Although Android Auto has been a great ally for our road trips, there are also cars that are not compatible. In these cases, there are alternatives to installing Google infotainment, such as replacing the radio with one with Android Auto or installing an extra screen. but there Another simpler and cheaper solution: use your Android mobile phone.

So you can give a second life to an old Android, turning it into a screen with Android Auto or use your existing smartphone directly with a launcher. There are Car Launcher or other equally good alternatives that we present to you today. And one last option: use Google Driving Mode, but we told you it’s not the same as the old one and the new one is pretty decaffeinated. However If you want to use a mobile phone and are looking for a complete experienceThis launcher alternative to Android Auto is really great.

A free alternative to Android Auto to improve the experience of using a mobile phone in the car

The app in question is CarWebGuru, and I can tell you that not only is it light years away from Google’s driving mode, it’s also customization, compatible apps and flexibility are its best assets even in the free version (there is a paid version to get rid of ads and have more themes and widgets). First of all, it is to download it from Google Play Store.

As soon as you install it on the phone you need to provide it with certain information. logical permissions to fully use. An interesting point is that in addition to listing them, it also explains why you need them: location to calculate speed or distance, notifications to receive notifications from browsers, system settings to change screen brightness and others. Once configured (you can always accept the minimum value and accept accordingly), we scroll to the bottom area to launch the application (green button).

An extra suggestion– Although WebCarGuru can be used vertically, it’s worth unlocking rotation as you’ll get more use out of this launcher horizontally.

Viewed from here, we find a design perhaps a little outdated in these times of minimalism, but at least intuitive and functional. It also allows you to change from top to bottom. The default interface has a control circle of sorts with buttons for playback and basic general information. You can press this central area to see the current speed, date and time, playback, and even the compass.

Again, It is the side buttons (widgets) that interest ussince we can configure them both in the order we want and with the application we want (for this we will just have to make a long tap), something that significantly improves the experience compared to the driving mode, but also opens the application options, surpassing even the compatibility that Android Auto has.

So, for example, in ‘Navigation’ we can configure it to open AmiGo, ‘Music’ to do the same with Amazon Music Unlimited, ‘Phone’ to connect it to Contacts, but we can also eliminate others that make less sense. These default to something like ‘File Manager’ or ‘Internet’ and replace it with a radar app like Coyote or even Netflix. Yes, CarWebGuru allows you to open any application…that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea if you’re driving, so do it at your own risk.

Apart from this type of control panel, there are other buttons that lead to the help section, the phone’s WiFi settings or the file manager. As before, with a long press we can switch to another action. And we’re not done: When you swipe up on the home screen, there are more options, like changing the background and even the interface skin and general settings. In short: there’s customization to the point of being boring. The statistics and widget sections deserve special mention.

How does it work? Fluently and fulfilling the mission of simplifying. Ultimately, what it does is reduce the steps of our phone and the Android interface, so that we can open the applications we will use while driving more agile and faster. Of course, the practical Android Auto Coolwalk does not have a multi-window mode and we cannot control it with our voice (this is very important if we want to avoid fines), but it will always be better than using the mobile phone as it is.

CarWebGuru Vehicle Launcher

Alternative launcher to Android Auto

Download for free

Cover | Eva Rodríguez de Luis

Xataka on Android | No Android Auto, no problem: Five alternatives to Android Auto for your mobile phone