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Earlier this year, Google announced that it was working on Assistant devices for your car. The idea is to bring the same comfort of intelligent speaker always listening in the vehicle of your choice, without requiring an expensive Android Auto CPU. The first product in this category is the Anker Roav Bolt, a small device that plugs into a car-loading port.
I was very excited about trying the Roav Bolt after years of using annoying Bluetooth adapters and receivers in my Android Auto-less car. I've always had problems with my phone when I heard voice commands while I was driving, even when I was using a ventilation rack. An assistant device with the same network of microphones as a Google Home seemed incredible.
The Roav Bolt has a lot of potential, but it's pretty buggy in its current state, and it's not a good option for everyone.
Design, material, what's in the box
The Roav Bolt is a small black device that connects to a charging port of your car. The front has a single button, bearing the logo of the Google Assistant, as well as four lights very similar to those found on a Google Home Mini. On the side is a 3.5mm jack, used to relay audio to your car stereo system. If your car does not have an AUX port, you can also use Bluetooth, but it is recommended to use a wired connection whenever possible.
The top of the device comes with two USB Type A ports, which allows you to charge your phone even though the Roav occupies the only power connector of your car. The ports can send a maximum of 5V / 2.4A each, which is more or less the normal USB charging speed. Unfortunately, there is no Qualcomm QuickCharge support or Type C connector for USB Power Delivery.
The small button Assistant on the front has multiple functions. Press once to read the notifications from your phone or, if the device is already in communication, press the button to stop the wizard. Double-tap to enable / disable the microphone and hold it down will activate the wizard manually. Finally, hold it down for about 12 seconds to reset the device.
The single button is my biggest complaint with the Bolt design. I would have liked to be able to use the multimedia controls. So I could press a button to pause my podcast instead of saying "Google Agreement, pause." None of the combinations of clicks / double clicks available are related to multimedia playback.
By switching to hardware, the Roav Bolt uses a network of microphones to hear voice commands. This is the main reason why I was excited about the Bolt, because I often have to shout "OKAY GOOGLE" so that my phone hears me over any wind or music. I'm happy to announce that he can actually hear me better than my phone, even though he still has a hard time withstanding loud music or gusts of wind.
In the box you will find the Roav Bolt, a 3.5mm cable and a user manual.
Software and performance
The process of setting up the Roav Bolt is extremely simple. Plug it in, select it from the list of detectable Bluetooth devices, and the Google app will automatically open to guide you. Once you're done, a settings panel appears in the Google app to change some of the sounds emitted by Bolt, among other minor options.
The best way to describe how the lock works is that it does everything via your phone's wizard. Requesting directions will take you to the navigation in the Google Maps app on your phone. Request a playlist Spotify will launch Spotify on your phone, etc. It's less of a standalone Google Home than a microphone for your phone's assistant.
In addition to all the features of Google Assistant, the Roav Bolt also works exactly like a Bluetooth AUX adapter for your car. Any media currently playing on your phone will automatically be routed through your car's speakers. The audio quality looks better than the $ 15 Bluetooth adapter I used before and the phone calls work well.
The Roav Bolt works perfectly when the screen of my phone is turned on – voice command responses are fast, streaming music works perfectly, and so on. However, once I turn off the screen (or if I leave my phone in my pocket when I get in the car), the Bolt begins to have problems. Responses to voice commands can take a few more seconds, or I get the message "Sorry, something went wrong" immediately after saying something. If I say "play the news" when my phone is off, press points often stop a minute or two later.
Once I've turned off the phone screen, the Bolt begins to have problems.
I suspect it has something to do with Doze on Android – maybe the Roav's data stream is cut in order to reduce battery usage. I tested the Bolt with a first-generation Google Pixel and a OnePlus 6T, and both phones had this problem. Again, everything works perfectly when the screen is turned on.
The Anker representative who sent me to the review unit said that neither Google nor Anker could duplicate the hidden screen bug, so it was quite possible that this is a rare event. Whatever it is, it is my experience with the Roav lock even after several factory resets. I will keep the lock in my car for the foreseeable future. Therefore, in case of change, I will update this notice.
Another problem that I realized during testing is that you can not pair the Roav Bolt with multiple devices at once. If you change your phone or if someone else wants to drive and use it with their phone, you have to reset the entire device. I would not recommend the lock for shared cars.
It is important to mention that, as buggy as I found the current support of Android, it is the iOS compatibility that is marked as "Beta". The setup process on my iPhone SE was pretty similar: log in to the Roav from the Bluetooth settings, open the Google Assistant app (available on the App Store) and read the instructions at the top. screen.
The Roav Bolt works a little differently on iOS, probably because of the limitations imposed by Apple. In order for the device to listen to voice commands, the wizard application must be running on your phone even if it is in the background. The bolt will show orange lights when the application is not running, as a helpful reminder.
As long as the application was in the background, the device worked almost perfectly even when the iPhone was off in my pocket. The only difference in functionality I found was that Assistant could not start broadcasting music, at least from Spotify. Fortunately, Bolt still works as a Bluetooth adapter. Choosing music from any application on your phone works just as well.
Should you buy it?
May be. If you do not share your car with someone else and you generally leave your phone in a stand with the display turned on, the Roav Bolt is an upgrade via Bluetooth adapters to AUX . Unfortunately, one of Bolt's main selling points – its advertised ability to give you the power of Google Assistant without touching your phone – is not quite there yet. Even though it still works perfectly as a Bluetooth to AUX adapter, it does not have the dedicated media controls that most other adapters possess.
I hope Google and Anker will be able to solve the problems over the coming weeks and months, as the Roav Bolt has the potential to be a great car accessory. For the moment, it's hard for me to recommend it to everyone.
Buy it if …
- You keep your phone screen permanently lit or you have an iPhone.
- Want a wizard device always listening in your car
Do not buy it if …
- You often have your phone in your pocket (does not apply to iPhones).
- You do not want to deal with bugs.
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