Android Auto

Quick start

1. Connect the device in Emu.
2. Open the Android Auto section in the inspector panel and click Connect.
3. The head unit display appears in the workspace.

Prerequisites

Android Auto projection requires some one-time setup on the emulator.

1. Install Android Auto

   The stub that ships with most emulator system images does not support head unit projection. You need to sideload a full Android Auto APK sourced externally — it is not available on the Play Store for emulators.

2. Sign in with a Google account

   Android Auto requires an active Google account on the device. Open Settings > Accounts and sign in if you haven’t already.

3. Accept permissions

   On first connection, Android Auto will prompt you to grant permissions and accept terms. Follow the on-screen prompts on the device.

Tip

These steps only need to be done once per device. After initial setup, Emu connects on subsequent launches without repeating them.

Media and navigation

Emu surfaces Android Auto metadata in the inspector panel.

• Media playback: Track title, artist, and playback status.
• Navigation: Turn-by-turn navigation status when active.

Vehicle controls

Emu exposes Android Auto protocol controls in the inspector panel.

• Day/Night mode: Toggle between day and night display modes to test how your app adapts.
• Driving status: Switch between Parked, Idle, and Moving to test how your app responds to driving restrictions.

MCP tools

AI agents can interact with the Android Auto head unit using dedicated MCP tools (aa_tap, aa_swipe, aa_screenshot, etc.). See the tool reference for the full list.

Caution

The Android Auto display is rendered via its own projection protocol, not through the standard Android view hierarchy. The accessibility tree (ui_dump) and element-based tools (tap_element, fill_element) do not work on the head unit. Agents need to use aa_screenshot with computer vision to understand the screen content, and aa_tap/aa_swipe with pixel coordinates to interact.