This useful sideloaded Android Auto app lets me watch YouTube, browse the web, and more

Over the past few weeks, I've been experimenting with sideloaded Android Auto apps that unlock features Google doesn't officially offer through its in-car infotainment platform.

So far, I've tried AA browser, an app that lets you surf the web in your car, and CarStream, an app that lets you watch YouTube through Android Auto. I've also played around with Screen2Auto, a screen-mirroring app, though I've found it unreliable and downright frustrating at times. More recently, though, I discovered a new sideloaded app called Fermata Auto, an all-in-one app that features local playback, YouTube, web browsing, and even screen mirroring.

In my experience with Fermata Auto so far, I've mostly found it to be more reliable than apps like CarStream and AA Browser. It's also great to have web browsing and YouTube available directly in a single reliable app, rather than switching between two different ones.

Don't use Fermata Auto while driving. Always make sure your car is parked before booting up video and web browsing Android Auto apps.

First you need to install Android Auto Apps Downloader

This gives you easy access to sideloaded Android Auto apps

To get Fermata Auto up and running, you'll need to do a few other things first, especially if you haven't sideloaded an app on your Android device before. I followed these steps on my Pixel 10 Pro. They'll likely be similar but might be a bit different depending on what Android device you're using.

First, you need to make sure you have Android's Developer Mode enabled:

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Open the Settings app on your Android device (in my case, I'm using my Pixel 10 Pro). Tap About Phone. Open Software Information (with my Pixel 10 Pro, this option is on the main About Phone screen). Find your phone's Build Number, and tap it seven times in a row. If you've done this correctly, you'll see a message stating "Developer Mode Enabled" (you'll also see a notification that you have only three taps left when you're close).

Now you need to turn on Android Auto's Developer mode:

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Open the Settings app on your Android phone. Navigate to Connected Devices (it's the second option). Tap on Android Auto (on my Pixel 10 Pro, I also need to tap Connection Preferences first). Scroll down and tap Version until Developer Settings are enabled (you'll see a notification that you have only three taps left when you're close).

Now it's time to install the Android Auto Apps Download (AAAD) app. Since you've already enabled various developer modes, this should be a smooth process. If you encounter an "unknown sources" installation warning, you'll need to bypass it to install AAAD. Now, scroll through AAAD and find Fermata Auto. Tap the app to download it, then follow the on-screen prompts to install the APK.

If you plan to install more than one app with AAAD, you might want to pay $4 for the Pro version, since the free version limits you to one app download/install every 30 days.

Fermata Auto should instantly appear on your Android Auto dashboard. If it doesn't, try disconnecting your phone from your vehicle and then reconnecting it. You also might need to add it to the Android Auto Launcher. You can do this by going to Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Preferences > Android Auto > Customize Launcher, then checking the box next to Fermata Auto.

Here's where things get a bit complicated, as is often the case with sideloaded Android Auto apps. Several different Fermata Auto apps will appear in your Android Auto launcher as part of the package available through AAAD, including FS Fermata Mirror, Fermatta Mirror, Fermata Auto, and Fermata Media Service.

Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge Android Auto history and functionality

Trivia challenge From navigation to voice commands — find out how much you really know about Android Auto. Navigation Connectivity Voice Apps Safety Begin 01 / 8 Connectivity Which wireless standard does Android Auto use when connecting without a USB cable? A Bluetooth 5.0 only B Wi-Fi Direct via the 5 GHz band C NFC pairing with automatic handoff D Zigbee over a local hotspot That's right! Wireless Android Auto uses Wi-Fi Direct over the 5 GHz band for a fast, low-latency connection. Bluetooth is still used in the background, but only to initiate and manage the pairing handshake. Not quite. Wireless Android Auto relies on Wi-Fi Direct over the 5 GHz band for its main data connection. Bluetooth plays a supporting role in establishing the initial pairing, but the heavy lifting is done over Wi-Fi. Continue 02 / 8 Voice Which voice assistant is natively built into Android Auto for hands-free control? A Amazon Alexa B Samsung Bixby C Google Assistant D Cortana Correct! Google Assistant is the heart of Android Auto's voice control system. You can use it to send messages, make calls, get directions, and play media — all without taking your hands off the wheel. Not quite. Google Assistant is the built-in voice assistant for Android Auto. While Amazon Alexa has its own in-car experiences, it is not natively integrated into Android Auto the way Google Assistant is. Continue 03 / 8 Apps Which of the following app categories is NOT officially supported on Android Auto? A Navigation apps B Social media browsing apps C Messaging apps D Audio and podcast apps Spot on! Android Auto deliberately blocks general social media browsing to minimize driver distraction. Google's design philosophy for the platform prioritizes safety, limiting apps to navigation, audio, and communication categories. Actually, social media browsing apps are the ones NOT supported on Android Auto. Google intentionally restricts the platform to navigation, audio, and messaging apps to keep drivers focused on the road. Continue 04 / 8 Navigation Which navigation app was among the first third-party apps officially supported on Android Auto at launch? A Apple Maps B TomTom GO C Waze D HERE WeGo Correct! Waze, which Google acquired in 2013, was one of the earliest third-party navigation apps to gain official Android Auto support. Its community-driven traffic data made it a popular alternative to Google Maps on the platform. Not quite. Waze was among the first third-party navigation apps supported on Android Auto. Since Google owns Waze, it made sense for it to be an early addition alongside Google Maps when the platform launched. Continue 05 / 8 History In what year was Android Auto officially launched to the public? A 2012 B 2013 C 2015 D 2017 That's right! Android Auto officially launched in 2015, following its announcement at Google I/O 2014. It debuted as part of the Open Automotive Alliance, a collaboration between Google and major automakers. Not quite. Android Auto was officially launched in 2015, after being unveiled at Google I/O in 2014. It was a cornerstone of the Open Automotive Alliance initiative that brought together Google and car manufacturers. Continue 06 / 8 Safety What is the minimum Android version required to run Android Auto on a phone as of recent updates? A Android 6.0 Marshmallow B Android 8.0 Oreo C Android 9.0 Pie D Android 11 Correct! Android 8.0 Oreo is the minimum Android version required to run Android Auto. Google periodically updates these requirements, so keeping your phone's software current ensures you get the best Android Auto experience. Not quite. Android 8.0 Oreo is the minimum version needed to run Android Auto. Google raised the minimum requirements over time as the app took advantage of newer Android features and security improvements. Continue 07 / 8 Apps Which music streaming service was among the launch partners for Android Auto's audio app support? A Tidal B Spotify C Apple Music D Deezer Exactly right! Spotify was a launch partner for Android Auto and remains one of its most popular audio apps. Its deep integration allows drivers to browse playlists, switch tracks, and control playback entirely through the Android Auto interface. Not quite. Spotify was actually one of the original launch partners for Android Auto's audio support. Apple Music, as you might expect, is not available on Android Auto since it is tied to Apple's ecosystem. Continue 08 / 8 Connectivity What feature allows Android Auto to be used directly on a phone's screen without a car display, introduced in 2019? A Android Auto Mirror Mode B Android Auto Desktop Mode C Android Auto phone screen mode D Android Auto Standalone That's correct! Google introduced the Android Auto phone screen mode in 2019, letting users access the Android Auto interface directly on their phone even without a compatible head unit. It was later replaced by Google Assistant Driving Mode in newer Android versions. Not quite. The feature was called Android Auto phone screen mode, and it launched in 2019. It gave drivers access to the simplified Android Auto interface on their phone screen, which was useful for cars that lacked a compatible infotainment display. See My Score Challenge Complete Your Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again

I wasn't able to get FS Fermata Mirror working, which mirrors your full phone screen, so I removed it from my Android Auto launcher. Fermatta Mirror mirrors a specific app, but compatibility is spotty. While apps like the Xbox app and Firefox mirrored well, Netflix and other streaming apps wouldn't work at all. Then there's Fermata Media Service, an app for playing content directly saved on your device, and finally Fermata Auto, the main app in the package. It allows you to browse the internet and watch YouTube videos.

For Fermata Auto to work, you'll need to accept several somewhat scary-looking permissions that pop up on your device when you launch the app in Android Auto (as always, do this at your own risk). If these permissions don't appear, you'll need to look for them yourself. In my case, I needed to navigate to Settings > Apps > Fermata Auto > Three Dots > Allow Restricted Settings on my Pixel 10 Pro (if you can't find it, first tap See all apps or App info).

The option to enable these permissions should then appear when you launch Fermata Auto again (if it doesn't, try restarting your phone and unplugging/plugging back into Android Auto). For Fermata Mirror to run properly (I wasn't a big fan of this app), you'll need to go to Apps > Fermata Auto > Allow Display Over Other Apps (this is the same process I went through for Screen2Auto).

Fermata Auto is now my go-to app for in-car YouTube and web browsing

I've never found much point in screen mirroring with Android Auto.

Fermata Auto's on-screen keyboard is a bit laggy in my Ioniq 5, but I assume that's the case with most vehicles given how under-powered their infotainment systems often are. This can make typing on the screen somewhat annoying. Thankfully, there's a bookmark feature that lets you add various sites to your phone for easy access. You can also log in to your YouTube account ahead of time so that your watch history and subscribed channels instantly appear, allowing you to avoid messing around with your vehicle's infotainment screen.

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In my experience, Fermata Auto has been very reliable and snappy in the few situations when I've browsed the web with the app while waiting in my car when I've arrived early at an appointment. Where the app truly shines is with YouTube. Videos take over the side of the screen Fermata Auto is running on and generally look excellent. I watched parts of Nintendo's recent Direct and was impressed at how great it looked on my vehicle's 1080p screen.

If you're like me and rarely actually need to browse the web or stream a YouTube video on your vehicle's display, when you do, you want it to actually work, not crash all the time or fail to launch properly. In my brief experience with Fermata Auto's core app so far, it's been very reliable and a notable step above other similar sideloaded Android apps I've tried.