Android Auto
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Overviewβ
To use the Android version of the OsmAnd app in Android Auto, you have to purchase a paid subscription.
OsmAnd is available for Android Auto functions in your vehicle. You can connect your Android to the vehicle's multimedia system screen and use OsmAnd to navigate.
Driving a car and using your phone or tablet at the same time is usually forbidden by law for safety reasons. Android Auto brings an adapted version of the OsmAnd app to the display of your car's multimedia system, making it easier and safer to access the app's navigation functions.
Start navigationβ
First, you need to select and configure the profile to be used when connecting to Android Auto or CarPlay. You can read how to configure a profile in the article Profiles (Settings).
For OsmAnd to work, you need to connect your Android device to the vehicle's multimedia system.
- Not all vehicles support device connection capability. Check the list for Android Auto.
- You need to have an "OsmAnd Pro", "OsmAnd+" or "Maps+" subscription. Check it here Menu β Settings β Purchases.
- To find out how to connect and set up your device, please visit the Android Auto websites.
Setup Android Autoβ
All categories for route endpoint selection, History, POIs, Markers, Search, Favourites, and Tracks may contain no more list items than your vehicle's multimedia system provides. Typically in most vehicles, lists are dynamically limited to 12 or 24 items. This means that the list in CarPlay may not be complete. The total number of items and the actual number of items displayed is indicated under the folder name.
Interaction with the mapβ
Most OsmAnd settings directly related to navigation are available in Android Auto. Interaction with the map is limited to My Location and Zoom. Android Auto also has the Compass widget. The rest of the settings are focused on getting the end point for the route on the map.
Select a route endpointβ
While driving, selected points can be announced when you approach or pass them. See the Voice prompts settings in the appropriate article to set up voice notifications.
Through the Settings menu in Android Auto you can select the end point of the route, without any ability to add intermediate destinations.
Historyβ
In the History category, you can select a destination from a list of endpoints. They are sorted by most recent use, starting with the newest. This can be convenient for quick access to frequently used routes. To learn how to use or delete a destination, read the Search History article.
POIβ
POIs (points of interest) are a type of points that are highlighted on the map by special icons provided in the OsmAnd settings and sorted into groups.
To build a route to a POI in Android Auto, follow these steps:
- Select the needed POI from the list of available categories or enter the name of the POI using Search.
- OsmAnd calculates the route and displays it on the CarPlay screen. Tap Start button to start navigating to that location.
- Depending on your OsmAnd app settings and your vehicle, you may receive voice prompts to guide you to your destination.
Markersβ
To use markers in Android Auto for navigation, they need to be added in advance in the OsmAnd app on your device, tablet or phone, and they need to be available in the Menu β Map marker list.
Favoritesβ
Favorites is one of the functions of OsmAnd that allows the user to make a kind of bookmark (note) on the map. While using Android Auto you cannot add or modify Favourites, only use existing ones. The list of Favorites can be found in the OsmAnd app Menu β My Places β Favorites. If you want to use them for navigation, configure everything you need before connecting the device to your vehicle's multimedia system.
Tracksβ
Do not choose tracks that are obviously far away from your current location. It can take a long time to get to the starting point of the track.
From the list of tracks available in Menu β My Places β Tracks, you can select the necessary one in Android Auto or on the device connected to the vehicle's multimedia system and the route will either build up to the start of the track or display the current direction along the track.
Searchβ
With this option you can search for the necessary places on the map to navigate. For convenience, you can search by different categories.
- Address search - enter the needed address in the search field.
- POI search - search by Point of Interest names.
- Custom search - search by the categories you created.
- History search - displays your whole search history.
- Coordinate search - suggests different formats of coordinates.
Additional featuresβ
Additional features help you customize the display and operation of OsmAnd in Android Auto to suit your personal needs.
Voice promptsβ
In OsmAnd, you can set up voice prompts separately for one selected profile or for all profiles at once. Do this before starting a route on your device, tablet or phone. In Android Auto, the only setting available is to disable or enable all selected voice prompts at the same time.
Day/Night map modeβ
When you connect the app to Android Auto, the map mode settings configured in the OsmAnd will be ignored. Instead, the display settings of Android Auto Day/Night mode for maps are used.
Screen Alert widgetβ
This information widget combines alert types such as Pedestrian crosswalks and Speed Limit. The types of alerts have different visual appearance, which depends on the Driving region and can be configured in Menu β Configure profile β Navigation settings β Screen alerts in the app, not in Android Auto. For a detailed description of the types of alerts, see this article.
Map appearanceβ
The screen of your vehicle's multimedia system can display 2D and 3D views of the OsmAnd map. You can activate, deactivate and set up 2.5 D view in the application Menu β Configure profile β General settings β Appearance. Do this before connecting to Android Auto.
Split-screenβ
The OsmAnd app can be opened and used to navigate in Android Auto on the screen of your vehicle's multimedia system at the same time as the music, message or other notification apps. Set up the display on the phone connected to Android Auto.
Issuesβ
Movement direction map orientation is flipped and jiggles. Resolved by switching on "Approximate bearing" option:
- Visible only if OsmAnd Development is enabled.
- Placed in Menu β Settings β Profile β Navigation settings β Map during navigation.
Volume control issueβ
In most cases, all signals remain at constant full volume, separate from the audio playback settings at the same time. To change the volume of the OsmAnd navigation prompts when using Android Auto, go to Setup β Voice β Voice volume on the vehicle's multimedia system screen.
If this method does not work, there is another option. To adjust the notification volume, you need to turn on Google Assistant during a call. Hold down the button on the steering wheel that turns on Google Assistant, and during the call, adjust the volume using the dashboard or steering wheel.