DriveLaunch is an open-source Android Auto browser that plays video content on your car display — something stock Android Auto blocks in third-party apps. Built with a native car-first UI (not a phone browser stretched to fit), it gives passengers and parked drivers quick-access tiles for the sites and services they actually use, instead of hunting through bookmarks or typing URLs.
Note
Requires Android 7.0 (Nougat) or later
📲 Easy Install: No need for a special installer. Just download and install.
🚀 Updates: Check for the latest release on the GitHub Releases page.
- 🎯 Native Automotive UI: Designed specifically for car displays, not just a stretched phone app.
- 🎬 Immersive Media: Watch fullscreen DRM-protected video (supports Widevine L3 only due to technical limitations) — perfect for charging breaks or while parked.
- 🎨 Light + AMOLED Themes: Switch between a bright light theme and a true-black AMOLED dark mode built for car displays.
- 🌓 Beta Dark Pages: Optionally ask WebView to darken supported pages while the dark theme is active.
- 🏠 Home Page Or Start Page: Launch straight into a custom home page, or use the start page dashboard when no home page is set.
- 🚀 Eight Quick Links: The start page supports up to eight shortcut cards with popular sites and a custom background image.
- 🎨 Built-in Background Presets: Choose from a set of bundled wallpapers, or pick your own image, for the start page background.
- 🗂️ Real Tabs + Tab Manager: Open multiple browser tabs, switch between them from the in-app tab manager, and close tabs without losing your place.
- ♻️ Restore Last Tabs: Optionally reopen the full tab session from your previous launch when no home page override is active.
- 🔁 Resume Last Page: Optionally reopen the last visited page on launch when no home page is configured.
- 🧭 Persistent URL Bar: Optionally keep a compact address bar visible above the page for faster browsing.
- 🎛️ Configurable Quick Action Button: Choose whether the floating button opens the controls menu or jumps straight to the URL bar, keep it always visible, and move it to a corner that fits your screen.
- 🖼️ Cached Site Icons: Quick-link cards cache first-party site icons locally so the start page stays branded without refetching on every launch.
- 🔎 Global Display Scale: Adjust the full UI and page-content scale together with presets or a custom percentage.
- 🔄 Smart Desktop Mode: Seamlessly toggle between mobile and desktop rendering.
- 📚 Dashboard Bookmarks: Quick access to your favorite sites without touching your phone.
- Driver's Duty: If you're the one steering, DO NOT LOOK AT THIS APP. If you think your eyes might wander while driving, uninstall it right now! Seriously, your safety is the top priority.
- Passenger's Joy: This app is for your passengers or for when you are safely parked.
- Legal Note: The code is provided under the GPLv3 license, which means there is NO WARRANTY and the developer is NOT RESPONSIBLE for your actions. Drive smart!
To use this app, you must unlock the hidden Developer Settings.
- Open Android Auto Settings: Search for "Android Auto" in your phone's settings.
- Unlock Developer Mode: Scroll to the bottom and tap the "Version" section 10 times. Tap OK on the pop-up.
- Open Developer Settings: Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner -> Developer settings.
- Enable Unknown Sources: Find the Unknown sources checkbox and turn it on.
App not starting? If the app fails to launch, try opening a non-Google Maps navigation app (such as Waze) first, then open DriveLaunch.
- 🚫 No Ad Blocking: Ad filtering is not currently implemented (contributions welcome!).
- 🚗 Stationary Use Only
- 🐛 Found a bug? Check for existing issues and open a new one with reproduction steps if none are found.
- 💡 Got an idea? Start a discussion.
- 🔧 Wanna code? Fork the repo and submit a PR!
This app does not collect or transmit any browsing data:
- 🚫 No URL Tracking: Nothing about which websites you visit, what you search, or what you type leaves your device.
- 🚫 No Analytics: No usage tracking of any kind is built into the app.
What is DriveLaunch? DriveLaunch is a free, open-source WebView-based browser built specifically for Android Auto car displays, with a native launcher-style start page instead of a stretched phone browser UI.
Does Android Auto support video playback? Not through official streaming apps — Google restricts video content on Android Auto head units for safety reasons. DriveLaunch works around this at the browser level so video can play on the car display, intended strictly for passengers or parked/stationary use.
Is DriveLaunch free and open source? Yes. It's licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3), and the full source code is available in this repository.
What Android version does DriveLaunch require? Android 7.0 (Nougat, API 24) or later.
Is DriveLaunch safe to use while driving? No — it's designed for passengers or for use while safely parked. See the Safety Request section above.
If DriveLaunch makes your "car life" better, consider supporting its development and future growth:
GitHub Sponsors: https://github.com/shubhampatel3355
Stay safe, keep your eyes on the road, and happy browsing! 🚗💨