Android Auto is excellent at the basics. Things like navigation, playing music, and access to phone calls on the go all work great. But if you push the functionality towards video-focused entertainment, it falls apart. That's mostly by design because it is designed to prioritize safety. But often enough, I find myself waiting in the car park when I'm picking up someone, or stuck in an hour-long traffic jam where a little bit of entertainment certainly wouldn't hurt. So I started looking for a solution to this problem. After all, there should be a way to use the big screen in my car to watch videos. Turns out there is. An open source app called Fermata Auto promises to do exactly that. Yes, installing it is a bit of a hassle, but when done, it promises to augment Android Auto and fill one of the biggest gaps in Google's platform. It lets me play back my own media on my car screen, while also giving me access to YouTube, IPTV streams, and even a full-fledged browser. While the usual caveats of prioritizing safety and not watching streaming services while driving apply, I have to say this has truly transformed my car's entertainment system. Adding actual utility to my car's screen Waiting around becomes a lot less boring You might not realize it, but most of us end up waiting around quite a bit in our vehicles. For example, the other day I spent almost an hour outside the airport waiting for a delayed flight. Meanwhile, I'm parked when I've arrived early for a meeting. And living in India, there are the inevitable traffic jams to consider. Most times, I'd unlock my phone and start browsing YouTube, despite there being a giant screen right in front of me. Android Auto, however,
I finally found a way to watch videos on Android <b>Auto</b>; it changed my waiting game
Read the original article
androidpolice.com →