If you have a car and an Android phone, you know what Android Auto is. And if you’ve tried to install it, you know it’s not quite plug and play.
Android Auto is an incredibly convenient way to use the apps from your phone in your car. Android Auto works perfectly right (when it connects), but that doesn’t mean it’s the most convenient it can be. I’ve had it for years, and there were plenty of settings I wish I had gone through earlier that could have saved me from some inconvenient situations.
Android Auto is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and that’s going to get more apparent as you use it. In fact, the moment you start it up, you’re likely not going to be happy with the default apps listed.
To make the changes, you’ll need to be able to access the settings of Android Auto on both your phone and the main screen of your car. This guide will take you through the settings that you’re likely going to want to change as soon as you can because it will make your drives much easier. Just make sure to make these changes before you leave, as you should never mess with your settings while on the road.Customize your app launcher
You don’t want to leave your app launcher at its default customization because it feels like a mess. The system just loads up a bunch of apps by default, which often include things like settings menus, obscure media tools, and even a games app you should only be using when the car is parked. So it’s better to go through it and only have the apps you use the most ready to go.
By default, Android Auto tends to sort apps alphabetically, so you need to manually put your favorites on top. You can do this in the settings of your phone, too, but otherwise, go into Android Auto and find the Customize button. From there, just drag your favorites to the top so they’ll be on your dashboard.
The way I have it set up is YouTube Music, Phone, and Waze instead of Google Maps, which is one of the Android Auto tips every driver need to know. You can replace those apps with your own preferred map system or music player, but I don’t recommend more than those basic apps on your main dashboard. You can always change the menu to display multiple screens so you don’t need to keep switching apps, but you should keep your top ones as your favorites.
