Driver Turns 2014 Car’s Old Phone Into $0 Android Auto Receiver
Updated
Updated · XDA Developers · Aug 14
Driver Turns 2014 Car’s Old Phone Into $0 Android Auto Receiver
3 articles · Updated · XDA Developers · Aug 14
Summary
A 2014 car owner repurposed an old phone as an Android Auto display, avoiding a head-unit upgrade that would have cost at least the low hundreds of dollars.
Headunit Revived on the old phone and Wireless Helper on the main phone link the two devices, letting Google Maps replace the car’s slow navigation system, whose last map update arrived in 2019.
Wireless Android Auto uses Wi-Fi for most of the connection, so the main phone can still send music and other audio to the car’s speakers over Bluetooth while the old phone handles the screen.
The workaround adds current maps, road alerts and broader app support at no extra cost, though mounting, charging and screen size may still make a dedicated head unit the better option for some drivers.