10 Hacks Every Android Auto User Should Know

Android Auto isn’t perfect, but it’s a powerful and highly customizable vehicle infotainment system with tons of hidden features and settings. If you’re using Android Auto in your car, here are top tips and tricks to maximize its navigation, entertainment and communication capabilities.

Customize the notifications you receive while driving

Getting tons of notifications on your Android Auto screen while you’re driving can be distracting (and potentially dangerous), but you don’t want to miss important and time-sensitive calls and texts. You can customize which alerts pop up and how they happen when you’re on the road, and even disable message notifications entirely. You can make changes like disabling group chat alerts while driving, customize how your phone’s display behaves when connected to Android Auto, and adjust how your phone recognizes when you’re driving. This will depend on the type of Android you have, therefore Follow Lifehacker’s guide to managing notifications On Android Auto, especially if you have a Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy.

Use “Customize Launcher” to rearrange apps

If the default view on Android Auto contains apps you never use, you can rearrange or remove them in favor of the ones you rely on every time you drive, like your favorite map, music and messaging apps. This makes your interface less distracting and eliminates the need to scroll the screen to find what you’re looking for. On your phone, open Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Preferences > Android Auto > Customize Launcher. Uncheck any apps you don’t need and tap and drag to rearrange the ones you keep.

Set shortcuts with custom assistant

Another is the ability to customize the launcher Program Shortcuts. Uses custom commands for these actions and routines Like navigating to the nearest gas station, sending a message, calling a contact, or running a range of home automation while you’re on the go. Once programmed, these one-tap shortcuts are added to your Android Auto home screen and can be rearranged using the steps above. To create a shortcut, go to Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Preferences > Android Auto > Customize Launcher on your phone and tap Add a shortcut to the launcher. Then, select an auxiliary action, type the command and press save. You can also check the shortcut from this screen.

Android Auto puts media on the right side of the display, so you have to reach across the screen to control your music apps. However, you can move the media to the left (driver’s) side, making them a bit easier to access. You can also put maps on the driver’s side if you want. go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Android AutoWhere you can set the location of the driver seat and choose whether or not to place media or navigation near the driver. You can also find these options in your Android Auto unit settings display section

Customize your Android Auto wallpaper

Unlike Apple CarPlay, which doesn’t support user-added wallpapers without a third-party app, Android Auto allows you to add a photo to your display—though it’s limited to the same wallpaper you have on your phone. To set an image as your Android Auto background, go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Android Auto on your phone and select Use the phone’s wallpaper in Android Auto. Open the image, tap the three dots and select > Use photo as wallpaper.

Choose your favorite digital assistant

Google started Rolling out Gemini on Android Auto Late last year, and while the upgrade aims to bring more conversational AI capabilities to your drive, it hasn’t been a smooth ride. Some users have reported Gemini talks too much and does too many things wrong, and ends up distracting more than helping. While this is likely to improve with future updates, you can switch back to the classic Google Assistant instead. To do so, go to Android Auto Settings on your phone, then Go Manage your digital assistant > Digital Assistants from Google > Google Assistant. Note that this will apply globally, not just to Android Auto.

Install AA Browser for video playback

Android Auto doesn’t have a web browser installed by default, but you can add one yourself. Take the open source AA browser for exampleWhich lets you search in Google or play a video on your Android Auto screen. Of course, you should only stream content when you’re safely parked—AA Browser will actually disable itself if your vehicle is moving. To get it, you have to enable developer mode on your Android phone and open the Android Auto Apps Downloader (AAAD) APK, which gives you access to numerous non-Play Store apps. Once installed, you can launch AA Browser from the main apps list on your Android Auto interface.

Add wireless capabilities to your wired Android Auto

Plugging your phone into Android Auto every time you get in your car can be a pain, especially when wireless Android Auto exists. Wired certainly has its place (as I’ll go into in the next hack), but if you want to add wireless capabilities to your wired unit, you need an adapter. to dongles AAwireless And carlinkit Recommended frequently by both users and Testers alike.

Disable wireless Android Auto to save your phone’s battery

On the other hand, there may be times when you want to rely on wired Android Auto and prevent your phone from trying to connect wirelessly. Google Removed this toggle From the main settings a few years ago, but There is a solution In your device’s developer settings. from Enter Android Auto Developer Mode On your Android phone, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > See all apps > Android Auto > Advanced > Additional settings in the appScroll down aboutand tap Version > Version and permission information 10 times. tap on ok When the dialog box appears, tap and uncheck the three-dot menu Wireless Android Auto.

Change this setting to improve your screen resolution

While you’re in developer mode, take a look at your default video resolution and DPI settings (Also in the three-dot menu > Developer settings). If your screen looks blurry, low-resolution, or oddly scaled, you may be able to increase the resolution for a sharper picture and smaller app icons for more efficient use of space. Take note of it The effects of these changes vary by displayBecause some older systems have limited resolution.