Legacy mirror running side-by-side with the map on the Android Auto head unit.Glance at the markets while parked — mirror phone apps your car has no app for.Full-screen mirror — the phone screen fills the entire head-unit display.The ScreenOnAuto entries in Android Auto's launcher. Media Controller is shown here; newer Android Auto omits it.
Features
Screen Mirroring
Capture and mirror your phone screen to the Android Auto head unit in real time.
Media Session Proxy
Control any phone media app from Android Auto's native media UI.
Touch Forwarding (experimental)
Tap, scroll, fling and pinch-to-zoom on the Android Auto display to control your phone.
Auto Start
Begin mirroring automatically when Android Auto connects.
Auto Launch App
Automatically launch a chosen app on the phone when mirroring starts.
Force Landscape
Force the phone into landscape while mirroring, with an on-screen toggle.
Auto Dim
Automatically dim phone screen brightness during idle mirroring (15–120 s delay).
Prevent Sleep
Keep the phone screen awake during mirroring; stop automatically on disconnect.
Launch Shortcuts
Add up to 4 app quick-launch buttons to the Android Auto mirror screen.
On-screen Buttons
Show or hide mirror-screen buttons individually: Force Landscape, Auto Dim, and phone Back / Home / Recents.
Button Placement
On the Legacy mirror, left-align the buttons or automatically avoid the phone's navigation bar.
Mirror Adjustment
Trim the mirror width/height for head units that crop the edges.
Privileged Features
Optional and entirely opt-in: these need Shizuku or root. If your phone has neither, nothing changes — the section stays hidden in the app and every other feature works exactly as before.
Turn the Phone Screen Off
Switch the phone's panel off when Auto Dim kicks in, while the car keeps showing the mirror.
Real Touch Injection
Forward your actual finger movements, so long-press, drag and multi-finger work on the Legacy mirror.
Phone Navigation Buttons
Back / Home / Recents work with no Accessibility Service enabled at all. Turn them on in Advanced → Android Auto screen buttons.
Note: a Shizuku server started via ADB can shut down when you connect over USB — if the privileged features stop working right after you plug in, start Shizuku again.
Requirements
Android 7.0 (API 24) or higher
Android Auto installed on the phone
A vehicle (or head unit) supporting Android Auto
Optional: Shizuku or root — for the privileged features
Installation
Android 14 and above — install via Google Play
Android Auto only runs apps installed from the Play Store, and Android 14+ blocks the KingInstaller workaround — so Play is the only way to get a build that Android Auto accepts. It is still the full app, delivered through Play's internal-testing track.
Installation is invite-based (the app is not searchable on the Play Store). See Join the Beta Test for the sign-up form and step-by-step instructions.
Android 13 and below — sideload with KingInstaller
Android Auto requires apps installed via Google Play. A directly-installed APK is rejected; KingInstaller installs APKs while reporting Google Play Store as the installer source.
Install KingInstaller — download the latest KingInstaller.apk from its releases page, allow "Install unknown apps" for your browser or file manager, then install it.
Install ScreenOnAuto via KingInstaller — download the latest ScreenOnAuto-*.apk from the latest release, open KingInstaller, pick the APK and tap Install.
Grant permissions — launch ScreenOnAuto and follow the in-app prompts.
Verify in Android Auto
This works however you installed — sideload or Google Play. On the phone, open Settings → Connected devices → Android Auto → Customize Launcher; you should see these two ScreenOnAuto entries:
Name
Function
ScreenOnAuto
Mirrors the phone screen full-screen — replaces the map area.
ScreenOnAuto (Legacy)
Mirrors via the Legacy projection path — can run side-by-side with the map.
Depending on your Android Auto version you may also see a third entry, ScreenOnAuto Media Controller — and you may not. Both are normal: older Android Auto lists it with its own icon, while newer Android Auto integrates its built-in media panel directly, so no separate icon is needed. Media control still works either way.
Ready to go? See How to Use for starting the mirror in the car.
Permissions
Permission
Required for
Screen Capture (MediaProjection)
Screen Mirroring
Notification Listener
Media Session Proxy
Display Over Other Apps
Auto Dim & Force Landscape
Accessibility Service
Touch Forwarding (experimental) & the Back / Home / Recents buttons — with the privileged features neither needs it: the buttons work as soon as a backend is connected, Touch Forwarding once Real touch injection is on
The phone screen must stay on while mirroring — the mirror simply shows what's on the phone screen, so it cannot keep running with the screen off or locked. Use Prevent Sleep to keep the screen awake, and Auto Dim to darken it and save battery instead of turning it off. With Shizuku or root and Auto Dim on, Turn the Phone Screen Off lifts this: it powers the panel down while the mirror keeps running.
DRM-protected content cannot be mirrored — apps such as Netflix or Disney+ show a black screen. This is an Android platform restriction the app cannot work around.
The Android Auto navigation bar on the car screen is drawn by Android Auto itself and cannot be hidden.
ScreenOnAuto
