NewPipe adds Android Auto support, bringing YouTube to your car screen

Android Auto has all the time been fairly strict about what sorts of apps are allowed, however Google is beginning to loosen up now, and NewPipe isn’t losing any time. Thanks to the most recent app replace, the open-source YouTube various now works on your car’s infotainment screen.

In a weblog submit, the NewPipe crew says now you can browse your watch historical past, load playlists, or seek for new content material inside Android Auto. The builders nonetheless urge warning when utilizing the function, though Google already has guardrails to stop you from getting distracted as you’re cruising alongside.

If YouTube on Android Auto sounds acquainted, it’s in all probability as a result of folks have been hacking collectively methods to watch the ever-present streaming service within the car for some time. These workarounds normally contain third-party instruments like CarStream or screen mirroring their telephone, however they’re normally a bit clunky and susceptible to breaking. That is an early instance of video playback arriving by way of Android Auto’s official app help, with no trickery wanted.

This replace follows Google’s broader plan to enable extra app classes on Android Auto. Video and browser apps are actually formally on the roadmap, with restricted performance in parked mode and an audio-only choice coming to Android Automotive.

You gained’t discover NewPipe on the Play Retailer, nevertheless it’s simple sufficient to seize from the undertaking’s web site or the F-Droid catalog if you’d like to give it a spin.