[APP][5.0+][Alpha] Widgets for Android Auto

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ns130291

Member
Mar 5, 2011
18
46
I put together a little app for Android Auto that can show a single widget:

BHNIb3E.png

CaKgfYc.png

cWpTfpv.png


Update v0.2.0: fullscreen mode
PCOQ1eh.png


Installation
  1. In the Android Auto app open the Hamburger menu.
  2. Open About.
  3. Tap "About Android Auto" header 10 times, until "Developer mode enabled" toast appears.
  4. Tap dots on the top right of the screen.
  5. Select "Developer settings" from the menu and enable "Unknown sources".


Usage
  1. Open the app and select a widget to display
  2. Connect your device to your head unit and select "Widgets" on the OEM Tab


Download
Dropbox
Github


Changelog
v0.2.3
* New application ID to circumvent blacklisting of old ID by Google in Android Automotive. For existing users this unfortunately means that you have to configure your widget inside the app again (old version should be uninstalled).

v0.2.2
* fix for devices with system built-in widget picker problems

v0.2.0
* fullscreen mode

v0.1.0
* inital release

Source
Github
 
Last edited:

ahhl

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2007
1,078
114
I put together a little app for Android Auto that can show a single widget:

BHNIb3E.png

CaKgfYc.png

cWpTfpv.png


Installation
  1. In the Android Auto app open the Hamburger menu.
  2. Open About.
  3. Tap "About Android Auto" header 10 times, until "Developer mode enabled" toast appears.
  4. Tap dots on the top right of the screen.
  5. Select "Developer settings" from the menu and enable "Unknown sources".


Usage
  1. Open the app and select a widget to display
  2. Connect your device to your head unit and select "Widgets" on the OEM Tab


Download
Dropbox
can do one for android 5/ marshmallow?

Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10 using Tapatalk
 

Zacharee1

Recognized Developer / Retired Forum Moderator
This is quite an interesting project. I'm guessing you have an AppWidget in the app and you're proxying the user chosen widget through it, right?

If that's the way, it should also be possible to add some other provider info XMLs, to let people choose, say, up to 5 widgets.

Anyway, I'm definitely going to follow this progress. You should definitely host on Labs.
 
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ns130291

Member
Mar 5, 2011
18
46
This is quite an interesting project. I'm guessing you have an AppWidget in the app and you're proxying the user chosen widget through it, right?

If that's the way, it should also be possible to add some other provider info XMLs, to let people choose, say, up to 5 widgets.

Anyway, I'm definitely going to follow this progress. You should definitely host on Labs.

Yes, you're totally right. The user can choose a widget in the app and it gets displayed inside the app. Afterwards I take the widget and show it in the Auto Activity. Therefore, it's no problem to extend this to multiple widgets.

I will look into hosting on XDA Labs.
 

ahhl

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2007
1,078
114
i test it on waze widget. the widget look stretched out full screen, and not able to show any data

Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10 using Tapatalk
 

Zacharee1

Recognized Developer / Retired Forum Moderator
i test it on waze widget. the widget look stretched out full screen, and not able to show any data

Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10 using Tapatalk

Since this is an AppWidget proxy, and it allows you to use widgets not optimized for Android Auto, there's not really anything the developer can do.
 
You can use my app with any widget you have installed - so any widget that can be added to your launcher should be possible.
Please please please let us add more widgets. Already, years have gone by and the developer support for optimized apps just isn't as robust as promised by now.

Also, phone can't open the apk file. Pixel 2XL 8.1
 
Last edited:

RED ZMAN

Senior Member
Please please please let us add more widgets. Already, years have gone by and the developer support for optimized apps just isn't as robust as promised by now.

Also, phone can't open the apk file. Pixel 2XL 8.1

I had the same problem when trying to install the APK from the download page. Open up a file manager and install it that way, it worked for me.
 

itesla

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2006
302
9
Thank you for this! Endless possibilities with KustomWidget and Tasker!

Rough copy from my phone homescreen......
 
Last edited:
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RED ZMAN

Senior Member
I tried that with amaze file manager, it didn't work. I tried to also open it in Dropbox but nothing opened. I'll keep fiddling with it, let you know

Perhaps the file didn't download correctly? Could be corrupt.

I used mix Explorer from the XDA labs and it worked fine. Only problem is I can't get any of the widgets to actually show up in Android auto. I have developer mode open so I can use night mode all the time and set it up for unknown sources but no bueno.
 

Zacharee1

Recognized Developer / Retired Forum Moderator
Perhaps the file didn't download correctly? Could be corrupt.

I used mix Explorer from the XDA labs and it worked fine. Only problem is I can't get any of the widgets to actually show up in Android auto. I have developer mode open so I can use night mode all the time and set it up for unknown sources but no bueno.

Go to the OEM tab in Auto on your car (the one where you'd normally see a "Return to <Whatever>" button), and you'll see a bunch more stuff there.
 

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  • 1
    Hi,

    At the first I would like to thank you for this app.
    I managed to install and show up some widgets on car android auto screen in full screen mode. Is there any way to use it in split screen mode, when the screen is split and there is navigation app + other app side by side? Or do you have any recommendation how to have custom application in split screen mode?

    Thank you
  • 35
    I put together a little app for Android Auto that can show a single widget:

    BHNIb3E.png

    CaKgfYc.png

    cWpTfpv.png


    Update v0.2.0: fullscreen mode
    PCOQ1eh.png


    Installation
    1. In the Android Auto app open the Hamburger menu.
    2. Open About.
    3. Tap "About Android Auto" header 10 times, until "Developer mode enabled" toast appears.
    4. Tap dots on the top right of the screen.
    5. Select "Developer settings" from the menu and enable "Unknown sources".


    Usage
    1. Open the app and select a widget to display
    2. Connect your device to your head unit and select "Widgets" on the OEM Tab


    Download
    Dropbox
    Github


    Changelog
    v0.2.3
    * New application ID to circumvent blacklisting of old ID by Google in Android Automotive. For existing users this unfortunately means that you have to configure your widget inside the app again (old version should be uninstalled).

    v0.2.2
    * fix for devices with system built-in widget picker problems

    v0.2.0
    * fullscreen mode

    v0.1.0
    * inital release

    Source
    Github
    5
    The same goes for my Galaxy S7 Edge. Widgets for Auto does not show up in the OEM tab even though "unkown sources" is selected.
    I am running AA 3.3.582053.

    Nevertheless, the idea behind this app is really great. I find it stressful to have my text messages read for me, I would prefer reading them from widget on HU at next red light.
    Google blocked 3rd party apps back in late March with GPS 12.5.21. The only way to run 3rd party apps is to downgrade AA to version 2.9 and downgrade GPS to version 12.2.21. This doesn't require root, however you do need root to block GPS from auto-updating back to the latest version.

    A couple of developers have figured out how to unlock their 3rd party apps on the latest versions of AA and GPS - AA Mirror by slash_m_a_x and OBD2AA by Emil Borconi - but the unlock method requires root permissions.

    Emil has also made progress on a different unlock method for OBD2AA that doesn't require root, but it's very early in the beta testing stage and is not stable.

    Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
    4
    You can install apps through adb shell and they will be listed again in AA 3.0+...
    Install apks in this form: adb shell pm install -i "com.android.vending" -r /sdcard/application.apk
    Just edit path and name of the apk (sdcard is the root of your internal phone memory).
    :)
    4
    @ns130291
    I've found even better weather widget: 'Transparent clock & weather' by MACHAPP Software -- it's fully customizable (you can choose which elements to show, and set a different color for each element, you can choose different themes, weather icons, and background color even), and it displays next scheduled event from multiple calendars set as sources -- see "MG Report" or "Test Event" in top left of the screenshots attached.

    I made it white-on-black with dark grey gradient background (it blurs phone's wallpaper nicely when set to 100% transparent; not sure why 100% transparency results in a blurred background, but accidentally it looks cool), so it matches my Ford's instrument cluster TFT display's UI, which has almost the same fonts and colors.
    4
    @ns130291 Your idea's inspired me to do something similar for the LG V20/V10. The problem is, I just can't figure out how the proxying actually works. Google's documentation is a joke, and there doesn't seem to be much useful info elsewhere online.

    Would you mind PMing me at least the source involving the AppWidgetHost and such?

    I've uploaded my current code to github: https://github.com/ns130291/widgets-for-auto
    I used following blog post as a base: http://www.leonardofischer.com/hosting-android-widgets-my-appwidgethost-tutorial/ and https://github.com/lgfischer/WidgetHostExample