RS Nav

Account privacy recommendation • 22 October 2026

RSNAV recommends using a separate Google account dedicated to your navigation system, with no sensitive personal or work information synced or shared to it. Keep your primary everyday account on your personal devices.

RSNAV builds and reviews its own software to help protect user information and prevent sharing with third parties without the user’s consent. Connected devices also depend on Android, third-party apps, web services and the wider certificate ecosystem. Account separation adds a useful layer of protection alongside software maintenance.

Recent critical PHP vulnerabilities affecting web servers and the eMudhra certificate-key compromise illustrate why security precautions matter beyond any individual product. These are examples from the wider internet ecosystem; they do not establish that an RSNAV device is affected.

• Keep the device account simple. Use it for the navigation and media services you need. Avoid syncing sensitive email, photos, contacts, documents or saved passwords, and do not share sensitive content from your primary account to it. Check each app’s permissions and sync settings.
• Protect the separate account. Use a unique password and enable two-step verification. A separate account only reduces exposure if sensitive information and access are kept separate too.
• Keep apps current and choose trusted sources. Install available official updates, including browser updates. Avoid unknown APKs and downloads, and do not bypass browser certificate or security warnings.

This precaution is particularly worthwhile for long-serving S3 and S4 systems, where Android security patches and third-party app support can be limited by platform age. RSNAV continues software maintenance for S5 within the support available for its platform. App updates and account separation complement each other; neither can guarantee protection against every external threat.

Our recommendation is straightforward: keep navigation and entertainment convenient while keeping your main digital life separate.

Further reading: PHP security releases · Mozilla’s eMudhra incident notice · Google Security Checkup

CarPlay & Android Auto • Public Beta 0.2.21-rsnav-beta9 (build76) • 22 October 2026

Use your iPhone or Android phone on your RSNAV screen. RSNAV SmartLink brings the CarPlay or Android Auto interface to your existing S3, S4 or S5, so you can use compatible navigation, music and communication apps from the dashboard. It is an alternative to Zlink, with one main menu for both phone types.

What can you do with SmartLink?

• Maps and directions: Use compatible phone apps such as Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze, with turn-by-turn guidance on the RSNAV display. Available apps depend on your phone and projection platform.
• Music and voice control: Play music, podcasts and spoken directions, and use your phone’s supported voice assistant. Calling and messaging depend on the phone, app permissions and audio setup; hands-free call routing is still being validated in this beta.
• USB or wireless connection: Choose a wired connection or wireless projection on supported setups. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto have passed screen, touch and sound tests on our S3 and S5 benches after factory reset and ordinary APK installation. Reboot automatic connection was also checked. S4 wireless Android Auto remains unsupported.
• RSNAV and Audi audio choices: Play media through RSNAV and the car’s AUX input. CarPlay also offers an experimental Audi Bluetooth audio option. To keep Audi hands-free for calls while using RSNAV for music, retain the Audi pairing and select the call output on your phone; automatic split routing is not guaranteed.
• Controls and reverse-camera integration: Use the touchscreen and, with the matching controller update, supported steering-wheel and MMI controls. Compatible setups give the configured reverse-camera view priority, then return to the phone screen when reversing ends.
• A clearer setup experience: Automatic preparation for identified stock S3/S4/S5 firmware, remembered connection choices, multilingual menus and built-in diagnostic reports simplify setup. Wireless operation uses the unit’s own Wi-Fi connection; a home router is not required.

SmartLink is developed from open-source projects and adapted for RSNAV hardware. We offer it free of charge to support existing RSNAV owners and improve everyday usability, with thanks to the open-source developers behind it. It uses your phone’s apps and services, so their normal data requirements and subscriptions still apply.

This is optional public-beta software, provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Features, stability and compatibility are not guaranteed, and some configurations may need additional setup. Earlier wireless CarPlay worked on our S4 bench, but this build’s new S4 automatic setup has not been tested on physical S4 hardware. S4 USB Android Auto remains a test candidate.

Firmware compatibility: Automatic preparation recognizes stock S3 SC60A/Android 9, S4 SC665/Android 10 and S5 SC668/Android 13 configurations. The tested S3/S5 configurations can start basic phone projection with the SmartLink APK alone; a full firmware update is not a blanket requirement. Older, modified or restricted firmware may need assisted setup. Keep your original recovery files, and use only firmware for your exact model and screen.

Choose the package for your RSNAV

Open the SmartLink download folder — or select your package below:

• S3: RSNAV_S3_SmartLink_Preview_APKs.zip
• S4 — older 8.8-inch, 1280×480 only: RSNAV_S4_1280x480_old8.8inchonly_SmartLink_Preview_0.2.21.zip
• S4 — C7 9-inch 1280×720 and 1920×720 models: RSNAV_S4_9inch_and_1920x720_SmartLink_Preview_0.2.21.zip
• S5: RSNAV_S5_SmartLink_Preview_APKs.zip

Before you install

1. Read the included guide, confirm the model and screen, and keep your original app/update files.
2. Install or update the 01_ SmartLink APK first, then restart the unit. Updating an existing SmartLink installation does not require uninstalling it, clearing its data or factory-resetting the unit.
3. On recognized stock firmware, SmartLink selects the model and prepares MFi access and the competing Zlink services automatically. If preparation is blocked, follow the displayed message and contact RSNAV; do not delete system files.
4. For wireless use, enable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on the phone, pair and connect it in the original RSNAV Bluetooth app (GOCSDK), then accept the phone’s CarPlay/Android Auto prompts. Disconnect USB for a wireless test. Existing automatic-start choices are preserved.
5. The included Maincontroller/Settings companions are unchanged and optional for supported vehicle integration. Do not replace working system apps just to test phone projection; confirm the exact firmware and screen match first. Do not mix model packages. No MCU or full Android firmware is included.
6. Test the phone connection, audio, vehicle controls and reverse-camera return while parked. Call routing and every firmware/phone combination have not been fully validated.

What changed in this update?

Android Auto now offers Connection & audio settings in its exit menu, so you can open SmartLink settings and diagnostics without force-closing the app or disconnecting. Swipe two fingers from the far left edge towards the right to open that menu. Reports now identify the actual installed APK build and include display geometry.

Still under investigation: occasional Android Auto Maps-only layouts without the taskbar, and brief wireless audio gaps. This update improves diagnosis; it does not claim those intermittent symptoms are resolved.

For beta feedback, use Settings → Diagnostics in SmartLink and send the report with your model, firmware and phone details to info@rsnav.com. Reports are sent only when you choose to share them.