Turn an old tablet into an Android car system

If you don’t have a modern infotainment system or Android Auto/Apple CarPlay support, there are always custom solutions. Here is a promising project: installing Android Automotive on an old Android tablet.

The development of infotainment systems has rendered many old cars obsolete. If you have a car without Android Auto or Apple CarPlay support, and even without any touch screen, it may be worth considering custom integrations.

Let’s not confuse Android Auto with Android Automotive

First of all, we tend to confuse everything, but it is not so simple with these similar terms. On Android, there are two integrated solutions: Android Auto and Android Automotive. Android Auto is an interface that adapts to the vehicle and is distributed via your smartphone. Android Automotive is a fully integrated in-vehicle infotainment system like volvo And the Renault. By the way, Android Automotive can support Android Auto, but also Apple CarPlay.

with The latest transformation of Android AutoIt is interesting to think of an alternative. Here is a project that should interest you. Idea: Use an old Android tablet or smartphone as an infotainment screen.

Android Automotive on an Android tablet

This is exactly the project led by media journalist Esber Mishaal Rahman. He had the idea of ​​integrating Android Automotive, as a system, into an Android tablet. As mentioned in the Twitter thread, Mishaal Rahman’s build runs on a vanilla version of Android Automotive (the base version of the OS) and can be connected to a phone via USB to support Android. Auto.

You’ve turned the Galaxy Tab S5e into an Android Automotive flagship unit with Android Auto👀 . support https://t.co/AZN9Xm5qX7 pic.twitter.com/SjKhMMlDBm

– Mishaal Rahman September 13, 2022

According to Mishaal Rahman, everything is going as expected. There is some instability, including a crash of Google Maps. Also, Android Auto seems to only work in wired mode at the moment.

His project could certainly go much further by connecting directly to the car via the OBD socket, for example. The OBD socket, often located under the driver’s steering wheel, is used to diagnose your vehicle. It is also useful for some anti-theft devices. Above all, it makes it possible to recover the exact data that appears on the dashboard, including the speed of the car for example.

However, this is not necessarily the intended use initially, and therefore the use of the OBD socket can lead to risks of interference, and therefore malfunctions of the On Board Computer (BSI). In the worst case, this can void the car’s warranty.

In short, this project to repurpose an old Android tablet is very interesting as part of a standalone infotainment system. We can imagine a GPS solution, wizz where Google Maps, as well as on-board music control (via Bluetooth or socket), Internet access, Google Assistant, etc. That doesn’t stop it from remaining a personal solution out of everyone’s reach.

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