Android Head Units

adb

Also written Android Debug Bridge

Android Debug Bridge, the command-line tool for talking to an Android device from a computer. Used here mainly to pull the factory config off a unit.

Android Auto

Google’s phone projection system. Like CarPlay, it runs inside Zlink rather than being part of the unit’s own Android system — the unit runs Android, but that is not what Android Auto means here.

build.prop

An Android system properties file. On these units it is the most reliable way to identify the hardware: ro.board.platform names the chipset family and ro.build.display.id carries the firmware version.

CAN

Also written CAN bus, CAN protocol

The vehicle bus the head unit listens to for steering-wheel buttons, door and reversing signals, parking sensors and climate data. The CAN protocol setting in factory settings picks which car the unit should expect; the wrong one usually means some of those features silently stop working.

CarPlay

Apple’s phone projection system. Provided by Zlink on these units, wired or wireless depending on the build.

DAB

Digital radio. Requires a separate USB tuner; the setting only enables the interface for it.

DSP

Digital sound processor. Where fitted, it provides equalisation and channel timing beyond the basic sound settings.

DVR

Dash-camera recording. Where a unit supports it, a USB camera records to the unit’s storage.

EVO ID

Also written ID6, ID7, ID8, ID9

BMW iDrive interface generations. ID6 through ID9 appear throughout the theme names; a higher number is a newer BMW interface, not a newer or better theme.

Factory config

Also written factory_config.xml, zxw_factory_config.xml

An XML file that tells the unit what hardware it is attached to: screen resolution, CAN protocol, which camera and amplifier are fitted, which themes may be selected.

It survives a factory reset, which is why a wrong one is difficult to undo without a copy of the original.

fastboot

A low-level Android mode used to flash images directly. Reaching it usually requires USB host mode to be enabled in factory settings.

FIBO

Also written CPM

Board variants of ZXW units. GT7 and GT7Pro report ro.product.board=CPM-KSW-001 and are marked internally as CPM; newer GT7_FIBO and GT7Pro_FIBO variants are marked FIB. Firmware checks these markers, so a build can support one and not the other.

GS

Also written PEMP, ALS

Tags on theme names marking variants of the same design from different authors or with different layouts. They are not car brands and carry no functional meaning.

HiCar

Huawei’s phone projection system, equivalent in purpose to CarPlay and Android Auto. On these units it is opened through Zlink rather than being a separate app.

MCU

Also written microcontroller

The microcontroller that sits between Android and the car: steering-wheel buttons, the CAN bus, reversing signals, amplifier control. It runs its own firmware and is updated separately from the Android system.

An interrupted MCU update is harder to recover from than an interrupted system update.

MIB3

Volkswagen Group’s infotainment generation, used on Audi among others. Themes named after it imitate its appearance; they do not make the unit behave like one.

NEXAI

A marker inside some KSW firmware identifiers, as in Ksw-S-M600_OS_v1.5.4NEXAI-ota. It appears only in version strings and never in prose, and what it denotes is not documented anywhere we have found.

NTG

Also written NTG5, NTG6, NTG7

Mercedes-Benz infotainment generations. As with the other OEM names here, a theme named after one copies its look only.

OTA

Also written over-the-air

Over-the-air update. On these units the name is historical — the packages are not downloaded by the unit itself but copied onto a USB drive, which the unit detects and offers to install. Firmware files here are named with an -ota suffix.

Platform

Which hardware generation a unit is — M501, M600, M606, M700, M785, GT6, GT7, GT7PRO. Firmware is built per platform and installing the wrong one is the most common way to end up with a unit stuck at boot.

Snapdragon

Also written Qualcomm

The Qualcomm chipset family every unit here is built on. The marketing name (Snapdragon 662) and the part number (SM6115) both appear in firmware and settings.

Witstek

A brand name that appears in place of Ksw in newer firmware version strings — Witstek-T-M600_OS_v1.8.6-ota rather than Ksw-T-M600_OS_v1.7.6-ota. The change is cosmetic; the builds continue the same sequence.

Zlink

The app that provides phone projection on these units — CarPlay, Android Auto and HiCar all run inside it. It is the single most-mentioned piece of software in firmware changelogs here, and its version number is often the only thing that changes between builds.

When enabled to start on boot it takes over Wi-Fi to run its own hotspot, so Wi-Fi is not available for anything else while it is active.