ScreenOnAuto

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Mirror your Android phone screen to Android Auto display, with support for media button controls.

Free to use. No features require additional payment.

[!IMPORTANT] How to install:

• Recommended — Google Play, on any Android version: sign up for a half-hourly round, then install within 25 minutes (the app is not searchable on the Play Store). Android Auto accepts it with no extra setup. Sign up →
• Android 13 and below — you can also sideload the APK with KingInstaller (steps below).
• Have an AAWireless dongle? — you can also install the APK directly, on any Android version (steps below).

Features

• Screen Mirroring — Capture and mirror your phone screen to the Android Auto head unit in real time
• Media Session Proxy — Control any phone media app from Android Auto's native media UI
• Auto Dim — Automatically dim phone screen brightness during idle mirroring (15/30/60/120 s delay)
• Night Dim — Darken the mirror on the car screen at night, following the car's day/night mode (or always), with adjustable strength and an optional on-screen toggle. Turn it on in Advanced settings; on the "ScreenOnAuto" mirror the phone screen darkens too, unless the Self-drawn mirror is on
• Auto Start — Begin mirroring automatically when you open ScreenOnAuto or ScreenOnAuto (Legacy) on the car screen
• External Control — Start, stop or toggle mirroring with an intent, from an automation app, a home-screen shortcut or ADB — see Control Mirroring from Another App
• Prevent Sleep — Prevent the phone screen from sleeping during mirroring
• Stop on Disconnect — Automatically stop mirroring when Android Auto disconnects
• Auto Launch App — Automatically launch a chosen app on the phone when mirroring starts and Android Auto is connected
• Mirror Only This App (Android 15+) — Send just the auto-launch app to the car instead of the whole screen, leaving the rest of the phone private. Needs the Screen Capture permission pre-granted via ADB; the car screen blanks while you are away from that app
• Lock Orientation — Lock the phone in landscape (either way round) or portrait while mirroring, or match the car screen's shape; auto-starts on connect, with an on-screen toggle
• Launch Shortcuts — Add up to 4 app quick-launch buttons to the Android Auto mirror screen; long-press one to rename it on the car
• On-screen Buttons — Show or hide the mirror-screen buttons individually on the On-screen buttons page: Lock Orientation, Auto Dim, Night Dim, and phone Back / Home / Recent apps (up to 4 at once)
• Button Placement — On the Legacy mirror, left-align the buttons, keep them clear of the phone's navigation bar, or set their gaps from the edges (shortcut bar too) to clear the head unit's own controls

Privileged Features

Optional — needs Shizuku or root. Without either, everything else works exactly the same.

Feature	What it does
Turn the Phone Screen Off	Switches the phone's panel off when Auto Dim kicks in, while the car keeps showing the mirror — saves battery and stops the phone lighting up the cabin at night
Real Touch Injection	Forwards your actual finger movements instead of synthesised gestures, so long-press, drag and multi-finger work on the Legacy mirror
Match the Phone Screen to the Car	Reshapes the phone's display to the head unit's aspect ratio while mirroring, so the black bars and the split-view distortion are gone at the source — the car screen is measured automatically

Also with Shizuku or root:

• Phone Navigation Buttons — Back / Home / Recent apps with no Accessibility Service enabled; turn them on in On-screen buttons → Control buttons
• Follow the Car's Day/Night Mode (Android 10+) — Switch the phone between light and dark theme with Android Auto while mirroring
• Font Size While Mirroring — Give the phone a different font size while mirroring
• Navigation Mode While Mirroring (Android 10+) — Switch the phone to gesture, 2-button or 3-button navigation while mirroring

The phone's own theme, font size and navigation mode come back when mirroring stops.

Shizuku stopped when you plugged in, or the screen won't wake up? See Troubleshooting.

Requirements

• Android 7.0 (API 24) or higher
• Android Auto installed on phone
• A vehicle supporting Android Auto
• (Optional) Shizuku or root — for the Privileged Features

Installation

Google Play (recommended)

Works on every Android version, and Android Auto accepts it with no extra setup (Android Auto only runs apps installed from the Play Store, and Android 14+ blocks the KingInstaller workaround). It's Google Play's internal testing — the same full app as on GitHub, but it isn't searchable on the Play Store: sign up on the install page. A new round opens every 30 minutes, and your install link appears a few minutes after your round's sign-ups close. Full steps: Install via the Google Play Testing Program.

Alternative — Android 13 and below: sideload with KingInstaller

Why KingInstaller?
Android Auto requires apps to be installed via Google Play Store. Installing the APK directly sets the installer to your browser or file manager, which Android Auto will reject. KingInstaller installs APKs while reporting Google Play Store as the installer source.

Step 1 — Install KingInstaller

1. Go to KingInstaller Releases and download the latest KingInstaller.apk
2. Allow your browser or file manager to install unknown apps — Android asks the first time you open an APK
3. Open KingInstaller.apk and tap Install

Step 2 — Install ScreenOnAuto via KingInstaller

1. Download the latest ScreenOnAuto-*.apk from the latest release
2. Open KingInstaller, tap the folder icon, and select the downloaded APK
3. Tap Install — KingInstaller will install it as if it came from Google Play Store

Alternative — with an AAWireless dongle

When to use this: you have an AAWireless dongle and would rather install the APK directly than go through Google Play — this also works where Play can't install, such as GrapheneOS with sandboxed Google Play. In a real car, Android Auto ignores its own Unknown sources setting; the dongle's Developer Mode is what makes that setting take effect, so this route doesn't work without the dongle.

1. Download the latest ScreenOnAuto-*.apk from the latest release and install it — allow your browser or file manager to install unknown apps if Android asks
2. Connect the phone to the car through the dongle. In the AAWireless app, turn Passthrough mode off and Developer Mode on
3. In the Android Auto settings on the phone, open Developer settings, set Application mode to Developer, and turn on Unknown sources
   • Don't see Developer settings? Tap Version and permission info 10 times, then open the ⋮ menu
4. Reboot the phone

Verify in Android Auto

This works however you installed — KingInstaller sideload, Google Play, or the AAWireless route.

On your phone, go to Settings → Connected devices → Android Auto → Customize Launcher. You should see these two ScreenOnAuto entries:

Icon	Name	Function
	ScreenOnAuto	Mirrors the phone screen full-screen — replaces the map area for a full-screen view
	ScreenOnAuto (Legacy)	Mirrors the phone screen using the Legacy projection path — can be displayed side-by-side with the map

Older Android Auto also lists a third entry, ScreenOnAuto Media Controller. If you don't see it, that's normal — media control works either way. If either of the two entries above is missing, reinstall — through KingInstaller for a sideload, or let the Play install finish — then reopen Android Auto. On the AAWireless route, check that Developer Mode and Unknown sources are still on.

Ready to go? See How to Use for starting the mirror in the car.

Permissions

Permission	Required For
Screen Capture (MediaProjection)	Screen Mirroring
Notification Listener	Media Session Proxy
Display Over Other Apps	Auto Dim, Lock Orientation & Night Dim
Accessibility Service	Touch Forwarding & the Back / Home / Recent apps buttons (not needed with the privileged features)

Tip: To avoid the Screen Capture permission dialog on every launch, you can pre-grant it via ADB — see Grant Mirror Permission via ADB. This is also what unlocks Mirror only this app.

Known Limitations

• The phone screen must stay on while mirroring — the mirror shows what's on the phone screen. Use Prevent Sleep to keep it awake and Auto Dim to save battery; with Shizuku or root, Turn the Phone Screen Off lifts this.
• DRM-protected content cannot be mirrored — apps such as Netflix or Disney+ show a black screen on the mirror. This is an Android platform restriction that the app cannot work around.
• Android Auto's Google Maps can turn black while mirroring (Android 15+) — while any app is capturing the screen, Android hides apps it considers sensitive, and it can put Google Maps on that list. Turn on Developer options → Disable screen share protections to fix it; this also stops Android hiding notifications with one-time codes while you share your screen. It takes effect the next time mirroring starts; see How to Use for the full steps.
• The Android Auto navigation bar on the car screen is drawn by Android Auto itself and cannot be hidden.

Disclaimer

Always keep your eyes on the road — do not operate this app while driving.

This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google. Android Auto is a trademark of Google LLC.

Special Thanks

• Jurek Harla — redesigned the ScreenOnAuto, ScreenOnAuto (Legacy) and Media Controller icons so they fit Android's round icon shape (v1.9.2).

Sponsor

If you find this app useful, feel free to donate or buy me a bubble tea 🧋