turn it into Android Auto for your car

You don’t have a car with Android Auto and want to take advantage of the benefits of this vehicle infotainment system? Well, there is a fairly simple way to achieve this: with an Android mobile that you no longer use. If this is the case, 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, collecting dust: There are dozens of ways to take advantage of it.. As a photo frame, as an alarm clock, it’s perfect to configure as a security camera and, why not, that phone you no longer use can become an Android Auto screen for your car. How you read it.

Is your car not Android Auto standard? Ponselo tu

The easiest way to add an infotainment system to a vehicle that lacks one is usually with a car stereo. In fact, there are models with Android Auto itself; Although, in general, they tend to be quite expensive, they require assembly and require your car to have space on the dashboard for the device. Do you want to save yourself all these inconveniences? An older Android is also fine.

We will take advantage of Android Auto’s wireless connectivity to connect your old mobile phone, the one you no longer use, to your main Android. The idea is that you can anchor the old phone to the car dashboard in complete safety, a holder for the air outlet also works: choose the attachment you prefer; always ensuring that it does not obstruct your visibility while driving. Ideally, the old cell phone should remain connected to the car’s USB/cigarette lighter port so that it receives electricity while it is operating (especially if its battery no longer lasts too long).

Once you have your phone in the car mount and it is connected, It’s time to turn that old Android into a full Android Auto. For practical purposes, this 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 (duration 10 minutes) and the paid version at 4.89 dollars.

Once you have installed Headunit Reloaded on your old Android, which you will secure on the car dashboard, you need to follow the following process:

• Open Android Auto on your main mobile. The easiest way to find it is to go to the phone’s settings and type “Android Auto”. Click on the result with that name.
• Once in the Android Auto menu, scroll down to the version number. Press several times and accept activation of developer settings.
• Once Android Auto Developer Settings is active, click on the three items on the top menu and choose “Start the server from the main unit“. Your Android mobile is now ready.

• Open Headunit Reloaded on the old phone, which will serve as the Android Auto screen. Follow the setup steps and accept the permissions.
• Turn off your mobile WiFi and share your data connection via a hotspot.
• Connect the old Android to the hotspot mounted on the primary mobile (the one that will open the Android Auto app).
• Once you share the data, go to the old mobile phone, open Headunit Reloaded, make sure the screen is horizontal (otherwise Android Auto will start distorting) and click “WiFi”.

• Android Auto will open automatically: set it up on the main phone and when you’re done, You will have Android Auto active in Headunit Reloaded, the old phone app.

Every time 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. Start the recharged head unit there, load WiFi mode and use the vehicle system as usual. For practical reasons It’s exactly the same as having Android Auto built into the car itself..

Cover image | Ivan Linares

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