Android Auto Allows You to Install a Web Browser, and It’s Actually Not Dangerous.
Android Auto offers a lot of features, but it doesn’t offer a web browser—at least not in its default configuration. However, with a few minor modifications and using AA Browser, a browser specifically designed for Android Auto, you can access web pages.
Opening a web browser on your car’s dashboard may not seem like a big improvement over browsing the web on your phone, but it also opens up another feature on your car’s display: video playback. With AA Browser, you can access virtually any streaming site and download videos.
However, a serious safety warning is necessary. Only load video onto your Android Auto screen when you’re parked, stationary, and not moving. Watching anything while moving—whether on your phone or on your dashboard—endangers not only your life but also the lives of other road users.
In fact, AA Browser will shut down while your car is moving, but it’s worth warning you about this, just like with any other app. So, here’s how to launch the web browser on Android Auto and make your time spent parked more enjoyable.
Setting up and installing the browser
Like Android in general, Android Auto has a developer mode that provides access to a number of additional settings. In Android Settings, go to Connected devices > Connection settings > Android Auto (for Pixel phones) or just Connected devices > Android Auto (for Galaxy phones). Scroll to the bottom of the screen, tap “Version,” then tap “Version and permissions info” seven times.
A pop-up window should then appear asking if you want to enable developer options for Android Auto, so tap “OK” to confirm. After that, open the AAAD (Android Auto Apps Downloader) APK file in your phone’s browser, ignoring any security warnings about running apps not hosted in the Play Store.
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AAAD provides access to a number of Android Auto apps that haven’t been specifically approved by Google, including AA Browser. Go through a few introductory screens, grant the app the necessary permissions to install other apps, and then find AA Browser in the list of available apps. Tap “Install” and then confirm the installation by confirming the installation.
You’ll be prompted to open AA Browser immediately: you can use it like a regular web browser on your phone, although there’s not much to see there. It’s designed to be used primarily on the Android Auto screen, and should now appear as an available app when your phone is connected to the car.
Using AA Browser in your car
If you’re safely parked in your car, you can launch AA Browser from the main app list in the Android Auto interface (you may also be prompted to launch it the first time you connect after installing the app). This will take you to the main Google search page, and from there you can navigate anywhere.
As with any other Android Auto app, tapping the input field will bring up a keyboard on the screen, allowing you to enter web addresses and login credentials, as well as use the touchscreen for navigation. To open the address bar, tap anywhere on the screen, then tap the blue arrow in the lower-left corner.
The next screen also offers options for viewing your browser history and accessing bookmarks—a convenient way to quickly return to websites without having to enter their URLs each time. You can also request desktop versions of websites instead of mobile versions.
While some websites seem incompatible with the Android Auto browser, most of the pages I visited worked fine in Android Auto. To exit the browser, you can either tap the Exit button in the upper-right corner (if visible) or swipe up or down from the top or bottom of the Android Auto screen to return to other apps.