In addition to the important change in the design of the interface that Android Auto will carry out with Coolwalk, Google introduced an important novelty in the system that is still under development: Cast. with this app it is possible to mirror the mobile screen on the vehicle console. And we have been able to test it, it is perfect for viewing content when the car is parked.
Google has been improving its operating system for vehicles very little by little. Even so, Android Auto became stronger in functions and versatility as more manufacturers were betting on integration in their cars. What do you have with one? Well, there are two main novelties to which you will have access in the future: to Coolwalk interface and Cast screen sharing. Let’s see how the second works.
Mirror mobile content in the car
Last opened phone apps reflected on the car screen
Cast is an application that appears in Android Auto once it is forced from the “flags” or experimental functions. This change can only be done at the code level and if you have ROOT or administrator access; so it cannot be proven in a simple way, that is its main impediment today.
We have managed to activate the new screen sharing application on our rooted Android thanks to AA AIO TWEAKER, an excellent app with which activate hidden settings in Auto. The option itself is named as “Application for transmission of multimedia content“; when activated, a new app appears briefly in the Android Auto grid: Cast.
The operation of the app, which is still in an early stage of development, is the same as that offered by a Google Chromecast: Allows you to mirror what is displayed on the phone panel on the big screen. So, when opening said Cast, and authorizing the screenshot on the mobile connected to Android Auto, the car receives the transmission of what is on the mobile.
Android Auto screen sharing browser
The idea is to take advantage of the vehicle screen while the car is parked. When opening Cast you can see from the web pages to a series of the mobile; going through the photos of the gallery, the videos or the settings of the phone itself. Once linked in streaming, everything that appears on the mobile is reflected in the car.
When opening the “Cast” application in the car, everything that appears on the mobile screen will be reflected in the vehicle panel
Although the “casting” works correctly, once any other application is opened in Android Auto the transfer fails; forcing you to open the Cast app again. What’s more, said application disappears from Android Auto after a while of being activated, surely by order of the system itself (Cast is not yet final). We have not found another way to start it again other than deleting all the data from the Android Auto app.
A function that will give a lot of play when the car is parked
How long does it take for Here Maps to launch compatibility with Android Auto? Well, it starts from the mobile
Cast will only allow screen transfer when the vehicle is properly parked. Once it can be used in a stable way, Cast will open the door to enjoying multimedia content inside the car, whether it is a streaming video or one already stored on the phone. And whether Android Auto is wired or wireless, screen mirroring works just the same.
Our first experience was very positive despite the difficulty for the application to appear. It is still unstable, but Cast points out ways: Let’s hope that Google finishes the tests in order to activate the new function to all users.
