The $3,000 Problem a $0 Tablet Can Solve
Aftermarket Android Auto head units cost $200-600. Factory-installed ones from the dealer can run over $1,000. And if your car doesn’t have a touchscreen at all, you’re looking at a full dash retrofit.
Or you could grab that old Android tablet from the drawer, spend $5 on an app, and have a working Android Auto display in your car by this afternoon.
It’s not a perfect replacement for a dedicated head unit. But it’s shockingly close, and it costs almost nothing if you already have the tablet.
What You Need
An Android tablet. The app that makes this work (
Headunit Reloaded) runs on Android 4.1 and up, so nearly any old Android tablet qualifies. A 7-inch or 8-inch screen is ideal for dashboard mounting. Larger tablets work but can be awkward to position.
An Android phone. Your phone does all the actual processing. GPS, music streaming, messaging, Google Maps. The tablet is just the display and touchscreen. Your phone needs to support Android Auto (Android 8.0+ with the Auto app, or Android 10+ where it’s built in).
A USB cable or WiFi. You can connect via USB (more reliable) or wirelessly (more convenient). For wireless, you’ll need to set up the tablet as a WiFi hotspot.
A car mount. Dashboard, windshield, CD slot, or vent mount. Our mounts and stands guide has recommendations, though car-specific mounts are a bit different from home setups.
Power. A car charger with enough amperage to keep the tablet running while connected. A standard 2.4A USB car charger works fine. For USB connections, you’ll want an OTG adapter with a pass-through charging port so the tablet can charge while simultaneously connecting to your phone.
iPads won’t work for this. Android Auto is an Android-only system. If you have an old iPad, check out our car entertainment ideas for alternatives.
Setting Up Headunit Reloaded
Headunit Reloaded (HUR) is the app that makes this whole thing work. It costs about $5 and it’s the only reliable option for turning a tablet into an Android Auto receiver. There’s a free trial version so you can test compatibility before paying.
What it does: HUR tricks your phone into thinking the tablet is a car’s Android Auto head unit. Your phone handles all the processing, and the tablet displays the Android Auto interface and accepts touch input. Navigation, music, calls, messages – all right there on the bigger screen.
Wired Setup (Recommended First)
Start with USB. It’s more reliable and helps you confirm everything works before trying wireless.
- Install HUR on the tablet from the Play Store.
- Enable Developer Options on your phone: Settings > About Phone > tap “Build Number” 7 times.
- Enable Developer Options in Android Auto on your phone: Open Android Auto settings, tap the version number at the bottom 7 times, then tap the three-dot menu and select “Developer Settings.” Enable “Unknown Sources.”
- Connect phone to tablet with a USB data cable (not a charge-only cable). Use a USB-OTG adapter on the tablet end if needed.
- Open HUR on the tablet. It should detect your phone and launch the Android Auto interface.
If it connects, you’ll see the familiar Android Auto home screen on your tablet. Google Maps, your music app, phone, and messages all accessible from the big screen.
Wireless Setup
Wireless is cleaner (no cable running between phone and tablet) but requires a bit more setup.
- On the tablet: Go to Settings > Network > Hotspot & Tethering and enable the WiFi hotspot. Set a name and password you’ll remember.
- On your phone: Connect to the tablet’s hotspot.
- Install WiFi Launcher (free) on your phone from the Play Store. This handles the wireless Android Auto handshake.
- Open HUR on the tablet, then launch WiFi Launcher on the phone.
- The phone should connect wirelessly to the tablet and display Android Auto.
Wireless can be less stable on older tablets with weak WiFi radios. If you get frequent disconnections, stick with USB.
Mounting It in Your Car
The mounting challenge is different from wall-mounting at home. Vibration, temperature swings, and sun glare all matter.
CD slot mounts work well for 7-8 inch tablets and keep the screen at a natural eye level. Most cars still have CD players nobody uses. Brands like Cellet and Macally make CD slot tablet mounts for $15-25.
Dashboard mounts with suction cups or adhesive bases give you positioning flexibility. Get one with a strong arm and locking joints. A cheap mount that wobbles on every bump gets annoying fast.
Vent mounts are best for smaller tablets (7 inch). Larger tablets are too heavy for most vent clips and will fall off.
Custom brackets. Some people 3D-print or fabricate brackets to flush-mount a tablet where the factory radio used to be. This looks the cleanest but requires removing the stock radio and measuring carefully. Car-specific forums (like Wrangler TJ Forum, E90Post) often have templates for popular models.
Handling Power and Heat
Two things will kill this setup if you don’t plan for them.
Power drain. Running Android Auto, GPS, and screen brightness at maximum drains the tablet battery fast. You need the tablet plugged into a car charger at all times while driving. For USB setups, use an OTG adapter with pass-through power (sometimes called an OTG Y-cable) so the tablet charges while connected to your phone. Without this, your phone will actually drain the tablet’s battery through the USB connection.
Heat. A tablet sitting on a dashboard in direct sunlight can overheat quickly, especially in summer. If possible, mount it in a spot that gets some shade from the dashboard overhang or sun visor. Some people tint the windshield above the mount area. In extreme heat, the tablet may throttle or shut down. This is a real limitation in hot climates. If you’re in Arizona or Texas, consider a vent mount so the AC helps cool the tablet.
For more on keeping old tablets healthy while plugged in, read our battery safety guide.
What Works and What Doesn’t
Works great:
- Google Maps navigation on a big screen
- Music playback (Spotify, YouTube Music, Podcast apps)
- Voice commands through the phone’s microphone
- Reading and replying to messages via voice
Works but isn’t perfect:
- Call quality depends on your phone’s microphone and speaker, not the tablet
- The Auto interface can lag on very old tablets (Android 5-6 era) since video decoding is happening in real time
- Wireless connections occasionally drop, especially with older WiFi chips
Doesn’t work:
- No Waze built into Android Auto on HUR (Google Maps works fine)
- No camera integration (you can’t connect a backup camera to the tablet the way you can with a real head unit)
- CarPlay users are out of luck. HUR is Android-only on both ends.
Is It Worth Doing?
If you have a car without Android Auto and an old Android tablet collecting dust, this is one of the best repurposing projects you can do. Five dollars for HUR, a car mount you might already have, and 30 minutes of setup. The result is a functional Android Auto display that makes long drives and daily commutes significantly more useful.
It’s not as polished as a $400 aftermarket head unit. The wireless connection can be flaky. The tablet might overheat in July. But the next time you’re driving somewhere unfamiliar and Google Maps is right there on a big screen calling out turns, you’ll forget the whole thing cost $5 and a Saturday afternoon.
