I Gave Up on Android Auto and My Alternative Is Brilliant

In search of a new cash cow, the brilliant minds at the American carmaker decided to abandon two essential car features. Android Auto and CarPlay would no longer be available in EVs produced by General Motors starting in 2024. Instead, the company will go all-in on Android Automotive, which will allow it to insist on a subscription-based strategy.

The goal is obvious: General Motors wants to turn subscriptions into a money-making machine despite the plan causing much frustration in its customer and potential-customer base.

Android Auto and CarPlay have grown to become essential features in new cars. Despite projecting the mobile screen to the display in the cabin, their benefits are obvious. Drivers can run the navigation on a larger screen, control the music playback, and handle phone calls and messages hands-free.

Long-time users, however, certainly know that neither Android Auto nor CarPlay provides a 100 percent flawless experience. In the case of Google’s app, things tend to break down all of a sudden without users even changing anything on their sides.

The release of Coolwalk was supposed to breathe new life into Android Auto. Thanks to its CarPlay Dashboard-inspired layout, Coolwalk allows users to run multiple apps on the same screen regardless of display size and resolution. It’s an incredible update that makes perfect sense for a driver.

The old Android Auto problems, however, are still there. The app sometimes stops responding, apps crash for no reason, disconnections continue to happen at random times. Furthermore, the voice commands are incredibly inconsistent, and essential features, such as the ability to respond to a message, could go missing because God knows why.

Many users decided to jump ship, sometimes moving to CarPlay in search of a more reliable experience. I chose a different path, and my alternative so far is mind-blowing.

Goodbye, Android Auto!

The main reason I decided to give up on Android Auto is the app’s reliability and how it impacts certain apps. I typically run Waze every time I start the engine. The app regularly fails to determine my location, in some cases requiring two or more force-closes to work properly.

For some reason, Android Auto also randomly disconnects in my car in the middle of the drive. I originally blamed a loose cable or a broken USB port – I’m using a genuine Samsung cable, by the way, but this was not the case. I tried several cables and also got my USB port inspected by the dealership. CarPlay is also working correctly, so the problem most likely resides in Android Auto.

With such problems swirling around the web for years, it’s pretty clear Google can’t fix them overnight. As such, given I need long-term reliability, I decided to replace my Android Auto screen with a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. It’s currently Samsung’s latest and greatest foldable and comes with a screen estate that’s almost as large as the display in my car.

Full Android

I installed the phone in my car using a simple suction cup-based holder. However, I’m still in search of a more secure fit, so do let me know in the comment box if you have any suggestions.

Given its screen estate (the Fold4 has a full 6.2-inch rectangular screen when unfolded), Waze and Google Maps navigation guidance feels a lot easier to use. Seeing anything on the screen is more convenient from the driver’s seat, and sending a report in Waze seems faster.

The screen is obviously a lot more responsive than the original factory-fitted display in my car. Samsung is known as the top dog in the display business, and the Fold4 is the best it can do right now. As such, the experience is impressive and doesn’t even compare to the typical screens used in cars.

Navigation apps, such as Google Maps and Waze, use the entire screen on a Fold4. Despite having a rectangular aspect ratio when unfolded, the mobile device feels natural behind the wheel. Everything is properly rendered, and no elements, such as the Waze speedometer or the incident reporting button, go off the screen.

To listen to music, I connected the mobile device to my car’s speakers via Bluetooth. Phone calls are also routed to the audio system in the vehicle. For hands-free interaction, I use Google Assistant, and this time, it really works. Compared to Android Auto, the voice commands are a lot more reliable, with no major bug whatsoever.

There’s another benefit of having a full Android phone in the car: full access to the Google Play Store. Thanks to this setup, I can watch YouTube or Netflix when waiting to pick up my kid from school.

At the end of the day, I don’t feel like I’m losing anything by replacing Android Auto with this setup. Sure enough, the Fold4 wasn’t cheap, but given I got both a phone and a car display, the investment feels like it was worth it.