These apps were installed on my Android Auto and I don't use them. These free alternatives are much better

To taste, the colors. And for different needs, the long list of applications available for Android Auto. Google’s vehicle infotainment system has no apps in itselfbut they are a kind of projection of compatible ones that we have installed on our phone… which must be an Android.

If we are not very inclined to install new applications, the stock of Google applications on Android that we will see in Android Auto is well known: Google Maps, Calendar, Podcasts… I’m not going to fool you: a lot of between them went to the bottom of the navigation menu during configuration so that they don’t bother me because I never use them and I have others just in case: the reason is that I have other alternative apps for Android Auto that I consider better.

I don’t use Google Maps, I prefer Waze and TomTom AmiGo

Both are owned by Google and while Maps is the pretty girl, in my opinion while driving and Android Auto, Waze is significantly better and it’s also free. Although I have several reasons to think so, there are two that seem fundamental to me. The first is the interface: Waze has a more casual appearance and looks much better,

something crucial for someone like me who isn’t particularly good with maps and gets lost quickly.

The second problem is that it has such an active community that it Within minutes it is able to report any issues along the way: an impromptu police check, car remains following an accident, problems related to bad weather… nothing like Waze to deal with the unexpected.

Failing one, two: although I recognize that Waze is the browser I use regularly, my trump card is TomTom AmiGo, a free and ad-free browser (something I have to swallow with Waze) with very neat maps, a simplified interface and a speed camera warning The best I’ve ever seen. Yes, Waze is up to date thanks to its community, but with AmiGo it is difficult to ignore it because it warns you out loud, with the icon, with a red box on the screen where the approximate distance is indicated.

Waze

Navigation and traffic

TomTom AmiGo

Free GPS navigator without ads

I don’t use Weather, I prefer Weather and Radar

One of the big outstanding Android Auto issues This has to do with the weather, a providential problem if like me you tend to ride relatively frequently on long journeys that require crossing mountain passes. Because today what Google offers with the official El Tiempo application in its infotainment system is essentially quick access to the voice assistant where it tells us what the weather is like here and now.

Yes, it’s ideal not to confuse the driver, but lack of benefits and given that we already use applications that require looking at the screen like browsers (at least from time to time), I consider this an interesting plus and that makes Time and Radar.

This application is free It has a very visual and intuitive interface because sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, which allows us to know at a glance if there is a storm nearby or how much it is raining here, but also the weather in real time and in the next hours, not only if it’s going to rain or it’s going to be sunny, but also the temperature. It is possible to choose between several interfaces, but I find the one that shows the orography the most useful because it is normal that when crossing a pass the weather is less good than when crossing a plain.

Weather and radar

Your time at a glance! The Weather & Radar application offers you 90-minute hourly forecasts, today’s and tomorrow’s weather, 7 and 14 days in Europe and around the world.

I don’t use YouTube Music: Spotify and Amazon Music are better

While in the previous cases I am clear that my choices are based on the fact that, in my experience, the chosen applications are better than those provided by default, with YouTube Music the main thing is that to enjoy the Most of these functions require you to be a paying customer. However, I’m happy with what Spotify and Amazon Music offer for freeat the cost of losing another function like listening to specific songs on demand or advertisements.

Spotify starts by having the advantage of being mainstream. It’s the first music streaming app that I tried and with which I stayed out of inertia, plus it’s the platform par excellence that people use to send you their playlists. On the other hand, Amazon Music comes “standard” with my Prime and usually has enough promotions to use it for free for months.