Posting this in case someone else runs into the same problem I did with the Infotainment System in my 2021 Camry. I use Google Voice, which works over WiFi instead of a cell network, and I found out the hard way that Toyota doesn’t support Samsung tablets (or any Android tablets), only cell phones. I didn’t want to give up Google Voice since I’ve had it for free since the beta testing in 2004.
I called a few dealerships to see if any techs had a solution, but no luck. One person even said she didn’t get why it wouldn’t work, since the Infotainment System connects through Bluetooth and WiFi, not cell data. I then looked into getting an old cell phone with a pre-paid SIM that doesn’t expire monthly but charges by the minute. No luck there either. I did find out that a small company used to offer a card that was helpful for people who were incarcerated, but it was bought out by a larger company called Global and isn’t available anymore.
After a lot of searching, I ended up at a pawn shop, where the owner told me to check Walmart. I found a Motorola phone there for $29 with no SIM card, and since that dealership tech had mentioned it didn’t actually need cell service, I gave it a shot. Turns out, it works fine for connecting to the Infotainment System (it meets the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage requirement, according to Twitter’s Grok).
So now I have access to the system, but honestly, it’s so limited I almost regret the trouble. I can’t get full Librivox (only six books show up), I’m stuck with the default voice in Waze, and the features are pretty basic. I do have navigation and could use Spotify, but that’s about it. Wish there was a way to mirror my tablet onto the screen.