Google doesn’t want you to sideload Android Auto apps. I did it anyway
Google doesn’t want you to sideload Android Auto apps. I did it anyway
https://www.androidauthority.com/sideload-apps-android-auto-hidden-feature-3681820/
Publish Date: 2026-07-05 07:04:00
Source Domain: www.androidauthority.com
Sanuj Bhatia / Android Authority
I’ve seen plenty of people get deeply invested in Android Auto, but I never really did, because I assumed it was little more than a navigation system and a media playback controller. Sure, you can have messages read out or take Google Meet calls on it, but that felt like the extent of it. Whatever Google enables, that’s what you get.
But I recently found out that isn’t quite the case. You can go far beyond what Android Auto offers out of the box and even install third-party apps outside of the Google Play Store.
Google places hard limits on what Android Auto can do, but it’s capable of much more. Here’s how you can sideload third-party apps onto Android Auto and make it far more useful than what Google ships by default.
Would you sideload apps on Android Auto?
3 votes
Yes, already have
67%
Tempted, but nervous
0%
No, not worth the risk
0%
I didn’t know you could
33%
I had no idea you could sideload apps on Android Auto, but it’s easy to do
Sanuj Bhatia / Android Authority
I’m sure most of you have used only the apps on Android Auto that Google provides out of the box, like YouTube Music, Spotify, Google Maps, the phone app, and so on. But I’m willing to bet you’ve also wished you could just play a YouTube video or stream an episode of a show while stuck in traffic.
A few days ago, I found out you can actually sideload apps onto Android Auto, and the process is surprisingly straightforward. You don’t need to root your phone or do anything particularly complicated. The steps can be broken down into three simple parts.
Step 1. Enable Developer Mode on your Android phone
First, you’ll need to unlock Developer Mode on your Android phone. Head to the Settings app, go to the About section, and tap the build number seven times. Once done, you’ll get a toast notification confirming that Developer Settings have been enabled.
Step 2. Unlock Developer Mode for Android Auto
Sanuj Bhatia / Android Authority
Next, you’ll need to enable…
