Use the Android for Cars App Library

The Android for Cars App Library lets you bring your navigation, point of interest (POI), and internet of things (IOT) apps to the car. It does so by providing a set of templates designed to meet driver distraction standards and taking care of details like the variety of car screen factors and input modalities.

This guide provides an overview of the library's key features and concepts and walks you through the process of setting up a basic app.

Before you begin

  1. Review the Design for Driving pages covering the Car App Library
  2. Review the key terms and concepts in the following section.
  3. Familiarize yourself with the Android Auto System UI and Android Automotive OS design.
  4. Review the Release Notes.
  5. Review the Samples.

Key terms and concepts

Models and Templates
The user interface is represented by a graph of model objects that can be arranged together in different ways, as allowed by the template they belong to. Templates are a subset of the models that can act as a root in those graphs. Models include the information to be displayed to the user in the form of text and images as well as attributes to configure aspects of the visual appearance of such information—for example, text colors or image sizes. The host converts the models to views that are designed to meet driver distraction standards and takes care of details like the variety of car screen factors and input modalities.
Host
The host is the backend component that implements the functionality offered by the library's APIs so your app can run in the car. The responsibilities of the host range from discovering your app and managing its lifecycle to converting your models into views and notifying your app of user interactions. On mobile devices, this host is implemented by Android Auto. On Android Automotive OS, this host is installed as a system app.
Template restrictions
Different templates enforce restrictions in the content of their models. For example, list templates have limits on the number of items that can be presented to the user. Templates also have restrictions in the way they can be connected to form the flow of a task. For example, the app can only push up to five templates to the screen stack. See Template restrictions for more details.
Screen
Screen is a class provided by the library that apps implement to manage the user interface presented to the user. A Screen has a lifecycle and provides the mechanism for the app to send the template to display when the screen is visible. Screen instances can also be pushed and popped to and from a Screen stack, which ensures they adhere to the template flow restrictions.
CarAppService
CarAppService is an abstract Service class that your app must implement and export to be discovered and managed by the host. Your app's CarAppService is responsible for validating that a host connection can be trusted using createHostValidator and subsequently providing Session instances for each connection using onCreateSession.
Session

Session is an abstract class that your app must implement and return using CarAppService.onCreateSession. It serves as the entry point to display information on the car screen. It has a lifecycle that informs the current state of your app on the car screen, such as when your app is visible or hidden.

When a Session is started, such as when the app is first launched, the host requests for the initial Screen to display using the onCreateScreen method.

Install the Car App Library

See the Jetpack library release page for instructions on how to add the library to your app.

Configure your app’s manifest files

Before you can create your car app, configure your app’s manifest files as follows.

Declare your CarAppService

The host connects to your app through your CarAppService implementation. You declare this service in your manifest to let the host discover and connect to your app.

You also need to declare your app’s category in the <category> element of your app’s intent filter. See the list of supported app categories for the values allowed for this element.

The following code snippet shows how to declare a car app service for a point of interest app in your manifest:

<application>
    ...
   <service
       ...
        android:name=".MyCarAppService"
        android:exported="true">
      <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="androidx.car.app.CarAppService"/>
        <category android:name="androidx.car.app.category.POI"/>
      </intent-filter>
    </service>

    ...
<application>

Supported app categories

Declare your app's category by adding one or more of the following category values in the intent filter when you declare your CarAppService as described in the preceding section:

  • androidx.car.app.category.NAVIGATION: an app that provides turn-by-turn navigation directions. Check out Build navigation apps for cars for additional documentation on this category.
  • androidx.car.app.category.POI: an app that provides functionality relevant to finding points of interest such as parking spots, charging stations, and gas stations. Check out Build point of interest apps for cars for additional documentation on this category.
  • androidx.car.app.category.IOT: An app that enable users to take relevant actions on connected devices from within the car. Check out Build internet of things apps for cars for additional documentation on this category.

See Android app quality for cars for detailed descriptions of each category and criteria for apps to belong to them.

Specify the app name and icon

You need to specify an app name and icon that the host can use to represent your app in the system UI.

You can specify the app name and icon that is used to represent your app using the label and icon attributes of your CarAppService:

...
<service
   android:name=".MyCarAppService"
   android:exported="true"
   android:label="@string/my_app_name"
   android:icon="@drawable/my_app_icon">
   ...
</service>
...

If the label or icon are not declared in the <service> element, the host falls back to the values specified for the <application> element.

Set a custom theme

To set a custom theme for your car app, add a <meta-data> element in your manifest file, as follows:

<meta-data
    android:name="androidx.car.app.theme"
    android:resource="@style/MyCarAppTheme />

Then, declare your style resource to set the following attributes for your custom car app theme:

<resources>
  <style name="MyCarAppTheme">
    <item name="carColorPrimary">@layout/my_primary_car_color</item>
    <item name="carColorPrimaryDark">@layout/my_primary_dark_car_color</item>
    <item name="carColorSecondary">@layout/my_secondary_car_color</item>
    <item name="carColorSecondaryDark">@layout/my_secondary_dark_car_color</item>
    <item name="carPermissionActivityLayout">@layout/my_custom_background</item>
  </style>
</resources>

Car App API level

The Car App Library defines its own API levels so that you can know which library features are supported by the template host on a vehicle. To retrieve the highest Car App API Level supported by a host, use the getCarAppApiLevel() method.

Declare the minimum Car App API Level supported by your app in your AndroidManifest.xml file:

<manifest ...>
    <application ...>
        <meta-data
            android:name="androidx.car.app.minCarApiLevel"
            android:value="1"/>
    </application>
</manifest>

See the documentation for the RequiresCarApi annotation for details on how to maintain backward compatibility and declare the minimum API level required to use a feature. For a definition of which API level is required to use a certain feature of the Car App Library, check the reference documentation for CarAppApiLevels.

Create your CarAppService and Session

Your app needs to extend the CarAppService class and implement its onCreateSession method, which returns a Session instance corresponding to the current connection to the host:

Kotlin

class HelloWorldService : CarAppService() {
    ...
    override fun onCreateSession(): Session {
        return HelloWorldSession()
    }
    ...
}

Java

public final class HelloWorldService extends CarAppService {
    ...
    @Override
    @NonNull
    public Session onCreateSession() {
        return new HelloWorldSession();
    }
    ...
}

The Session instance is responsible for returning the Screen instance to use the first time the app is started:

Kotlin

class HelloWorldSession : Session() {
    ...
    override fun onCreateScreen(intent: Intent): Screen {
        return HelloWorldScreen(carContext)
    }
    ...
}

Java

public final class HelloWorldSession extends Session {
    ...
    @Override
    @NonNull
    public Screen onCreateScreen(@NonNull Intent intent) {
        return new HelloWorldScreen(getCarContext());
    }
    ...
}

To handle scenarios where your car app needs to start from a screen that is not the home or landing screen of your app, such as handling deep links, you can pre-seed a back stack of screens using ScreenManager.push before returning from onCreateScreen. Pre-seeding allows users to navigate back to previous screens from the first screen that your app is showing.

Create your start screen

You create the screens displayed by your app by defining classes that extend the Screen class and implementing its onGetTemplate method, which returns the Template instance representing the state of the UI to display in the car screen.

The following snippet shows how to declare a Screen that uses a PaneTemplate template to display a simple “Hello world!” string:

Kotlin

class HelloWorldScreen(carContext: CarContext) : Screen(carContext) {
    override fun onGetTemplate(): Template {
        val row = Row.Builder().setTitle("Hello world!").build()
        val pane = Pane.Builder().addRow(row).build()
        return PaneTemplate.Builder(pane)
            .setHeaderAction(Action.APP_ICON)
            .build()
    }
}

Java

public class HelloWorldScreen extends Screen {
    @NonNull
    @Override
    public Template onGetTemplate() {
        Row row = new Row.Builder().setTitle("Hello world!").build();
        Pane pane = new Pane.Builder().addRow(row).build();
        return new PaneTemplate.Builder(pane)
            .setHeaderAction(Action.APP_ICON)
            .build();
    }
}

The CarContext class

The CarContext class is a ContextWrapper subclass accessible to your Session and Screen instances. It provides access to car services, such as the ScreenManager for managing the screen stack; the AppManager for general app-related functionality, such as accessing the Surface object for drawing maps; and the NavigationManager used by turn-by-turn navigation apps to communicate navigation metadata and other navigation-related events with the host.

See Access the navigation templates for a comprehensive list of library functionality available to navigation apps.

CarContext also offers other functionality, such as letting you load drawable resources using the configuration from the car screen, starting an app in the car using intents, and signaling whether your app should display its map in dark theme.

Implement screen navigation

Apps often present a number of different screens, each possibly using different templates the user can navigate through as they interact with the interface displayed in the screen.

The ScreenManager class provides a screen stack you can use to push screens that can be popped automatically when the user selects a back button in the car screen or uses the hardware back button available in some cars.

The following snippet shows how to add a back action to a message template as well as an action that pushes a new screen when selected by the user:

Kotlin

val template = MessageTemplate.Builder("Hello world!")
    .setHeaderAction(Action.BACK)
    .addAction(
        Action.Builder()
            .setTitle("Next screen")
            .setOnClickListener { screenManager.push(NextScreen(carContext)) }
            .build())
    .build()

Java

MessageTemplate template = new MessageTemplate.Builder("Hello world!")
    .setHeaderAction(Action.BACK)
    .addAction(
        new Action.Builder()
            .setTitle("Next screen")
            .setOnClickListener(
                () -> getScreenManager().push(new NextScreen(getCarContext())))
            .build())
    .build();

The Action.BACK object is a standard Action that automatically invokes ScreenManager.pop. This behavior can be overridden by using the OnBackPressedDispatcher instance available from the CarContext.

To help ensure the app is safe to use while driving, the screen stack can have a maximum depth of five screens. See the Template restrictions section for more details.

Refresh the contents of a template

Your app can request the content of a Screen to be invalidated by calling the Screen.invalidate method. The host subsequently calls back into your app’s Screen.onGetTemplate method to retrieve the template with the new contents.

When refreshing a Screen, it is important to understand the specific content in the template that can be updated so the host does not count the new template against the template quota. See the Template restrictions section for more details.

We recommended that you structure your screens so there is a one-to-one mapping between a Screen and the type of template it returns through its onGetTemplate implementation.

Draw maps

Navigation and point of interest (POI) apps using the following templates can draw maps by accessing a Surface:

Template Template permission Category guidance
NavigationTemplate androidx.car.app.NAVIGATION_TEMPLATES Navigation
MapWithContentTemplate androidx.car.app.NAVIGATION_TEMPLATES OR
androidx.car.app.MAP_TEMPLATES		 Navigation, POI
MapTemplate (deprecated) androidx.car.app.NAVIGATION_TEMPLATES Navigation
PlaceListNavigationTemplate (deprecated) androidx.car.app.NAVIGATION_TEMPLATES Navigation
RoutePreviewNavigationTemplate (deprecated) androidx.car.app.NAVIGATION_TEMPLATES Navigation

Declare the surface permission

In addition to the permission required for the template that you app is using, your app must declare the androidx.car.app.ACCESS_SURFACE permission in its AndroidManifest.xml file to get access to the surface:

<manifest ...>
  ...
  <uses-permission android:name="androidx.car.app.ACCESS_SURFACE" />
  ...
</manifest>

Access the surface

To access the Surface that the host provides, you must implement a SurfaceCallback and provide that implementation to the AppManager car service. The current Surface is passed to your SurfaceCallback in the SurfaceContainer parameter of the onSurfaceAvailable() and onSurfaceDestroyed() callbacks.

Kotlin

carContext.getCarService(AppManager::class.java).setSurfaceCallback(surfaceCallback)

Java

carContext.getCarService(AppManager.class).setSurfaceCallback(surfaceCallback);

Understand the surface's visible area

The host can draw user interface elements for the templates on top of the map. The host communicates the area of the surface that is guaranteed to be unobstructed and fully visible to the user by calling the SurfaceCallback.onVisibleAreaChanged method. Also, to minimize the number of changes, the host calls the SurfaceCallback.onStableAreaChanged method with the smallest rectangle, which is always visible based on the current template.

For example, when a navigation app uses the NavigationTemplate with an action strip on top, the action strip can hide itself when the user has not interacted with the screen for a while to make more space for the map. In this case, there is a callback to onStableAreaChanged and onVisibleAreaChanged with the same rectangle. When the action strip is hidden, only onVisibleAreaChanged is called with the larger area. If the user interacts with the screen, then again only onVisibleAreaChanged is called with the first rectangle.

Support dark theme

Apps must redraw their map onto the Surface instance with the proper dark colors when the host determines conditions warrant it, as described in Android app quality for cars.

To decide whether to draw a dark map, you can use the CarContext.isDarkMode method. Whenever the dark theme status changes, you receive a call to Session.onCarConfigurationChanged.

Let users interact with your map

When using the following templates, you can add support for users to interact with the maps you draw, such as letting them see different parts of a map by zooming and panning.

Template Interactivity supported since Car App API Level
NavigationTemplate 2
PlaceListNavigationTemplate (deprecated) 4
RoutePreviewNavigationTemplate (deprecated) 4
MapTemplate (deprecated) 5 (introduction of template)
MapWithContentTemplate 7 (introduction of template)

Implement interactivity callbacks

The SurfaceCallback interface has several callback methods you can implement to add interactivity to maps built with the templates in the preceding section:

Interaction SurfaceCallback method Supported since Car App API level
Tap onClick 5
Pinch to zoom onScale 2
Single-touch drag onScroll 2
Single-touch fling onFling 2
Double-tap onScale (with scale factor determined by template host) 2
Rotary nudge in pan mode onScroll (with distance factor determined by template host) 2

Add a map action strip

These templates can have a map action strip for map-related actions such as zooming in and out, recentering, displaying a compass, and other actions you choose to display. The map action strip can have up to four icon-only buttons that can be refreshed without impacting task depth. It hides during idle state and reappears on active state.

To receive map interactivity callbacks, you must add an Action.PAN button in the map action strip. When the user presses the pan button, the host enters pan mode, as described in the following section.

If your app omits the Action.PAN button in the map action strip, it doesn't receive user input from the SurfaceCallback methods, and the host exits any previously activated pan mode.

On a touchscreen, the pan button is not displayed.

Understand pan mode

In pan mode, the template host translates user input from non-touch input devices, such as rotary controllers and touchpads, into the appropriate SurfaceCallback methods. Respond to the user action to enter or exit pan mode with the setPanModeListener method in the NavigationTemplate.Builder. The host can hide other UI components in the template while the user is in pan mode.

Interact with the user

Your app can interact with the user using patterns similar to a mobile app.

Handle user input

Your app can respond to user input by passing the appropriate listeners to the models that support them. The following snippet shows how to create an Action model that sets an OnClickListener that calls back to a method defined by your app’s code:

Kotlin

val action = Action.Builder()
    .setTitle("Navigate")
    .setOnClickListener(::onClickNavigate)
    .build()

Java

Action action = new Action.Builder()
    .setTitle("Navigate")
    .setOnClickListener(this::onClickNavigate)
    .build();

The onClickNavigate method can then start the default navigation car app by using the CarContext.startCarApp method:

Kotlin

private fun onClickNavigate() {
    val intent = Intent(CarContext.ACTION_NAVIGATE, Uri.parse("geo:0,0?q=" + address))
    carContext.startCarApp(intent)
}

Java

private void onClickNavigate() {
    Intent intent = new Intent(CarContext.ACTION_NAVIGATE, Uri.parse("geo:0,0?q=" + address));
    getCarContext().startCarApp(intent);
}

For more details on how to start apps, including the format of the ACTION_NAVIGATE intent, see the Start a car app with an intent section.

Some actions, such as those that require directing the user to continue the interaction on their mobile devices, are only allowed when the car is parked. You can use the ParkedOnlyOnClickListener to implement those actions. If the car is not parked, the host displays an indication to the user that the action is not allowed in this case. If the car is parked, the code executes normally. The following snippet shows how to use the ParkedOnlyOnClickListener to open a settings screen on the mobile device:

Kotlin

val row = Row.Builder()
    .setTitle("Open Settings")
    .setOnClickListener(ParkedOnlyOnClickListener.create(::openSettingsOnPhone))
    .build()

Java

Row row = new Row.Builder()
    .setTitle("Open Settings")
    .setOnClickListener(ParkedOnlyOnClickListener.create(this::openSettingsOnPhone))
    .build();

Display notifications

Notifications sent to the mobile device only show up on the car screen if they are extended with a CarAppExtender. Some notification attributes, such as content title, text, icon, and actions, can be set in the CarAppExtender, overriding the notification's attributes when they appear on the car screen.

The following snippet shows how to send a notification to the car screen that displays a different title than the one shown on the mobile device:

Kotlin

val notification = NotificationCompat.Builder(context, NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID)
    .setContentTitle(titleOnThePhone)
    .extend(
        CarAppExtender.Builder()
            .setContentTitle(titleOnTheCar)
            ...
            .build())
    .build()

Java

Notification notification = new NotificationCompat.Builder(context, NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID)
    .setContentTitle(titleOnThePhone)
    .extend(
        new CarAppExtender.Builder()
            .setContentTitle(titleOnTheCar)
            ...
            .build())
    .build();

Notifications can affect the following parts of the user interface:

  • A heads-up notification (HUN) may be displayed to the user.
  • An entry in the notification center may be added, optionally with a badge visible in the rail.
  • For navigation apps, the notification may be displayed in the rail widget as described in Turn-by-turn notifications.

You can choose how to configure your app's notifications to affect each of those user interface elements by using the notification's priority, as described in the CarAppExtender documentation.

If NotificationCompat.Builder.setOnlyAlertOnce is called with a value of true, a high-priority notification displays as a HUN only once.

For more information on how to design your car app's notifications, see the Google Design for Driving guide about Notifications.

Show toasts

Your app can display a toast using CarToast as shown in this snippet:

Kotlin

CarToast.makeText(carContext, "Hello!", CarToast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()

Java

CarToast.makeText(getCarContext(), "Hello!", CarToast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();

Request permissions

If your app needs access to restricted data or actions—for example, location—the standard rules of Android permissions apply. To request a permission, you can use the CarContext.requestPermissions() method.

The benefit of using CarContext.requestPermissions(), as opposed to using standard Android APIs, is that you don't need to launch your own Activity to create the permissions dialog. Moreover, you can use the same code on both Android Auto and Android Automotive OS, rather than having to create platform-dependent flows.

Style the permissions dialog on Android Auto

On Android Auto, the permissions dialog for the user will appear on the phone. By default, there will be no background behind the dialog. To set a custom background, declare a car app theme in your AndroidManifest.xml file and set the carPermissionActivityLayout attribute for your car app theme.

<meta-data
    android:name="androidx.car.app.theme"
    android:resource="@style/MyCarAppTheme />

Then, set the carPermissionActivityLayout attribute for your car app theme: 

<resources>
  <style name="MyCarAppTheme">
    <item name="carPermissionActivityLayout">@layout/my_custom_background</item>
  </style>
</resources>

Start a car app with an intent

You can call the CarContext.startCarApp method to perform one of the following actions:

  • Open the dialer to make a phone call.
  • Start turn-by-turn navigation to a location with the default navigation car app.
  • Start your own app with an intent.

The following example shows how to create a notification with an action that opens your app with a screen that shows the details of a parking reservation. You extend the notification instance with a content intent that contains a PendingIntent wrapping an explicit intent to your app's action:

Kotlin

val notification = notificationBuilder
    ...
    .extend(
        CarAppExtender.Builder()
            .setContentIntent(
                PendingIntent.getBroadcast(
                    context,
                    ACTION_VIEW_PARKING_RESERVATION.hashCode(),
                    Intent(ACTION_VIEW_PARKING_RESERVATION)
                        .setComponent(ComponentName(context, MyNotificationReceiver::class.java)),
                    0))
            .build())

Java

Notification notification = notificationBuilder
    ...
    .extend(
        new CarAppExtender.Builder()
            .setContentIntent(
                PendingIntent.getBroadcast(
                    context,
                    ACTION_VIEW_PARKING_RESERVATION.hashCode(),
                    new Intent(ACTION_VIEW_PARKING_RESERVATION)
                        .setComponent(new ComponentName(context, MyNotificationReceiver.class)),
                    0))
            .build());

Your app must also declare a BroadcastReceiver that is invoked to process the intent when the user selects the action in the notification interface and invokes CarContext.startCarApp with an intent including the data URI:

Kotlin

class MyNotificationReceiver : BroadcastReceiver() {
    override fun onReceive(context: Context, intent: Intent) {
        val intentAction = intent.action
        if (ACTION_VIEW_PARKING_RESERVATION == intentAction) {
            CarContext.startCarApp(
                intent,
                Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW)
                    .setComponent(ComponentName(context, MyCarAppService::class.java))
                    .setData(Uri.fromParts(MY_URI_SCHEME, MY_URI_HOST, intentAction)))
        }
    }
}

Java

public class MyNotificationReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
    @Override
    public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
        String intentAction = intent.getAction();
        if (ACTION_VIEW_PARKING_RESERVATION.equals(intentAction)) {
            CarContext.startCarApp(
                intent,
                new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW)
                    .setComponent(new ComponentName(context, MyCarAppService.class))
                    .setData(Uri.fromParts(MY_URI_SCHEME, MY_URI_HOST, intentAction)));
        }
    }
}

Finally, the Session.onNewIntent method in your app handles this intent by pushing the parking reservation screen on the stack, if it's not already on top:

Kotlin

override fun onNewIntent(intent: Intent) {
    val screenManager = carContext.getCarService(ScreenManager::class.java)
    val uri = intent.data
    if (uri != null
        && MY_URI_SCHEME == uri.scheme
        && MY_URI_HOST == uri.schemeSpecificPart
        && ACTION_VIEW_PARKING_RESERVATION == uri.fragment
    ) {
        val top = screenManager.top
        if (top !is ParkingReservationScreen) {
            screenManager.push(ParkingReservationScreen(carContext))
        }
    }
}

Java

@Override
public void onNewIntent(@NonNull Intent intent) {
    ScreenManager screenManager = getCarContext().getCarService(ScreenManager.class);
    Uri uri = intent.getData();
    if (uri != null
        && MY_URI_SCHEME.equals(uri.getScheme())
        && MY_URI_HOST.equals(uri.getSchemeSpecificPart())
        && ACTION_VIEW_PARKING_RESERVATION.equals(uri.getFragment())
    ) {
        Screen top = screenManager.getTop();
        if (!(top instanceof ParkingReservationScreen)) {
            screenManager.push(new ParkingReservationScreen(getCarContext()));
        }
    }
}

See the Display notifications section for more information on how to handle notifications for the car app.

Template restrictions

The host limits the number of templates to display for a given task to a maximum of five, of which the last template must be one of the following types:

Note that this limit applies to the number of templates and not the number of Screen instances in the stack. For example, if an app sends two templates while in screen A and then pushes screen B, it can now send three more templates. Alternatively, if each screen is structured to send a single template, then the app can push five screen instances onto the ScreenManager stack.

There are special cases to these restrictions: template refreshes and back and reset operations.

Template refreshes

Certain content updates are not counted toward the template limit. In general, if an app pushes a new template that is of the same type and contains the same main content as the previous template, the new template is not counted against the quota. For example, updating the toggle state of a row in a ListTemplate does not count against the quota. See the documentation of individual templates to learn more about what types of content updates can be considered a refresh.

Back operations

To enable sub-flows within a task, the host detects when an app is popping a Screen from the ScreenManager stack and updates the remaining quota based on the number of templates that the app is going backward by.

For example, if the app sends two templates while in screen A, then pushes screen B and sends two more templates, the app has one quota remaining. If the app then pops back to screen A, the host resets the quota to three, because the app has gone backward by two templates.

Note that, when popping back to a screen, an app must send a template that is of the same type as the one last sent by that screen. Sending any other template type causes an error. However, as long as the type remains the same during a back operation, an app can freely modify the contents of the template without affecting the quota.

Reset operations

Certain templates have special semantics that signify the end of a task. For example, the NavigationTemplate is a view that is expected to stay on the screen and be refreshed with new turn-by-turn instructions for the user's consumption. When it reaches one of these templates, the host resets the template quota, treating that template as if it is the first step of a new task. This allows the app to begin a new task. See the documentation of individual templates to see which ones trigger a reset on the host.

If the host receives an intent to start the app from a notification action or from the launcher, the quota is also reset. This mechanism lets an app begin a new task flow from notifications, and it holds true even if an app is already bound and in the foreground.

See the Display notifications section for more details on how to display your app's notifications in the car screen. See the Start a car app with an intent section for information on how to start your app from a notification action.

Connection API

You can determine whether your app is running on Android Auto or Android Automotive OS by using the CarConnection API to retrieve connection information at runtime.

For example, in your car app's Session, initialize a CarConnection and subscribe to LiveData updates:

Kotlin

CarConnection(carContext).type.observe(this, ::onConnectionStateUpdated)

Java

new CarConnection(getCarContext()).getType().observe(this, this::onConnectionStateUpdated);

In the observer, you can then react to changes in the connection state:

Kotlin

fun onConnectionStateUpdated(connectionState: Int) {
  val message = when(connectionState) {
    CarConnection.CONNECTION_TYPE_NOT_CONNECTED -> "Not connected to a head unit"
    CarConnection.CONNECTION_TYPE_NATIVE -> "Connected to Android Automotive OS"
    CarConnection.CONNECTION_TYPE_PROJECTION -> "Connected to Android Auto"
    else -> "Unknown car connection type"
  }
  CarToast.makeText(carContext, message, CarToast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

Java

private void onConnectionStateUpdated(int connectionState) {
  String message;
  switch(connectionState) {
    case CarConnection.CONNECTION_TYPE_NOT_CONNECTED:
      message = "Not connected to a head unit";
      break;
    case CarConnection.CONNECTION_TYPE_NATIVE:
      message = "Connected to Android Automotive OS";
      break;
    case CarConnection.CONNECTION_TYPE_PROJECTION:
      message = "Connected to Android Auto";
      break;
    default:
      message = "Unknown car connection type";
      break;
  }
  CarToast.makeText(getCarContext(), message, CarToast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}

Constraints API

Different cars may allow for a different number of Item instances to be displayed to the user at a time. Use the ConstraintManager to check the content limit at runtime and set the appropriate number of items in your templates.

Start by getting a ConstraintManager from the CarContext:

Kotlin

val manager = carContext.getCarService(ConstraintManager::class.java)

Java

ConstraintManager manager = getCarContext().getCarService(ConstraintManager.class);

You can then query the retrieved ConstraintManager object for the relevant content limit. For example, to get the number of items that can be displayed in a grid, call getContentLimit with CONTENT_LIMIT_TYPE_GRID:

Kotlin

val gridItemLimit = manager.getContentLimit(ConstraintManager.CONTENT_LIMIT_TYPE_GRID)

Java

int gridItemLimit = manager.getContentLimit(ConstraintManager.CONTENT_LIMIT_TYPE_GRID);

Add a sign-in flow

If your app offers a signed-in experience for users, you can use templates like the SignInTemplate and LongMessageTemplate with Car App API level 2 and above to handle signing in to your app on the car's head unit.

To create a SignInTemplate, define a SignInMethod. The Car App Library currently supports the following sign-in methods:

For example, to implement a template that collects the user's password, start by creating an InputCallback to process and validate user input:

Kotlin

val callback = object : InputCallback {
    override fun onInputSubmitted(text: String) {
        // You will receive this callback when the user presses Enter on the keyboard.
    }

    override fun onInputTextChanged(text: String) {
        // You will receive this callback as the user is typing. The update
        // frequency is determined by the host.
    }
}

Java

InputCallback callback = new InputCallback() {
    @Override
    public void onInputSubmitted(@NonNull String text) {
        // You will receive this callback when the user presses Enter on the keyboard.
    }

    @Override
    public void onInputTextChanged(@NonNull String text) {
        // You will receive this callback as the user is typing. The update
        // frequency is determined by the host.
    }
};

An InputCallback is required for the InputSignInMethod Builder.

Kotlin

val passwordInput = InputSignInMethod.Builder(callback)
    .setHint("Password")
    .setInputType(InputSignInMethod.INPUT_TYPE_PASSWORD)
    ...
    .build()

Java

InputSignInMethod passwordInput = new InputSignInMethod.Builder(callback)
    .setHint("Password")
    .setInputType(InputSignInMethod.INPUT_TYPE_PASSWORD)
    ...
    .build();

Finally, use your new InputSignInMethod to create a SignInTemplate.

Kotlin

SignInTemplate.Builder(passwordInput)
    .setTitle("Sign in with username and password")
    .setInstructions("Enter your password")
    .setHeaderAction(Action.BACK)
    ...
    .build()

Java

new SignInTemplate.Builder(passwordInput)
    .setTitle("Sign in with username and password")
    .setInstructions("Enter your password")
    .setHeaderAction(Action.BACK)
    ...
    .build();

Use AccountManager

Android Automotive OS apps that have authentication must use AccountManager for the following reasons:

  • Better UX and ease of account management: Users can easily manage all their accounts from the accounts menu in the system settings, including sign-in and sign-out.
  • "Guest" experiences: Because cars are shared devices, OEMs can enable guest experiences in the vehicle, where accounts cannot be added.

Add text string variants

Different car screen sizes may show different amounts of text. With Car App API level 2 and above, you can specify multiple variants of a text string to best fit the screen. To see where text variants are accepted, look for templates and components that take a CarText.

You can add text string variants to a CarText with the CarText.Builder.addVariant() method:

Kotlin

val itemTitle = CarText.Builder("This is a very long string")
    .addVariant("Shorter string")
    ...
    .build()

Java

CarText itemTitle = new CarText.Builder("This is a very long string")
    .addVariant("Shorter string")
    ...
    .build();

You can then use this CarText—for example, as the primary text of a GridItem.

Kotlin

GridItem.Builder()
    .addTitle(itemTitle)
    ...
    .build()

Java

new GridItem.Builder()
    .addTitle(itemTitle)
    ...
    build();

Add strings in order from most to least preferred—for example, from longest to shortest. The host picks the appropriate-length string depending on the amount of space available on the car screen.

Add inline CarIcons for rows

You can add icons inline with text to enrich your app's visual appeal using CarIconSpan. See the documentation for CarIconSpan.create for more information on creating these spans. See Spantastic text styling with Spans for an overview of how text styling with spans work.

Kotlin

  
val rating = SpannableString("Rating: 4.5 stars")
rating.setSpan(
    CarIconSpan.create(
        // Create a CarIcon with an image of four and a half stars
        CarIcon.Builder(...).build(),
        // Align the CarIcon to the baseline of the text
        CarIconSpan.ALIGN_BASELINE
    ),
    // The start index of the span (index of the character '4')
    8,
    // The end index of the span (index of the last 's' in "stars")
    16,
    Spanned.SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE
)

val row = Row.Builder()
    ...
    .addText(rating)
    .build()

Java

  
SpannableString rating = new SpannableString("Rating: 4.5 stars");
rating.setSpan(
        CarIconSpan.create(
                // Create a CarIcon with an image of four and a half stars
                new CarIcon.Builder(...).build(),
                // Align the CarIcon to the baseline of the text
                CarIconSpan.ALIGN_BASELINE
        ),
        // The start index of the span (index of the character '4')
        8,
        // The end index of the span (index of the last 's' in "stars")
        16,
        Spanned.SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE
);
Row row = new Row.Builder()
        ...
        .addText(rating)
        .build();

Car Hardware APIs

Starting with Car App API level 3, the Car App Library has APIs that you can use to access vehicle properties and sensors.

Requirements

To use the APIs with Android Auto, start by adding a dependency on androidx.car.app:app-projected to the build.gradle file for your Android Auto module. For Android Automotive OS, add a dependency on androidx.car.app:app-automotive to the build.gradle file for your Android Automotive OS module.

Additionally, in your AndroidManifest.xml file, you need to declare the relevant permissions needed to request the car data you want to use. Note that these permissions must also be granted to you by the user. You can use the same code on both Android Auto and Android Automotive OS, rather than having to create platform-dependent flows. However, the permissions needed are different.

CarInfo

This table describes the properties surfaced by the CarInfo APIs and the permissions you need to request to use them:

Methods Properties Android Auto Permissions Android Automotive OS Permissions Supported since Car App API level
fetchModel Make, model, year android.car.permission.CAR_INFO 3
fetchEnergyProfile EV connector types, fuel types com.google.android.gms.permission.CAR_FUEL android.car.permission.CAR_INFO 3
fetchExteriorDimensions

This data is only available on some Android Automotive OS vehicles running API 30 or higher

Exterior dimensions N/A android.car.permission.CAR_INFO 7
addTollListener
removeTollListener		 Toll card state, toll card type 3
addEnergyLevelListener
removeEnergyLevelListener		 Battery level, fuel level, fuel level low, range remaining com.google.android.gms.permission.CAR_FUEL android.car.permission.CAR_ENERGY,
android.car.permission.CAR_ENERGY_PORTS,
android.car.permission.READ_CAR_DISPLAY_UNITS 		3
addSpeedListener
removeSpeedListener		 Raw speed, display speed (shown on car's cluster display) com.google.android.gms.permission.CAR_SPEED android.car.permission.CAR_SPEED,
android.car.permission.READ_CAR_DISPLAY_UNITS		 3
addMileageListener
removeMileageListener		 Odometer distance com.google.android.gms.permission.CAR_MILEAGE This data is not available on Android Automotive OS to apps installed from the Play Store. 3

For example, to get the remaining range, instantiate a CarInfo object, then create and register an OnCarDataAvailableListener:

Kotlin

val carInfo = carContext.getCarService(CarHardwareManager::class.java).carInfo

val listener = OnCarDataAvailableListener<EnergyLevel> { data ->
    if (data.rangeRemainingMeters.status == CarValue.STATUS_SUCCESS) {
      val rangeRemaining = data.rangeRemainingMeters.value
    } else {
      // Handle error
    }
  }

carInfo.addEnergyLevelListener(carContext.mainExecutor, listener)
…
// Unregister the listener when you no longer need updates
carInfo.removeEnergyLevelListener(listener)

Java

CarInfo carInfo = getCarContext().getCarService(CarHardwareManager.class).getCarInfo();

OnCarDataAvailableListener<EnergyLevel> listener = (data) -> {
  if(data.getRangeRemainingMeters().getStatus() == CarValue.STATUS_SUCCESS) {
    float rangeRemaining = data.getRangeRemainingMeters().getValue();
  } else {
    // Handle error
  }
};

carInfo.addEnergyLevelListener(getCarContext().getMainExecutor(), listener);
…
// Unregister the listener when you no longer need updates
carInfo.removeEnergyLevelListener(listener);

Don't assume that the data from the car is available at all times. If you get an error, check the status of the value you requested to better understand why the data you requested could not be retrieved. Refer to the reference documentation for the full CarInfo class definition.

CarSensors

The CarSensors class gives you access to the vehicle's accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and location data. The availability of these values may depend on the OEM. The format for the data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass is the same as you would get from the SensorManager API. For example, to check the vehicle's heading:

Kotlin

val carSensors = carContext.getCarService(CarHardwareManager::class.java).carSensors

val listener = OnCarDataAvailableListener<Compass> { data ->
    if (data.orientations.status == CarValue.STATUS_SUCCESS) {
      val orientation = data.orientations.value
    } else {
      // Data not available, handle error
    }
  }

carSensors.addCompassListener(CarSensors.UPDATE_RATE_NORMAL, carContext.mainExecutor, listener)
…
// Unregister the listener when you no longer need updates
carSensors.removeCompassListener(listener)

Java

CarSensors carSensors = getCarContext().getCarService(CarHardwareManager.class).getCarSensors();

OnCarDataAvailableListener<Compass> listener = (data) -> {
  if (data.getOrientations().getStatus() == CarValue.STATUS_SUCCESS) {
    List<Float> orientations = data.getOrientations().getValue();
  } else {
    // Data not available, handle error
  }
};

carSensors.addCompassListener(CarSensors.UPDATE_RATE_NORMAL, getCarContext().getMainExecutor(),
    listener);
…
// Unregister the listener when you no longer need updates
carSensors.removeCompassListener(listener);

To access location data from the car, you also need to declare and request the android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION permission.

Testing

To simulate sensor data when testing on Android Auto, refer to the Sensors and Sensor configuration sections of the Desktop Head Unit guide. To simulate sensor data when testing on Android Automotive OS, refer to the Emulate hardware state section of the Android Automotive OS emulator guide.

The CarAppService, Session and Screen lifecycles

The Session and Screen classes implement the LifecycleOwner interface. As the user interacts with the app, your Session and Screen objects' lifecycle callbacks are invoked, as described in the following diagrams.

The lifecycles of a CarAppService and a Session

Figure 1. The Session lifecycle.

For full details, see the documentation for the Session.getLifecycle method.

The lifecycle of a Screen

Figure 2. The Screen lifecycle.

For full details, see the documentation for the Screen.getLifecycle method.

Record from the car microphone

Using your app's CarAppService and the CarAudioRecord API, you can give your app access to the user's car microphone. Users need to give your app permission to access the car microphone. Your app can record and process the user's input within your app.

Permission to record

Before recording any audio, you must first declare the permission to record in your AndroidManifest.xml and request that the user grant it.

<manifest ...>
   ...
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />
   ...
</manifest>

You need to request the permission to record at runtime. See the Request permissions section for details on how to request a permission in your car app.

Record audio

After the user gives permission to record, you can record the audio and process the recording.

Kotlin

val carAudioRecord = CarAudioRecord.create(carContext)
        carAudioRecord.startRecording()

        val data = ByteArray(CarAudioRecord.AUDIO_CONTENT_BUFFER_SIZE)
        while(carAudioRecord.read(data, 0, CarAudioRecord.AUDIO_CONTENT_BUFFER_SIZE) >= 0) {
            // Use data array
            // Potentially call carAudioRecord.stopRecording() if your processing finds end of speech
        }
        carAudioRecord.stopRecording()

Java

CarAudioRecord carAudioRecord = CarAudioRecord.create(getCarContext());
        carAudioRecord.startRecording();

        byte[] data = new byte[CarAudioRecord.AUDIO_CONTENT_BUFFER_SIZE];
        while (carAudioRecord.read(data, 0, CarAudioRecord.AUDIO_CONTENT_BUFFER_SIZE) >= 0) {
            // Use data array
            // Potentially call carAudioRecord.stopRecording() if your processing finds end of speech
        }
        carAudioRecord.stopRecording();

Audio focus

When recording from the car microphone, first acquire audio focus to ensure that any ongoing media is stopped. If you lose audio focus, stop recording.

Here is an example of how to acquire audio focus:

Kotlin

 
val carAudioRecord = CarAudioRecord.create(carContext)
        
        // Take audio focus so that user's media is not recorded
        val audioAttributes = AudioAttributes.Builder()
            .setContentType(AudioAttributes.CONTENT_TYPE_SPEECH)
            // Use the most appropriate usage type for your use case
            .setUsage(AudioAttributes.USAGE_ASSISTANCE_NAVIGATION_GUIDANCE)
            .build()
        
        val audioFocusRequest =
            AudioFocusRequest.Builder(AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN_TRANSIENT_EXCLUSIVE)
                .setAudioAttributes(audioAttributes)
                .setOnAudioFocusChangeListener { state: Int ->
                    if (state == AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS) {
                        // Stop recording if audio focus is lost
                        carAudioRecord.stopRecording()
                    }
                }
                .build()
        
        if (carContext.getSystemService(AudioManager::class.java)
                .requestAudioFocus(audioFocusRequest)
            != AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_REQUEST_GRANTED
        ) {
            // Don't record if the focus isn't granted
            return
        }
        
        carAudioRecord.startRecording()
        // Process the audio and abandon the AudioFocusRequest when done

Java

CarAudioRecord carAudioRecord = CarAudioRecord.create(getCarContext());
        // Take audio focus so that user's media is not recorded
        AudioAttributes audioAttributes =
                new AudioAttributes.Builder()
                        .setContentType(AudioAttributes.CONTENT_TYPE_SPEECH)
                        // Use the most appropriate usage type for your use case
                        .setUsage(AudioAttributes.USAGE_ASSISTANCE_NAVIGATION_GUIDANCE)
                        .build();

        AudioFocusRequest audioFocusRequest =
                new AudioFocusRequest.Builder(AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN_TRANSIENT_EXCLUSIVE)
                        .setAudioAttributes(audioAttributes)
                        .setOnAudioFocusChangeListener(state -> {
                            if (state == AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_LOSS) {
                                // Stop recording if audio focus is lost
                                carAudioRecord.stopRecording();
                            }
                        })
                        .build();

        if (getCarContext().getSystemService(AudioManager.class).requestAudioFocus(audioFocusRequest)
                != AUDIOFOCUS_REQUEST_GRANTED) {
            // Don't record if the focus isn't granted
            return;
        }

        carAudioRecord.startRecording();
        // Process the audio and abandon the AudioFocusRequest when done

Testing Library

The Android for Cars Testing Library provides auxiliary classes that you can use to validate your app's behavior in a test environment. For example, the SessionController lets you simulate a connection to the host and verify that the correct Screen and Template are created and returned.

Refer to the Samples for usage examples.

Report an Android for Cars App Library issue

If you find an issue with the library, report it using the Google Issue Tracker. Be sure to fill out all the requested information in the issue template.

Create a new issue

Before filing a new issue, please check whether it is listed in the library's release notes or reported in the issues list. You can subscribe and vote for issues by clicking the star for an issue in the tracker. For more information, see Subscribing to an Issue.

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