Google has managed to position itself very well in the automotive sector first with Android Auto then with Android Automotive. The latter is the system that brands like Polestar or Renault use to provide intelligence to their vehicles. But the first one is the most used in Europebecause it is much more basic and easier to implement.
In fact, many car buyers won’t consider buying a vehicle without Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, depending on their phone’s operating system. With this prescriptive capability, it’s not strange that many developers are starting to create apps of all kinds for these systems.
Fermata Auto is one of them. It is a media player capable of bypassing the limitations imposed by Google in Android Autoalthough to do this you have to leave the Play Store. In fact, there is a version of this app in the Google store, but it is not the one with all the features unlocked. The most powerful one must be downloaded from Github.
Development options
The first thing you need to do is download the file from GitHub and install it on your mobile. It will ask for permission to access the notice
If the Fermata Auto configuration does not appear in the car interface, you need to enable the Android Auto developer settings. To do this, simply go to the mobile settings, search for Android Auto and enter this section. At the bottom, you need to click several times on the area with the text Version. Once activated, a text will appear indicating that the developer options are active.
Once done, click on the three-dot icon in the upper right corner and go to Developer Options. There you need to enable the External Sources optionwhich will allow you to select Fermata Auto as an app from the list of apps that appear in Android Auto.
TDT at car stop
If you want to watch TNT, you just have to click on the television icon, the bottom quarter from the left. When you enter, you have to click on the icon in the lower right corner, in the shape of a television with a + symbol inside. When this is done, an interface appears for install an IPTV channel list.
There are several IPTV lists and to see the DTT ones, you can choose several, like those on this site. You must just put the name and paste the URL of the list in the corresponding field
Mirror in the car
But this application has more functions, being a very versatile media player. In addition to being able to watch TV from the car screen, it is possible to play a video stored on the mobile phone and even mirror, that is, to be able clone a mobile screen in a carallowing you to view any app, from WhatsApp to a game.
With the Fermata Mirror function it is possible to reproduce what appears on the car screen, as can be done with a Chromecast or with an Amazon Fire TV. Special permissions must be granted here, in addition to being used in vertical format, due to the shape of most car screens. This feature is useful for showing all occupants what appears on a mobile.
Full screen videos
Another feature of Fermata Auto is that allows you to watch videos in full screen on Android Auto, something that Google’s system has normally limited. This can be done from YouTube but also from videos stored on the mobile itself. To do this, you must use the function at the bottom right, since YouTube is in a submenu.
There are some cell phones that have problems with this applicationlike those of Samsung, which since One UI 6 prevent the GitHub version from working properly. This bug has not yet been resolved and makes it impossible to use the advanced functions of the application with these mobile phones, only allowing the sending of audio, which is allowed by the Fermata application that is in the Google Play Store.
Likewise, there are models that cause problems when trying to use it wirelessly if we have purchased one of those devices that convert Android Auto wired to wireless, such as the Motorola MA1 that we have analyzed on the channel. In these cases it is not possible to do anything and if we want to watch videos in the car or project what we have on our mobile, it is best to use one of the devices that install full Android in the vehicle. Of course, they are expensive and we must be careful when using them since the use of some functions is not allowed while driving.
Table of Contents