Android Auto App & Mirroring Tools Compared (2026)
The niche of doing more than the stock app list on Android Auto is crowded — and most of the comparisons you'll find are written by the tools' own marketing sites. Here is an independent, accurate map of the real options as of 2026: what each one actually does, whether it needs root, and what is still maintained.
The comparison, at a glance
| Tool | Type | Root? | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AADisplay | Arbitrary-app projection | Yes | Semi-active · GPL-3.0 |
| KoalaMirror | Full-desktop projection | Yes | Active |
| AAAD | App installer | No | Active · freemium |
| Fermata Auto | Media player | No * | Active · GPL-3.0 |
| CarStream | Media player | No * | Original repo stalled (2021) |
| Screen2Auto | Screen mirror | Yes | Closed-source · status unclear |
| AA Mirror | Screen mirror | Yes | Legacy · last updated 2024 |
| AAStream | Screen mirror | Yes | Abandoned (2019) |
* Media players don't need root themselves, but on locked-down Android Auto versions the community uses a separate patcher to surface them.
App installers: AAAD
AAAD (Android Auto Apps Downloader) doesn't render anything itself — it installs Android Auto apps that Google keeps off the Play Store, so they show up in Android Auto, with no root required. The free tier allows one install per 30 days; a paid tier removes the cap. The trade-off: installed apps can stop working after an Android Auto or system update, and only part of the project is open source. A good fit if you want one or two specific blocked apps without rooting.
Media players: Fermata Auto and CarStream
These play media — they don't run arbitrary apps. Fermata Auto (open source, GPL-3.0, by AndreyPavlenko) is a capable audio, video, and IPTV player with native Android Auto support and is actively maintained — a strong pick if media is all you need. CarStream is a YouTube, Plex, and local-video player; its original open-source repository has been stalled since 2021.
Screen mirrors: AA Mirror, Screen2Auto, AAStream
These cast your phone's whole screen to the head unit — the phone is occupied and the output is phone-shaped. Most are aging: AAStream hasn't been updated since 2019, and the most-active AA Mirror repository was last updated in 2024. Screen2Auto is closed-source, generally needs root on modern Android, and has been flagged as harmful by Play Protect in user reports; its current maintenance status is unclear. As a category, treat screen mirrors as higher-risk and lower-maintenance.
Arbitrary-app & full-desktop projection: AADisplay and KoalaMirror
These render an independent display through Android Auto's VirtualDisplay, so real apps appear — not Google's templates. AADisplay (open source, GPL-3.0, by Nitsuya) pioneered the approach but depends on the Xposed/LSPosed stack, which is increasingly fragile on newer Android. KoalaMirror is an independent, clean-room implementation of the same VirtualDisplay idea — it shares the concept, not the code — using root with a Zygisk runtime instead of Xposed, projecting a full desktop, and tracking Android Auto versions for compatibility. (We cover the AADisplay-to-KoalaMirror path in its own guide.)
How to choose
- Just media (music, video, IPTV)? Fermata Auto.
- One specific blocked app, no root? AAAD.
- A full, independent desktop on the dash, and you're rooted? Full-desktop projection — KoalaMirror.
- Coming from AADisplay, tired of LSPosed breakage? A root-without-Xposed path (see our AADisplay guide).
There is no single "best" — pick by what you actually want on the dash, and how much setup you're willing to do.