Oliver Haslam·

Tesla Drivers Can Now Use Android Auto Via A Browser, Here’s How

As much as most Tesla owners seem to be big fans of their cars, there is one thing that they can universally agree on — the lack of CarPlay or Android Auto support is baffling. Now, those on the Android side are good to go — if they don’t mind a workaround.

Tesla drivers can now enjoy Android Auto via a workaround. Simply install a $6.50 app and connect their phone to the car via Bluetooth. . After connecting the car to their phone’s WiFi hotspot, it’s all pretty simple — just head to androidwheels.com and that’s it.

There’s little doubt that this is a workaround, but it seems to work based on early reviews. Drivers can use Waze, Google Maps, and more as if this was a genuine Android Auto connection.

Simple app which allow users to project Android Auto using Tesla’s built in browser.

Your Tesla needs to have support for hardware accelerated video for this app to work. All Tesla’s supporting Netflix/YouTube/Disney+ should be able to use this app.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t issues, though. As Electrek reports, there are some caveats to consider.

  • When / after switching to reverse the video can become unresponsive. A refresh of the page will fix this.
  • The app uses native FFMPEG binary on the phone side, which on some occasions can die in the background. This will not happen during the drive, more like during the setup or if you close the browser of Tesla many times then switch back to it. Sadly this needs the TeslAA Service to be stopped and restarted.
  • Performance depends on the phone and on the Tesla browser as well. Under-powered phones might not be able to stream correctly in 720p.
  • Wireless charging when using AA can lead to phone overheating (happens on my OnePlus 8 Pro), I can avoid this by using a wired charger (a bit unfortunate, but this is again phone dependant).
  • If you lose mobile phone signal for a long time, Telsa might decide to disconnect from the WiFi, and you won’t be able to reconnect untill you’re back in an area with mobile coverage.

All of that said, it’s better than nothing, right?

Download: TeslAA – Android Auto over Tesla Browser for Android from Google Play

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