Tutorials

Second life for your old mobile: turn it into an Android Auto for your car

Don’t have a car with Android Auto and want to take advantage of the benefits of this infotainment system for vehicles? Well, there is a fairly simple way to do it: with an Android mobile that you no longer use. If this is the case, take advantage: you will give a new life to that old smartphone.

It is not worth keeping an old Android in the drawer, unused, gathering dust: there are dozens of ways to take advantage of it. As a photo frame, as an alarm clock, it is perfect to configure it as a security camera and, why not, that phone that you no longer use can become a screen with Android Auto for your car. How do you read it?

Doesn’t your car come standard with Android Auto? you put it on

Android Auto from a mobile

Old mobile with Android Auto through Headunit Reloaded

The easiest way to add an infotainment system to a vehicle that lacks it usually comes with a car radio. In fact, there are models with Android Auto itself; although, in general, they tend to be somewhat expensive, they require assembly and require your car to have space on the dashboard for the device. What do you want to save all these inconveniences? An old Android is fine too.

We will take advantage of the wireless connectivity of Android Auto to connect your old mobile, the one that you no longer use, to your main Android. The idea is that you anchor the old telephone to the dashboard of the car in a safe way, a support for the air outlet also works for you: choose the fixing that you prefer; always with the precaution that it does not hinder 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 running (especially if its battery no longer lasts long).

Once you have the mobile looking in the car holder, and it is connected, It’s time to transform that old Android into a complete Android Auto. For practical purposes it will be exactly the same as having the vehicle operating system in your own car. And you only need one application: 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 euros.

Download Headunit Reloaded for free

Download paid Headunit Reloaded

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

  • Open Android Auto on your main mobile. The easiest way to find it is to go into the phone settings and type “Android Auto”. Click on the result with that name.
  • Once in the Android Auto menu go down to the version number. Press several times and accept the activation of developer settings.
  • Once you have the Android Auto developer settings active, click on the three upper menu points and choose “Start server from main unit». Your Android mobile is now ready.
Steps to activate the head unit in Android Auto

  • 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 through a hotspot.
  • Connect the old Android to the access point mounted on the main mobile (the one that will open the Android Auto app).
  • Once you are sharing the data, go to the old mobile, open Headunit Reloaded, make sure that the screen is horizontal (otherwise Android Auto will start deformed) and click on “WiFi”.
Activate WiFi in Headunit Reloaded

  • 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. Launch Headunit reloaded there, load WiFi mode, and use the in-vehicle system as normal. For practical purposes it is exactly the same as having Android Auto integrated in the car itself.

Related Articles

Back to top button