Just under two decades ago, he began a massive shift that has transformed mobiles into more than just phones. Suddenly we had handhelds, which allowed us to do more than just talk. It’s something that what is currently happening with carswith companies like Google leading this change with operating systems like Android Auto or Android Automotive.
Even Apple knew how to take advantage of this paradigm shift in the automotive industry and decided that the new CarPlay would be much more than a mirror of the phone. It makes sense, they know that, as happened with cell phones, a range of options, applications and juicy income opens up in this type of vehicle.
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But not all companies are willing to let Google and Apple eat the cake, and while Android Auto is one of those features that more and more drivers are looking forThere are brands that don’t want to open the door of their cars to these two companies. One of the biggest is Tesla.
Tesla doesn’t want Android Auto
Elon Musk is a person of fixed ideas, whether you agree with him or not. The future of the auto business was clear to him when he bet big on Tesla, and it’s clear that software is a key part of the driving experience, which is why this section is so important in their cars. Not only because of the good work of its operating system, but also because of the over-the-air updates, the improvements that are added little by little, the connection with its network of chargers, etc.
It is therefore not surprising that has been opposed from the start to users being able to use other interfaces in their vehicles, whether from Apple or Google. It would change the experience of using the cars and, more importantly, allow a competitor to harm its brand image.
Despite, There are companies and developers who want to be able to have Android Auto in their cars, even if they are from Tesla, so unofficial solutions have been developed. The latter is important because it makes the final experience less comfortable than in a car compatible with these technologies.
Android Auto with an app
To use Android Auto in a Tesla, we can use a paid application called TeslAA, which costs 4.99 dollars and is available on the Google Play Store. This is a one-time payment and does not require a subscription No new hardware needed. The only requirements are to connect the car to the mobile via Bluetooth and via Wi-Fi. connect it by bluetooth You just have to connect it like in any other car, although it is normal that this is something that has already been done, if the car has been driven before.
Car connected to the Wifi hotspot of a smartphone
The second thing is connect the car to the Wifi HotSpot of the phone. To do this, we activate the Wifi Zone of the mobile, we go to the car settings to connect it to a Wifi network and we mark the one generated by our mobile. here it is important check the option to keep navigation even with the car in gearbecause otherwise Android Auto cannot be used when we move.
In order not to have to do all this every time we get in the car, we can configure the mobile to generate the Wi-Fi network when it connects to the bluetooth of the car. This can be done through a free app and it’s not a particularly complicated procedure. When we have done that, we just need to access the Androidwheels page in the car’s web browser.
It’s a bit slow
In the tests we performed on the application, we noticed that the interface is much slower than in a car with official Android Auto. This is understandable to a certain extent, but it is normal that many drivers prefer not to use the system in this way. Navigating through the interface is where it’s most noticeable, although using Google Maps or Waze isn’t such a problem since the map moves in real time and doesn’t depend on our interaction. .
We can use all the applications that we have on the mobile and that are compatible. During our tests, we saw no difference between using Android Auto in a Tesla with this app and using it in a car with Android Auto official except in speed.
The sound is also one of the weak points, but not because it is not heard, but because you have to put the volume practically at maximum, and you will have to remember to lower it later, because if you do not play music from the radio or from an application built into Tesla can cause a good shock. In the application settings we can change the resolution of the interface, choose the permissions we want to give it (although this is necessary for it to work), start the interface manually, configure it so that it starts by itself when connected to car bluetooth etc.
hardware options
Another option to be able to use Android Auto in Tesla, together with Apple CarPlay, is the CarlinkKit device called T2C Tesla Wireless Apple Carplay Adapter. This device is significantly more expensive than the app, at $139.99. Of course, it has additional benefits, such as be able to put a SIM data to avoid having to connect our mobile to the car with Wi-Fi access.
Although we were unable to test it, it seems that the fluidity is a bit higher than in the case of the TeslAA application, perhaps to use some hardware, although the interface is also accessible via a web page, in this case Teslapush. The other additional window is to be able to use CarPlay, which is not possible with TeslaAA.
Tesla has room
It seems unlikely that we will see any Android Auto adoption by Tesla, at least not in the short to medium term, but we are. it would be interesting to see new options in these cars, related to the phone. Tesla has enough capability to be able to replicate mobile apps in the car, albeit through an Android Auto fork, something similar to what Samsung is doing with Desk, albeit for a completely different use.
Another option is for Tesla to create its own app store., something that, as sales increase, takes on more and more meaning, especially since the user profile of this type of car is similar to that of iPhone users, who are much more inclined to buy apps and spend money on them. This could be a secondary source of income for the business.
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