Multiple USB devices

[madtownmichelle]

I'm considering a 2018 Rogue and would like to use my phone for Android Auto, and also use a separate USB flash drive loaded with music. So, two questions:
- Can a USB hub be used with the instrument panel USB port so I can plug in both the USB drive and my phone?
- Will Android Auto run if phone is plugged into the center console USB charger?
Thanks!

[kboo74]

Since the Rogue only has one USB port, plugging in a USB hub with a phone and flash drive will probably confuse the system as to which one takes priority and it won’t work. The manual dosen’t recommend using a hub. Why not put your favorite tracks on your phone and just use Android Auto? In my 2017.5 Murano I have 2 USB ports, one in front and one in the rear. It allows 2 devices to be plugged in and accessed just by selecting either and Car Play always works no matter what. I can play music from my phone or another USB device, no hub needed. If your Rogue has Android Auto installed it should work everytime you plug in your phone (without usb hub). If Android Auto is not installed your phone will connect and be recognized as a usb device and you should be able to still play music from it. Your only other option is to connect your phone via bluetooth to the car and plug a flash drive in the usb port, that way you can use both. You’ll have to use the in vehicle power port to keep your phone charged. Check out your owners manual. Oh yea one last item, you cannot install Android Auto if it did not come withe the vehicle.

Ken

[DTASFAB]

I would make every attempt to stream audio from the phone via BT before worrying about a USB hub. I realize this may inhibit full use of Android Auto, but I'm so averse to full integration of independent devices and my 2013 Rogue HU doesn't even stream audio over BT except for phone calls and Waze, so maybe I'm biased.

[madtownmichelle]

So I got the 2018 Rogue and can confirm USB hub does not work to pass multiple sources to the head unit. I've moved all my music to my phone SD card which works out great (64GB, plenty of space). When hard-wired to the car using Android Auto I can choose local files, Spotify or Google Play Music (there are other options, but I don't use them). For short trips when I don't want to plug in the phone it automatically plays music over Bluetooth from whichever music app is open. To save mobile data, I downloaded a few playlists from Spotify and Play Music. So much nicer and versatile than the 2015!