestions on what apps you would like to see compatible with WebLink, please email us at weblink_support@abaltatech.com.
- Confirm that you have a WebLink compatible car radio.
- Make sure you have the correct WebLink Host application downloaded from the app store and installed on your phone.
- Launch the WebLink Host app on your phone and connect your phone via USB to the correct USB port described by your car radio manufacturer.
Note: Be sure to use an authorized and certified USB cable as often 3rd party cables are not suitable for use with WebLink.
Be sure to give WebLink access to your location so that it can provide you with weather data around your location. Check the permission settings of your phone to grant WebLink access.
Be sure to give WebLink access to your Media so that it can access your music content from your phone. Check the permission settings of your phone to grant WebLink access.
Be sure to give WebLink access to your Camera Roll so that it can access your video content from your phone. Check the permission settings of your phone to grant WebLink access.
Please see below for common connection troubleshooting tips:
- Confirm that the head unit that you are connecting to is compatible with WebLink. Refer to your head unit or automobile’s owner’s manual for compatibility and/or directions to establish initial connection.
- Ensure that you have downloaded the WebLink Host application on your smartphone.
- If this is the first time that you have launched the application, please be sure to read and accept the WebLink Host app “Terms of Service” prior to connecting to the car radio.
- Ensure that you are using an official USB cable from the smartphone or head unit manufacturer. Third-party cables are not always capable of video projection.
- Ensure that the USB cable is connected to the correct USB port on the head unit. Some head units require that your cable be connected to a specific USB port.
- Do not use frayed or damaged USB cables. This might result in increased data loss that prevents the establishment of a WebLink connection.
- Ensure that you are not using a USB hub or extender between the phone and head unit.
- Some car radios may require that you adjust the settings in the menu to enable WebLink. Be sure that the WebLink settings are enabled on your car radio as described in your owner’s manual.
- Make sure that your phone is unlocked when connecting to the car radio. For security purposes, the apps will not project onto the head unit if the phone screen is locked.
You can also try a Force Stop of the WebLink App and try connecting again. (Settings -> Apps -> WebLink -> Force Stop)
If you have adhered to each of the above guidelines and are still experiencing an issue, please email us at weblink_support@abaltatech.com with the following information:
- Head Unit Model
- Phone Model
- Phone Operating System version
- WebLink Host App version
- Messaging that displays on both the phone and head unit when attempting to connect
- Method used to connect the phone to the head unit: Bluetooth, WiFi or USB cable
- Any additional information that may help to troubleshoot your issue, including exact steps to replicate the problem and/or video or screenshots if possible.
- It also helps to know if you have ever had a successful connection in the past.
WebLink uses the language which you have set on your smartphone. To change the language, please go to the settings on your smartphone and change the language to your preferred one. If WebLink does not support the language which your phone is set to, it will default to English.
- To avoid entering into the app icon rearrange mode of the iOS Home screen while in Cast, do not swipe on the app icons to access the next page of apps. Instead swipe in a blank space of the home screen or swipe on the bottom portion of the iOS Home screen over the dots indicating the Home pages.
- Please also ensure that the AssistiveTouch setting in the iPhone is set to ON and the “Perform Touch Gestures” settings is set to ON and the “Dwell Control” settings is set to OFF. On your iPhone visit Settings -> Accessibility -> Touch -> AssistiveTouch (ON) -> Performance Touch Gesture (ON) -> Dwell Control (OFF).
If you see an error code message on the head unit screen, it means the app is having issues connecting to the WebLink server. This can either be caused by an internet connectivity issue or an issue with the WebLink Backend server. Check your internet connection or try the connection again later.
Genius Maps is a premium navigation application for iOS and Android developed by Mireo which is now compatible with certain WebLink enabled head units. Starting in Genius Maps version 3.0.5, you can now enable a full navigation experience with WebLink. You will need to download the application to your iOS or Android device, make an in-app purchase to activate the “Navigation Pack for WebLink” and begin enjoying all of the features safely while driving. To confirm if your WebLink enabled head unit supports Genius Maps, please visit the “Apps” tab of the WebLink Host app while disconnected from the head unit or visit the WebLink Home screen when connected to your compatible head unit. If the Genius Maps app is listed in the “Apps” tab or the app icon is displayed on the WebLink Home screen, Genius Maps is compatible with your head unit. For complete details including a Fact Sheet and Installation Guide, visit: https://abaltatech.com/geniusmaps
- Genius Maps supports the following user interface languages: Arabic, Azerbaijan, Czech, Deutsch, English UK, Estonian, Greek, Spanish, French, Croatian, Italian, Netherlands, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Vietnamese, Turkish, Ukrainian
- Genius Maps supports the following voice guidance languages: Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Flemish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
This is a known limitation of the Cast feature. Audio from the Native Music app goes silent at the moment Cast is started. Other music applications continue to output audio over Bluetooth and USB.
Yes. Please be sure to use WebLink Host app version 2.11.0 and update to iOS 15.1 for the best user experience.
Be sure to download the WebLink Host app to your smartphone prior to connecting to your WebLink compatible in-vehicle head unit. Also, be sure to accept the End User License Agreement and grant permissions to the WebLink Host app prior to connecting to the in-vehicle device. If you do connect to the head unit prior to installing the app, accepting the terms, or accepting the pop-ups, please disconnect from the head unit first then reconnect after completing these steps.
After installing Waze from the Apple App Store or Google Play store to your phone, be sure to accept all of the user terms and conditions as well as give location permissions to the Waze app prior to connecting your phone to the WebLink compatible head unit. Once the Waze app is working on your smartphone, you can now use it while connected to a WebLink enabled head unit that supports Waze. Be sure to return to the WebLink Host app after accepting all of the permissions and adjusting the accessibility settings prior to connecting to the head unit and launching WebLink.
Some iPhones require Siri to be activated to establish a connection. Please visit the Settings section of your iPhone and enable Siri from the “Siri & Search” menu of the phone.
As of December 29, 2021, Hungama discontinued the service on WebLink.
Some head units use Bluetooth to transfer audio from the smartphone to the head unit. Please be sure to check the owner’s manual of your vehicle and connect the phone over Bluetooth to the head unit to hear the audio from your car speakers.
On some Android smartphones such as those manufactured by Samsung, it’s necessary to tap on the Android “back” button after accepting all of the permissions in order for the permissions to take effect. If you accept the permissions and switch back to the WebLink Host app prior to pressing the “back” button on the smartphone’s interface, the permissions will not take effect.
The following are a few key points to keep in mind while WebLink calibration is in progress:
- Please be sure you do not touch the phone screen while calibration is in progress. Any interruptions on the phone while calibration is in progress may lead to a failure in the calibration.
- Ensure that your phone is in portrait orientation during calibration. Rotating the phone or having the phone in landscape mode will cause the calibration to fail.
- Do not tilt or move the phone while calibration is in progress. It’s best to keep the phone in an upright position and not tilted or laying down during the calibration for the best accuracy.
- The round Assistive button on your iPhone screen should not be at the top left. Please move the Assistive button to any area of the iPhone screen except the top left corner and try again.
- If calibration fails due to one of the issues above, restart the Cast app to reinitiate the calibration process.
- After calibration is completed successfully, swipe up on your iPhone screen to show the iPhone’s home screen to start Cast broadcasting on the head unit screen.
Samsung smartphones using Android 11 or newer have a new feature that prevents apps from working in the background by default unless you exclude those apps from battery optimization. Battery optimization is a new feature for Samsung phones to help conserve battery life. In the case of WebLink, the phone operating system will forcefully shut down the WebLink Host app if it’s running in the background to save battery. To prevent the WebLink Host app from closing, it is recommended to turn “off” the Battery Optimization feature in the phone settings menu. You can turn off Battery Optimization by going to the phone’s Settings -> Apps -> Your App -> Battery -> Battery Optimization -> All Apps -> WebLink Host -> Don’t Optimize. For more information, please visit https://dontkillmyapp.com/samsung.
When you first establish the USB connection between the Android phone and the head unit, the phone will prompt with a message stating “WebLink Host App – Open WebLink Host App to handle WebLink Client?”. There is a check box that states “Always open WebLink Host app when WebLink Client is connected”. This checkbox should be checked when this prompt is shown on the phone in order to ensure that WebLink reconnects even after a phone call is received. For further support regarding this matter, please contact us via email at weblinksupport@abaltatech.com.
If you have the Mobile Hotspot turned ON with your Samsung Galaxy phone and you try to connect to a WebLink compatible head unit, the phone requests that you Turn Off Mobile Hotspot in order to continue. This is a known limitation specific to Samsung Galaxy phones. Please turn Off the Mobile Hotspot on your phone in order to utilize WebLink.
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