Video on your car’s display comes in handy when you’re waiting for the charger, parked on a lot, or when a passenger wants to play something for the kids in the back. Android Auto didn’t allow video for a long time, and even today you’ll get it differently in a newer car, differently in an older one, and differently if you don’t want to install anything on your phone.
In this guide, we’ll go through all three options: Google’s official solution with YouTube, unofficial apps like AA Car Play Video or Fermata Auto, and AI boxes that play video by themselves without the phone. With each one, you’ll see what you need, what it costs, and what the catch is.
Official solution: YouTube directly in Android Auto
In May 2026, Google announced a new Android Auto that will, for the first time, allow video in the car—starting with the YouTube app. According to The Drive, the video plays only when the car is parked. It doesn’t rely only on GPS from your phone, because the car also monitors it using speed and the selected gear. When you start moving, the picture disappears and only the sound remains.
New Android Auto adapts even to unconventional displays · Source: google.com
To make it work, three things must be in place at the same time:
Update your phone to at least Android 16, and download the latest versions of the Android Auto and YouTube apps from the Play Store.
Check whether your car supports the feature. Among the first brands are BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Renault, Škoda and Volvo, but each automaker has to approve its models separately.
Stop, switch to a parking position, and open YouTube in Android Auto—after you stop, it will be offered with the picture.
The catch is the sound while driving, since, according to Engadget, after you pull away the video plays like a podcast only with a YouTube Premium subscription. Google is rolling the feature out gradually depending on the country, car, and app version—so if you don’t see it yet, it may not be a settings issue.
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Car apps that don’t have official support
Older cars probably won’t get the official video, but you can still get video into Android Auto via a workaround using unofficial apps. Google doesn’t support them, so you won’t find them in the public Play Store—and any Android Auto update can remove them.
AA Car Play Video
The paid app AA Car Play Video costs a one-time 15 € (usually 29 €) and you can try it for free for a day. It plays YouTube, videos saved on your phone, and live TV channels from your own M3U list, and it can mirror your phone’s screen to the car display.
Launcher for AA Car Play Video app · Source: aacarplayvideo.com
It’s installed in an unusual way, because on the website you enter the email of your Google account, and it gets added to a closed testing group in the Play Store—where you receive an invitation. That’s how the app bypasses Google’s usual checks, so it can stop working at any time. The operator doesn’t list a company, address, or country on the site—only email and Telegram—and in the terms refuses any responsibility for accidents. The website also contradicts itself: in one place, it promises video “during parking as well as driving,” while in the Q&A it says the driver must not watch while driving.
Fermata Auto
A free open-source app Fermata Auto supports YouTube, videos from your phone, and TV channels from its own M3U list. You won’t find it in the Play Store, so you’ll install it from an APK file from GitHub. Android Auto will then show it only after you allow unknown sources in Android Auto:
Download the APK file from Fermata’s official site on GitHub, and on your phone enable your browser to install unknown apps.
Open Android Auto settings, scroll all the way down, and tap the Version item ten times until Developer settings are enabled.
In the three-dot menu in the top right, select Developer settings and turn on Unknown sources.
Connect your phone to the car and Fermata will appear among the apps on the display.
The item names may vary slightly depending on the Android Auto version and your phone’s language. CarStream works similarly too; it gets onto your phone through the AAAD installer and focuses only on YouTube.
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AI boxes can play video even without apps on your phone
If you don’t want to install anything unofficial on your phone, go for an AI box. An AI box is a small Android computer that you plug into the USB port, and the car then sees it as wireless CarPlay or wireless Android Auto. It also has its own system with apps like YouTube, Netflix, or Spotify, so the video runs directly on the box and you can leave your phone in your pocket. The only requirement is a car with wired CarPlay or Android Auto and a touchscreen display.
OTTOCAST Play2Video Pro has Android 12, switches between wireless CarPlay, Android Auto, and its own system, and can also play movies from a USB flash drive without internet. You can get it for under €60, so it is the cheapest video box in our selection.
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Updated 22. 10. 2026 at 12:17
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More powerful are the Carlinkit boxes with Android 13, which have a SIM card slot, so they don’t need to take internet from your phone. Carlinkit SM6225 has a newer Qualcomm octa-core processor and LED backlighting. Carlinkit AI box with Android 13 was also praised by one of our readers, who has it in his Ford and watches movies on it. Depending on the memory size, you will pay at most €200 for each of them. If you’d rather get an AI box from a Slovak store with a warranty here, you can also find the OTTOCAST P3 Pro with Android, GPS, and its own SIM card on Heureke after clicking this link.
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Updated 21. 10. 2026 at 09:36
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For this product, Aliexpress Standard Shipping is available with guaranteed delivery in 15 days. This is the most reliable way to ship and, in most cases, it’s delivered by a courier company. 15-day delivery we’ve tested it for real.
When you order from a Chinese warehouse, AliExpress adds a customs duty charge of approximately 3,70 € per order to your cart. When you receive the shipment, you won’t have to pay anything extra.
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Updated 21. 10. 2026 at 09:36
TIP15-day delivery via Aliexpress Standard Shipping
For this product, Aliexpress Standard Shipping is available with guaranteed delivery within 15 days. It’s the most reliable delivery method and, in most cases, it’s handled by a courier company. The 15-day delivery is something we actually tested.
When you order from a Chinese warehouse, AliExpress adds a customs duty charge of approximately 3,70 € per order to your cart. When you receive the shipment, you won’t have to pay anything extra.
Are you shopping on AliExpress for the first time?See the guide!
Updated 23. 10. 2026 at 07:10
TIP15-day delivery via Aliexpress Standard Shipping
For this product, Aliexpress Standard Shipping is available with guaranteed delivery within 15 days. It’s the most reliable delivery method and, in most cases, it’s handled by a courier company. The 15-day delivery is something we actually tested.
When you order from a Chinese warehouse, AliExpress adds a customs duty charge of approximately 3,70 € per order to your cart. When you receive the shipment, you won’t have to pay anything extra.
No car display? Just add an extra screen
If your car doesn’t have a touchscreen radio with Android Auto or CarPlay, none of the options above will help. The solution is the YUEHOO add-on display with an 11.26″ diagonal, which you place on the dashboard and plug into the cigarette lighter socket, so you don’t need to disassemble the dashboard. You can wirelessly mirror Android Auto and CarPlay from your phone to it, and according to a customer from Hungary, YouTube runs on it without any issues too.
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This product will be delivered to you express from the local Czech warehouse. Delivery from Czechia usually takes 7-10 days and is handled by courier. On delivery, you don’t pay any additional fees—no customs duty and no VAT.
The package also includes a rear camera, and the display has a built-in dash cam too, so you can upgrade an older car with three things in one purchase. Banggood ships it from a Czech warehouse, so you usually have it at home within a week. You can find details and customer experiences in our article about the YUEHOO display.
A cheaper way to get wireless Android Auto
If all you need is to get rid of the cable and you don’t need video, a regular wireless adapter will do for a fraction of the price. These boxes don’t play video; they just transfer Android Auto or CarPlay from your phone to the car without a cable. We also tested our favorite Carlinkit 5.0 ourselves, and it worked on a Dacia Duster right after pairing.
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Updated 23. 10. 2026 at 12:37
TIP13-day delivery via Aliexpress Standard Shipping
For this product, AliExpress Standard Shipping is available with guaranteed delivery within 13 days. This is the most reliable shipping method and in most cases it’s delivered by a courier company.
When you order from a Chinese warehouse, AliExpress adds a customs duty charge of approximately 3,70 € per order to your cart. When you receive the shipment, you won’t have to pay anything extra.
TIP13-day delivery via Aliexpress Standard Shipping
For this product, AliExpress Standard Shipping is available with guaranteed delivery within 13 days. This is the most reliable shipping method and in most cases it’s delivered by a courier company.
When you order from a Chinese warehouse, AliExpress adds a customs duty charge of approximately 3,70 € per order to your cart. When you receive the shipment, you won’t have to pay anything extra.
Are you shopping on AliExpress for the first time?See the guide!
Updated 23. 10. 2026 at 15:11
TIP13-day delivery via Aliexpress Standard Shipping
For this product, AliExpress Standard Shipping is available with guaranteed delivery within 13 days. This is the most reliable shipping method and in most cases it’s delivered by a courier company.
When you order from a Chinese warehouse, AliExpress adds a customs duty charge of approximately 3,70 € per order to your cart. When you receive the shipment, you won’t have to pay anything extra.
Are you shopping on AliExpress for the first time?See the guide!
Updated 22. 10. 2026 at 09:27
TIP15-day delivery via Aliexpress Standard Shipping
For this product, Aliexpress Standard Shipping is available with guaranteed delivery within 15 days. It’s the most reliable delivery method and, in most cases, it’s handled by a courier company. The 15-day delivery is something we actually tested.
When you order from a Chinese warehouse, AliExpress adds a customs duty charge of approximately 3,70 € per order to your cart. When you receive the shipment, you won’t have to pay anything extra.
What the law says and what to watch out for
Everything we’ve written about so far applies only to a stationary car or to a passenger. Act No. 8/2009 Coll. on Road Traffic in Section 4(1)(c) requires the driver to fully focus on driving the vehicle. Under Section 4(2)(m), while driving you may not hold a phone or other audiovisual device in your hand or otherwise operate it, and you may not do any other similar activity unrelated to driving. So you may not watch video while driving, whether the app allows it or not.
From 1 September 2026, the vehicle owner will also have to pay a €249 fine if a police or road camera catches the driver with a phone in hand, as explained by Právne noviny. So set up the video app so you can turn it off with one tap before driving. At the same time, only use content from legal sources, since the apps themselves provide no channels or movies.
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Official YouTube
Apps (AA Car Play Video / Fermata)
AI box
Price
free (sound while driving with a Premium subscription)
0 to 15 €
from 60 to 200 €
What you need
Supported car / Android 16
Any car with Android Auto
Car with wired CarPlay or Android Auto
Video while driving
No (only audio)
Technically yes / the law forbids it
Technically yes / the law forbids it
Risk
none
It may stop working after an update
None on the phone
Which route should you choose
If you have a newer car from supported brands, wait for the official YouTube release, because it’s safe, free, and won’t break anything on your end. For an older car, the easiest option is an AI box that works independently from your phone—Android Auto updates won’t put it at risk. Unofficial apps are cheap, but Google can block them anytime. For AA CarPlay Video, also consider whether you want to send money to a service operator you know nothing about. And if your car doesn’t have Android Auto or CarPlay at all, start with an additional YUEHOO display.
Reader poll
Would you use the option to play a video on your car’s display?
Yes, when I’m waiting at the charger or in a parking lot22 %
Yes, for kids or a passenger22 %
No, I don’t need video in the car56 %
My car has neither Android Auto nor CarPlay0 %
9 votes · You haven’t voted yet
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