A free open source tool called Android Auto Maker puts games and video players on a parked car's screen, but Google could shut the door later.
A free tool called Android Auto Maker lets you run apps on your car screen that Google does not allow there. Google's Android Auto already lets you play games or watch YouTube while parked, but only from a short approved list. This tool gets around that list. A reviewer at Android Police says it worked without trouble.
Android Auto Maker is open source, meaning its code is public, and it is only available on GitHub, a site where developers share software. It takes a regular app file (an APK or XAPK) and repackages it so Android Auto treats it as an approved parked game or app. The apps run full screen on the car display. This is not screen mirroring, so they feel like part of Android Auto.
One catch matters. The original app must be uninstalled first. Android then treats the repackaged version as a different app, even though it shares the same package name.
Offline apps are the best fit, since they do not need to talk to servers. The reviewer used local video players such as VLC and MX Player, plus lighter games including Balatro, Shattered Pixel Dungeon, Beach Buggy Racing and Slice and Dice. Because the original app has to be removed, an alternative to YouTube called Morphe was installed instead.
Netflix and other paid streaming apps do not work. They use DRM, which is copy protection, and Play Integrity, which is Google's check that an app has not been altered.
The tool is a fully open source project, and Google could tighten its parked-app checks in the near future. If that happens, the workaround could stop working. Nothing in the report says Google plans to do so, and no timing is known. For now, the reviewer says it runs smoothly and plans to keep using it for as long as it works.
Android Auto Maker is a free way to get your own games and videos on a parked car screen, but Google could block it, and paid streaming apps will not work.
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