Android Auto has a lot of shortcomings, but it's currently one of the best car head unit systems available today. XDA Recognised Developer Emil Borconi set out to fix one of its shortcomings - make an Android Auto head unit wireless. They're going to be wireless in the future, but for now, the only way to use one is by physically connecting your device. While it's not the most elegant solution, we covered his proof of concept last week. Now there's some amazing news as it's been released and you can give it a try now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc0gpgMBuLo

To start, you'll need either a TV stick or another Android phone. You can use root to simplify the process when using a TV stick, but we recommend using another phone for simplicity's sake. The premise is simple - you connect an old phone or TV stick to the Android Auto head unit, and that device then receives commands from your actual phone. You're effectively using the spare phone as a forwarder for commands.

Download the XDA Labs application to get started. Once you have that, download the application below on the device connecting to the head unit. This device is referred to as the "slave" device.

[appbox xda uk.co.borconi.emil.aagateway]

  1. Next, you need to set up a Wi-Fi hotspot on your main (master) device and connect the slave device to it.
  2. Now plug the slave device into your Android Auto head unit.
  3. Select AAGateway and tap "Always."
  4. Next, set up the Android Auto head unit server on your master device. You can do that by enabling the developer settings in the Android Auto application and starting it there.
  5. If you have issues, try enabling USB debugging on the slave device.

For more detailed instructions on how to install it, you can check out the thread below. The thread also includes instructions for setting it up on a TV stick if that's the method you choose.

Use a wired Android Auto head unit as a wireless Android Auto unit