Android Auto
Phone projection system in Cars & transport
Recommended for bringing familiar phone maps, audio and apps to the car, including older models. Critics most often report flaky connections and breakage after updates.
Recommended for bringing familiar phone maps, audio and apps to the car, including older models. Critics most often report flaky connections and breakage after updates.
131 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 69
- criticize it
- 62
- approval share
- 53%
Recommended in 12 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 69 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 12 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Better than built-in car systems
“Both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are better experiences than any first party car interface I've experienced.”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “My car's OTA update broke Android Auto, and it's a indictment of modern software” “the experience is so much worse when it's not integrated with the car”
Comment from 31 Jul 2026 in “Google will expand age checks on Android worldwide till the end of the year” “Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are excellent for navigation and other entertainment.”
Comment from 8 Jan 2026 in “Volkswagen Brings Back Physical Buttons” - Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive”
Modernizes older cars
“CarPlay/Android Auto is how you can get a modern infotainment system on a car that's a decade old.”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “GM Deprecating In-Car App Store for Models as Recent as 2020” “It has a 7" display where the old stuff was and wireless Android Auto.”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive” “For people that wish to keep a vehicle for a long time, carplay/android auto isn't just a convenience anymore.”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive” - Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive”
Carries phone apps and preferences
“I love being able to carry all my preferences from my phone directly to the car without any additional configuration”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “My car's OTA update broke Android Auto, and it's a indictment of modern software” “The nice thing about phone projection (Android Auto, CarPlay) is that the tech remains in your phone”
Comment from 6 Sep 2026 in “The car industry A/B tested selling a car with and without CarPlay” “instead just delegate to the smartphone you already have, is a huge and surprising win”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “My car's OTA update broke Android Auto, and it's a indictment of modern software” - Comment from 29 Dec 2025 in “Tesla's 4680 battery supply chain collapses as partner writes down deal by 99%”
Same interface across cars
“The Android Auto experience is very smooth and fundamentally exactly the same.”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive” “CarPlay / Android Auto aren't just features, they're consistency”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive” “it's always my Android Auto, regardless of which car I'm driving”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Flaky connections and failed starts
“Both Android Auto and Chromecast are great ideas, but so incredibly flakey.”
Comment from 17 Jul 2026 in “My car's OTA update broke Android Auto, and it's a indictment of modern software” “the android auto has been flawless since we got them. except for updates from google on the phone temporarily breaking things”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “GM just laid off IT workers to hire those with stronger AI skills” “Android Auto refused to connect with an error message stating it will not start if VPN is active on the phone.”
Comment from 5 Aug 2026 in “Google Assistant is going away on Mobile Devices” - Comment from 11 Feb 2026 in “Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV”
- Comment from 13 Jan 2026 in “AI Generated Music Barred from Bandcamp”
Gemini voice assistant worse
“When they swapped Google Assistant for Gemini as the default voice provider in Android Auto it was so annoying.”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “Gemini 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash Cyber” “without it also then becoming your default smart assistant for Android Auto, where it is useless.”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left” “The sheer quality destruction it's experienced since transitioning to Gemini is incredible.”
Comment from 16 Jun 2026 in “I Fired Google” Distracting notifications and interruptions
“gets annoying at times (when Android Auto connects on my phone, it tends to stop me from using the maps app on the phone”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive” “Very annoying and distracting, potentially unsafe since I was going around 70 mph while surprised by this.”
Comment from 6 Nov 2025 in “Please stop asking me to provide feedback #8036” “Half of the times it doesn't connect, when it connects I get useless notifications for everything.”
Comment from 11 Feb 2026 in “Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV” Requires Google services and location data
“Android Auto is the only thing on my GrapheneOS phone that still required Google Play Services”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Gearslip – Android Auto replacement without Google” “Streaming my location and an OBD dump to Google whenever I'm driving is a non-starter for me”
Comment from 14 May 2026 in “Removing the Modem and GPS from My 2024 RAV4 Hybrid”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple CarPlay | 149 | 101 | 60% | 11 | 5 yrs6 owners | — |
| Android AutoThis page | 69 | 62 | 53% | 12 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 145 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Android Auto is the only thing on my GrapheneOS phone that still required Google Play Services”
“The nice thing about phone projection (Android Auto, CarPlay) is that the tech remains in your phone”
“It is almost 100% equivalent to connecting a second monitor to a laptop, but with a car UI.”
“Have the infotainment system just be a blank canvas for Carplay or AA to display on”
“I and basically everyone I know love it because it and android auto are made by actual UI/UX designers”
“Android Auto refused to connect with an error message stating it will not start if VPN is active on the phone.”
“the experience is so much worse when it's not integrated with the car”
“When they swapped Google Assistant for Gemini as the default voice provider in Android Auto it was so annoying.”
“Both Android Auto and Chromecast are great ideas, but so incredibly flakey.”
“I love being able to carry all my preferences from my phone directly to the car without any additional configuration”
“Both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are better experiences than any first party car interface I've experienced.”
“instead just delegate to the smartphone you already have, is a huge and surprising win”
“It has a 7" display where the old stuff was and wireless Android Auto.”
“Outside of Carplay, Android Auto and Tesla (and maybe a few other very recent models), they're all shit.”
“Now I just hook up Android Auto and I'm back into the same podcast I had on the flight”
“The Android Auto experience is very smooth and fundamentally exactly the same.”
“Android Auto/CarPlay let's you connect one thing (or not at all), have your phone charged, your navigation clear”
“That's in fact one of the pros of carplay/android auto as opposed to just putting your phone in one of those windscreen attached holders”
“it's always my Android Auto, regardless of which car I'm driving”
“gets annoying at times (when Android Auto connects on my phone, it tends to stop me from using the maps app on the phone”
“With Android Auto, I at least know how to navigate and play audio with minimal effort.”
“CarPlay / Android Auto aren't just features, they're consistency”
“I have installed Android Auto head units into each of my last three cars.”
“Often the same app is better on CarPlay/android auto than it is in the native UI”
“For people that wish to keep a vehicle for a long time, carplay/android auto isn't just a convenience anymore.”
“I refuse to be locked into some terrible, never updated or expensive subscription vendor nav unit. I have a phone. I want to be able to use it.”
“Android Auto is fully supported and shouldn't be any more flaky than it is on the stock OS.”
“The sheer quality destruction it's experienced since transitioning to Gemini is incredible.”
“without it also then becoming your default smart assistant for Android Auto, where it is useless.”
“Streaming my location and an OBD dump to Google whenever I'm driving is a non-starter for me”
“the android auto has been flawless since we got them. except for updates from google on the phone temporarily breaking things”
“there's a trackpad on the centre console that just works even (most of the time) with Android Auto”
“Half of the times it doesn't connect, when it connects I get useless notifications for everything.”
“Android Auto can't decide whether to connect over USB or bluetooth and just doesn't play audio”
“Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are excellent for navigation and other entertainment.”
“I get suggestions through multiple different apps of my choice through Android Auto.”
“including Android Auto and Google Maps, which is pretty much the only thing I ever use it for”
“Very annoying and distracting, potentially unsafe since I was going around 70 mph while surprised by this.”
“Switching from Android Auto and CarPlay to the Android Automotive OS (AAOS) means the auto manufacturer gets the data that was going through the phone.”
“CarPlay/Android Auto is how you can get a modern infotainment system on a car that's a decade old.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.