[proddick]

Having used a Nokia 616 bluetooth car-phone in the past, one of the features I was looking forward to in my Ampera (Electron only?) was the "SAP" integrated car-phone.

Some background
With Bluetooth SAP (SIM Access Profile), the car phone "impersonates" your mobile phone - it is like plugging the SIM into the car. SAP is also sometimes known as R-SAP (Remote SIM Access Profile).

There are two benefits of using this profile over Hands Free, the main one is much better reception due to the higher power transmitter and the external aerial. The second one is that your phone will use a lot less power so doesn't really need to be charged while driving, you can leave it in your briefcase/handbag.

If you have tested a phone with the Ampera and know it does or does not supports SAP then please post a reply to this topic. Please don't post details on phones that support Hands Free (HF) as almost all phones should...

 

[proddick]

Samung Galaxy Note

I can confirm that the Samsung Galaxy Note running the latest Gingerbread software (Android 2.3.x) DOES support SAP.

At this stage it is not clear if it will still work if I upgade to ICS (Android 4.x). Owners of the Galaxy S II who have upgraded report that their upgrade broke SAP :-(

 

[proddick]

SAP Software for Android Phones

If you are reasonably technical and understand what "rooting" your phone means, then it is possible to implement SAP (at a modest cost) on a number of Android phones.

See http://www.android-rsap.com/

Note: I accept no responsibilty if you damage your phone!

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

This is very interesting.

I have Samsung Galaxy Note. I haven't had it long, just a couple of weeks, but I am learing fast but I am a little scared about rooting it as it is brand new and I don't want to brick it :shock:

SAP isn't something I knew existed until I read your post so I will read up on it in the next day or two. Not having the car yet makes it difficult to comment on anything until I take delivery (16th May... Wednesday week) but I will see how I get on then.

Thanks for posting this. Phone integration is something I think is an interesting and useful aspect of having such a computer-connected car. I have similar considerations in the Nissan Leaf and I will look to see if SAP is available on the Leaf.

Thanks

 

[proddick]

Hi Paul C

Spooky you have the same phone.. I got mine my Note on Saturday ready for my Ampera arriving :-D I was using Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) but it does NOT support SAP.

If your Note is still on Gingerbread it works with no changes necessary. If you have upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwitch then it will be interesting to see if SAP works when you get your Ampera; I can't find an answer YES/NO if the upgrade breaks it.

I am hoping (wishful thinking perhaps) that Samsung will have learnt a lesson from the Galaxy S II upgrade and made sure it worked. After all the technical specs lists the "SAP" Bluetooth profile.

Cheers

Paul R

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

I am still on Gingerbread on my Galaxy Note. It is an O2 locked phone so I am waiting for the O2 release. On previous phones I have hacked it to change the model so I could upgrade sooner but that was Symbian. Not sure that is even possible with Android.

I am loving the Galaxy Note. Thought it might be too big but it just isn't. It is everything I wanted having previously had a Nokia N8 and HTC Incredible S. This is replacing my iPad too as I felt the iPad too bulky to carry around. Very happy so far but I am looking forward to ICS but having read more about it I am wondering if Gingerbread might not be such a bad option. Apart from the new browser there doesn't seem to be much in ICS that is worth upgrading for... :?:

 

[RalphGoodson]

Sap working beautifully with my HTC Sensation loaded with Gingerbread

 

[proddick]

Ralph,

Are you sure you connected using SAP. To use SAP you make the connection from the Ampera and type in a long string of numbers on the phone.

The reason I ask is that HTC don't list SAP as a Bluetooth profile. http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-sensation/#specs

Unfortunately the RSAP app doesn't work on that model either. http://www.android-rsap.com/compatibility.html

Regards

Paul R

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

Tried to connect from my Galaxy Note through SAP. It connects... of sorts... but it is very flakey and is totally unusable.

Connected through standard Bluetooth and all works except no phonebook.

 

[proddick]

Strange as my Galaxy Note has been very reliable and has great reception with SAP. Have you updated yours to latest version of Gingerbread? You can do it over WiFi.

There is one caveat I have found so far. If I receive a text message and try to read it, the SAP connection crashes and the phone has to be rebooted (but probably a bad idea to read texts when driving anyway!)

I do find I have to wait a few minutes after the phone connects before it will respond to the phone book queries using the PBAP profile. Also, the first time you have to watch the phone, accept the PBAP connection and say "always allow" - so do it while stationary ;-)

To try SAP again you will need to delete the HF connection.

Cheers

Paul R

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

Thanks.

I am on the latest version of Android that is available for my phone... it being O2 that might not be the very latest but I have to stick with the O2 versions unless I am prepared to root it... which I am not.

I shall try again later when I have calmed down a bit from this music HDD issue.

Grrrr!

 

[proddick]

My Galaxy Note is SIM Free and is on build XXLA6 - the kernel is 2.6.35.7

Regards

Paul

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

Ah... I'm on base version XXLA4 and the same kernal 2.6.35.7

Seems I am a couple of base versions behind... I wonder if that could be a contributor...

 

[proddick]

Rebooting another old thread.

Read back in time to see benefit of SAP but using my phone with the hands free profile the newly acquired Mercedes and losing signal so often reminded me why I LOVE SAP!

Until a few weeks ago I was using a Samsung Galaxy S5 as it supported SAP but it sucked with the Ampera - for example an incoming text crashed the phone! With Knox I was reluctant to root and use the third party app I used on my Nexus 5...

I now have the LG G3 and I can strongly recommend. Works perfectly in SAP mode. I thought about it and with the collaboration between GM and LG maybe I shouldn't be surprised?

 

[Brett Sinclair]

SAP works with the Samsung Note Edge and Android 5.1.1.

 

[proddick]

SAP works with the Samsung Note Edge and Android 5.1.1.

Nice phone but was above my price bracket as needed to buy SIM free (mid contract) Good deals on G3 now due to older model. Like the wireless charging which my S5 didnt have...

 

[Brett Sinclair]

I always buy SIM free. I tested the Note Edge at IFA, in September 2014 and I picked one up at the end of that year from someone on a contract, who received it as a 'free' upgrade but didn't want it.

 

[daved]

Thanks for letting us know about SAP, I'd never heard of it. I had seen it in the Ampera settings but thought it was just for downloading the phones phonebook. I set it up yesterday with my Sony Z5 android 6 phone and the signal reported increased from 1 to 2 bars on the dash display. I wonder if the Leaf has SAP as well?

 

[Brett Sinclair]

I wonder if the Leaf has SAP as well?

Not according to Wikipedia.

 

[Robin H]

SAP works with the Samsung Note Edge and Android 5.1.1.

Interesting, tried my Nexus 4 on 5.1.1 this evening with no joy. Not a problem though, the normal hands free does everything I need and it's almost always on charge in the car anyway.