Android Auto alternatives
cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/117681
I am just curious what the state of android auto alternatives are at this point.
As much as I would like to use GrapheneOS I would find it quite hard to part with Android Auto / Apple CarPlay. I am not expecting Android Auto to be one of the apps to be available in sandboxed gapps, but I would like to see a viable alternative that is better than using OsmAnd with my phone mounted to the dashboard.
There's openauto, which seems to be an Android Auto emulator. https://bluewavestudio.io/shop/openauto-pro-car-head-unit-solution/
PilotDrive is more interesting. New, and not as powerful, but built from the ground up. https://github.com/lamemakes/pilot-drive
Both of these seem really interesting!
If you decide to try one out, please respond here or make a post. I don't drive more than 2 or 3 times a month, but I really want something like this set up.
Android Auto is basically a 'standard' - your inbuilt car multimedia or head deck only knows how to speak in Android Auto or Apple Car play. Unless the manufacturer included a facility for screen mirroring (which mostly suck), it's pretty hard to get it to do anything else.
Something like this (yes I know this one is out of stock) is probably your only option: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09H6NX9C3?redirectFromSmile=1
Box interfaces with your vehicle android auto, but is then able to pass through mirroring signal of your phone. So you interact with the in-vehicle display, but you are actually controlling your phone.
Came here to say this. Others would require mounting an Android tablet, I imagine.
I could do this but it still presents other issues based off of the two jurisdictions I frequently drive in. In one I can only 'program' the GPS via voice commands, and music must be controlled hands free (steering wheel controls / voice commands). In the other jurisdiction it is even stricter and I pretty much cannot do anything on the phone screen while the vehicle is in motion even if mounted, you can do slightly more with the pre-installed one but even checking messages on android auto / apple car play would be considered "illegal" (idk how they'd check tbh)
Yeah, this is the way. Phones are more than big enough these days!