You don’t have a car with Android Auto and want to take advantage of the benefits of this infotainment system for vehicles? Well, there’s a pretty simple way to do it: with an Android mobile that you no longer use. If so, take advantage of it: you will give new life to this old smartphone.
It’s not worth keeping an old Android in the drawer, unused, gathering dust: there are dozens of ways to enjoy it. As a photo frame, as an alarm clock, it is perfect for configuring it as a security camera and, why not, that phone you no longer use can become a screen with Android Auto for your car. How do you read it?
Do you have a car on the Android Auto series track? Pónselo tu
Old mobile with Android Auto via Headunit Reloaded
The easiest way to add an infotainment system to a vehicle that lacks one usually comes with a car stereo. In fact, there are models with Android Auto itself; although in general they tend to be a bit expensive, they do require assembly and require your car to have space on the dash for the device. What do you want to save yourself from all this inconvenience? An old Android is fine too.
We will take advantage of Android Auto’s wireless connectivity to connect your old mobile, the one you no longer use, to your main Android. The idea is that you anchor the old phone to the dashboard of the car in a secure way, a holder for the air outlet also works for you: choose the fixing you prefer; always with the precaution that it does not interfere with your visibility at the wheel. Ideally, the old mobile should remain connected to the USB/car cigarette lighter so that it receives electricity while it is working (especially if its battery does not last long).
Once you have the mobile looking in the car holder and it is connected, It’s time to turn that old Android into a full Android Auto. For practical purposes, it will be exactly the same as having the vehicle’s operating system in your own car. And you only need one app: Headunit Reloaded. There is a trial version to check that it works on your old phone (it lasts 10 minutes) and the paid version for 4.89 dollars.
Once you have installed Headunit Reloaded on your old Android, which you will attach to the car dashboard, you need to follow the following process:
- Open Android Auto on your primary mobile. The easiest way to find it is to go to phone settings and type in “Android Auto”. Click on the result with this name.
- Once in the Android Auto menu go down to the version number. Press several times and accept developer settings activation.
- Once the Android Auto developer settings are active, click on the top three menu dots and choose “Start the server from the main unit“. Your Android mobile is now ready.
- Open Headunit Reloaded on the old phone, which will act as the Android Auto screen. Follow the setup steps and accept the permissions.
- Turn off your mobile WiFi and share your data connection through a hotspot.
- Connect the old Android to the access point mounted on the main mobile (the one that will open the Android Auto application).
- Once you share the data, go to the old mobile, open Headunit Reloaded, make sure the screen is horizontal (otherwise Android Auto will start distorted) and click “WiFi”.
- Android Auto will open automatically: set it up on the primary phone, and when you’re done, you’ll have Android Auto active in Headunit Reloaded, the old phone app.
Whenever you want to use Android Auto in your car, you will have to share the data via WiFi from the main mobile to the old one. Launch the headunit reloaded there, load the WiFi mode, and use the on-board system normally. For practical purposes it’s exactly the same as having Android Auto built into the car itself.
