Many cars nowadays come equipped with Android Auto, but you might not be so lucky as to have one that features a fully wireless connection. In the case of wired Android Auto cars, you’ll have to keep your phone plugged into the USB port, which isn’t something everyone wants to do. If you want to be able to keep your phone in your pocket, you’ll have to find out how to take the wired connection and untether it.
No, you don’t have to buy a whole new car to make this happen. Instead, you just have to purchase a wireless dongle that’ll help you live an untethered life. It’s quite simple as all you’ll have to do is buy one, get it plugged into a USB port in your car, and you’re in business. It might sound too good to be true, but we assure you that’s not the case.
How to setup a wireless Android Auto dongle
Getting your wired Android Auto vehicle turned into a wireless one is relatively a painless process. Unfortunately, the dongles needed to do this aren’t exactly cheap, but if you can stay away from some of the feature-rich ones you’ll be fine. If you’re looking to simply make it wireless and that’s it, then you can get away with spending under $100. If you’re looking for more features like YouTube support, you’ll likely be spending a pretty penny. It all boils down to what you need, so make sure you weigh your options.
Once you get your dongle picked up, it’s as simple as plugging it into your car’s USB port. From there you just connect to it with your phone and that’s it. It’s a very simple process, and many of the dongles are so small that you’re able to simply tuck it away out of sight so it doesn’t feel like you have a big accessory flopping around while driving.
One popular option is the Motorola MA1, and that’s going to be enough for most people. It’s a no-frills dongle that will turn your wired setup into a wireless setup. This won’t come with any fancy bells or whistles you might find on other devices, but for $80 it does exactly what you’d expect it to. You can choose to opt for something from CarlinKit that gives you access to Android Auto without even having to have a phone. The way this works is you plug a SIM card directly into the device, but that’s likely to end up being a very niche option.
