Photo: TeslaAndroid on Twitter
It’s no longer a secret that the lack of Android Auto and CarPlay is considered one of the biggest shortcomings in a Tesla. And right now, there’s absolutely no sign that things could change, neither in short nor in the long term. Not officially, at least.
Unofficially, developer Michal Gapinski is making the whole thing happen with the help of a project called Android Tesla Project.
Starting today, the project (along with the full instructions on how to set it up) is available for everybody with a Tesla, which means that bringing Android Auto and CarPlay to Elon’s cars is now just a matter of following a series of instructions. And buying some special hardware, that is, as the hack involves a connected Raspberry Pi as well (plus some more cables, but you can find all requirements on the official site of the project here).
Basically, it all comes down to what seems like a very simple system, yet in practice, it’s actually a super-clever and complex hack. Tesla’s web browser is being used to connect to a server set up using the Raspberry Pi running either Android or Linux.
From there, you can go whatever route you want, as both Android Auto and CarPlay are available.
Obviously, it’s not exactly the most straightforward hack, and beginners might have a very hard time getting everything up and running. But at the end of the day, it’s one solution that works really well, as Android Auto and CarPlay allow Tesla owners to run apps like Google Maps, Spotify, and so on, right on the screen inside their cars.
The work on the project isn’t by any means over. Gapinski says he’s already trying to simplify the configuration, as it’s pretty clear that such a complex setup makes it too complicated for some Tesla owners out there.
But despite this major shortcoming, it’s without a doubt worth a try. Unless Elon suddenly has a change of mind and brings CarPlay to Tesla cars, which will probably happen when pigs fly (and probably not even then).
Starting today, the project (along with the full instructions on how to set it up) is available for everybody with a Tesla, which means that bringing Android Auto and CarPlay to Elon’s cars is now just a matter of following a series of instructions. And buying some special hardware, that is, as the hack involves a connected Raspberry Pi as well (plus some more cables, but you can find all requirements on the official site of the project here).
Basically, it all comes down to what seems like a very simple system, yet in practice, it’s actually a super-clever and complex hack. Tesla’s web browser is being used to connect to a server set up using the Raspberry Pi running either Android or Linux.
From there, you can go whatever route you want, as both Android Auto and CarPlay are available.
Obviously, it’s not exactly the most straightforward hack, and beginners might have a very hard time getting everything up and running. But at the end of the day, it’s one solution that works really well, as Android Auto and CarPlay allow Tesla owners to run apps like Google Maps, Spotify, and so on, right on the screen inside their cars.
The work on the project isn’t by any means over. Gapinski says he’s already trying to simplify the configuration, as it’s pretty clear that such a complex setup makes it too complicated for some Tesla owners out there.
But despite this major shortcoming, it’s without a doubt worth a try. Unless Elon suddenly has a change of mind and brings CarPlay to Tesla cars, which will probably happen when pigs fly (and probably not even then).
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