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Use Google’s Desktop Head Unit (DHU) on your development computer, connected to a physical Android phone running Android Auto. The DHU emulates the vehicle head unit; it does not replace the phone that supplies the projected Android Auto experience. For Android Automotive OS apps, use a separate Automotive Android Virtual Device (AVD) in Android Studio. Choosing the correct target first prevents you from validating the wrong platform.
Identify which in-car platform your app targets
“Android Auto” and “Android Automotive OS” are different products and require different test environments. Android Auto runs on a phone and projects a compatible interface to a vehicle head unit. Android Automotive OS runs directly on hardware built into the vehicle. An emulator for one platform cannot prove that an app works on the other.
| What you are testing | Use | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Android Auto app experience | Desktop Head Unit connected to an Android phone | An Android Auto head unit receiving the phone’s projected app experience |
| Android Automotive OS app experience | Android Emulator with an Automotive AVD and Automotive system image | An Android Automotive OS device profile |
| Media session behavior | Media Controller Test app, plus platform testing | Media-session implementation and media-app behaviors |
If your release is an Android Auto app, start with the DHU procedure below. If it is an Automotive OS app, skip to the Automotive AVD section. Google’s testing index also lists separate routes such as Android Automotive OS testing on a Pixel Tablet, Firebase Test Lab access to real car hardware, and Google Services interoperability testing. Those routes have different coverage and are additions to—not substitutes for—the environment you intend to support.
What you need for Desktop Head Unit testing
- A development computer running Windows, macOS or Linux.
- Android Studio with the SDK Manager.
- An Android phone running Android 9 (API level 28) or later.
- Your debug or test build installed on the phone.
- Android Auto installed on the phone.
- A USB data cable that supports the phone’s connector and data transfer.
- For Android 10 (API level 29) or later, a Play Store sign-in and an Android Auto update before the first DHU run.
The phone remains part of the Android Auto test path. The computer emulates the head unit, while the phone supplies Android Auto and your app. A cable is only the physical connection; it does not install the DHU, enable developer options or configure Android Auto.
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Install the Desktop Head Unit package
- Open Android Studio and choose Tools > SDK Manager.
- Select the SDK Tools tab.
- Enable Android Auto Desktop Head Unit Emulator and download the package.
- Locate the installation under
SDK_LOCATION/extras/google/auto/. The exact SDK location depends on your Android Studio installation. - On macOS or Linux, make the DHU executable if the operating system does not already mark it as executable.
DHU 2.x on Linux requires GLIBC 2.32 or later and the libc++1 and libc++abi1 libraries. Check those prerequisites before troubleshooting a launch failure; a missing runtime library can look like a broken application when the emulator itself has not started correctly.
Prepare the phone
- Install your Android Auto app build on the phone.
- Install or update Android Auto. On Android 10 or later, sign in to the Play Store and update Android Auto before the first DHU run.
- Unlock the phone and keep it unlocked during initial pairing.
- Accept Android Auto’s first-connection terms and permissions when prompted.
- Enable Android Auto developer mode through Android Auto’s settings. The navigation differs between Android 10 and later and Android 9 or earlier, so use the instructions that match the phone’s Android version.
Android Auto developer mode is separate from the general Android developer options. A phone can have USB debugging enabled and still be unable to provide the Android Auto head-unit connection until Android Auto’s own developer settings are enabled.
Connect with the recommended USB Accessory Mode
For DHU 2.x, Google recommends USB Accessory Mode. It uses the phone’s USB connection to communicate with the emulated head unit.
- Connect the unlocked phone to the development computer with a compatible USB data cable.
- Open a terminal in the DHU directory,
SDK_LOCATION/extras/google/auto/. - Start the DHU with
./desktop-head-unit --usb. On Windows, run the corresponding executable from that directory. - Approve any Android Auto connection or permission dialog shown on the phone.
- Wait for the DHU window to display the Android Auto interface, then open your app from the available app list.
On Windows, USB Accessory Mode may require a WinUSB driver. That driver can interfere with ADB access. If the phone is not detected, restart ADB and retry; if detection still fails, use the ADB-tunneling route instead.
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Use ADB tunneling when USB Accessory Mode is unsuitable
ADB tunneling is a documented alternative. It requires Android Auto developer mode, the head unit server, and the “Add new cars to Android Auto” setting.
- On the phone, open Android Auto’s developer settings and enable the head unit server.
- Enable Add new cars to Android Auto.
- Connect the phone to the computer by USB and accept the Android debugging authorization prompt.
- From a terminal, create the tunnel with
adb forward tcp:5277 tcp:5277. - Launch the DHU from its installation directory using the normal executable. The DHU then communicates through the forwarded port.
If the tunnel does not connect, verify that the phone is unlocked, the computer is authorized for USB debugging, Android Auto’s head unit server is running and the USB transport is available. ADB tunneling and USB Accessory Mode are alternative transports; you do not need both active at the same time.
Exercise the app inside the DHU
Once the DHU is showing Android Auto, test the complete user flow rather than only checking that the launcher icon appears. Install the same build you plan to distribute, open the app, navigate through every supported screen and return to the launcher. Confirm that back navigation, focus, loading states, errors and sign-in behavior remain usable on a vehicle-style display.
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Touch mode lets you interact with the DHU window using the mouse. Use it for tap targets, scrolling, menus, dialogs and keyboard-entry flows that your app exposes through Android Auto’s supported templates.
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Rotary input
Rotary mode models a vehicle controller. It uses keyboard shortcuts and ignores mouse clicks, so switch modes before concluding that a control is inaccessible. Check focus order, selected-state styling, scrolling and the ability to reach every actionable element without a touchscreen.
Hybrid input
Hybrid mode combines the documented touch and rotary interaction styles. It is useful for checking that the app remains coherent when a vehicle offers more than one input method.
Configurations and headless operation
The DHU supports configurations for different test setups and a headless mode for scripted operation. Headless runs are useful in repeatable smoke tests or continuous-integration jobs, while an interactive window is better for exploratory navigation and visual inspection. Keep scripted checks focused on deterministic outcomes such as launch, navigation and service responses; they cannot prove every OEM display or input characteristic.
Test beyond “it launches”
A successful launch is only a smoke check. Before Play review, apply the quality criteria for your app category and verify the states that users encounter when a vehicle is parked, moving or temporarily disconnected.
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- Launch after a clean install and after an upgrade from an older build.
- Open and close the app repeatedly to detect stale state or leaked sessions.
- Rotate through supported screens and confirm that focus never becomes trapped.
- Exercise network loss, delayed responses, empty content and authentication expiry.
- Verify that destructive or distracting actions are unavailable when the platform restricts them.
- Disconnect and reconnect the phone, then confirm that the app recovers without requiring a reinstall.
- Check that icons, text, contrast and touch targets remain legible at the DHU’s display size.
These checks improve confidence in the projected experience, but the DHU cannot guarantee behavior in every vehicle. OEM head units can differ in screen dimensions, input hardware, audio routing, connection reliability and certification requirements.
Media apps need service-startup testing
Media apps have an important path that can run before any Activity is visible. A MediaBrowserService can be started when no Activity can be shown, before an Activity opens, or while the user is not signed in. Test those states deliberately.
- Force-stop the app, then initiate a media browse or playback request from Android Auto.
- Clear the app’s data and repeat the request before opening the app’s Activity.
- Test while signed out, then sign in and repeat the same browse and playback actions.
- Use Google’s Media Controller Test app to inspect media-session behavior, including playback controls, metadata and state transitions.
- Return to Android Auto after interruptions such as a phone reconnect or an audio focus change and verify that the session recovers correctly.
Testing only the visible media screen can miss failures in service initialization, authentication or session publication. Treat the service and the Activity as separate entry points.
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Use this route when your application is built for Android Automotive OS rather than phone projection.
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- Open Android Studio’s AVD Manager.
- Create a new virtual device and choose an Automotive hardware profile.
- Select an Automotive-targeted system image compatible with your app’s API level.
- Complete the AVD configuration and start the emulator.
- Install and run the Automotive OS build, then exercise its vehicle-aware behavior.
Available profiles vary by API level, Play Store inclusion and whether a profile or image is in a stable or preview Android Studio release. The bundled profiles have different screen shapes and configurations, so choose one that matches the class of vehicle you support instead of treating every profile as interchangeable.
Simulate vehicle state
Open the Automotive emulator’s extended controls to change vehicle properties. Google documents setting speed above zero and selecting a gear other than Park to simulate driving; selecting Park represents the parked state. Use these controls to verify that your app responds correctly to moving-versus-parked restrictions. These vehicle-property controls apply to the Automotive OS emulator, not to the Android Auto DHU.
Test rotary behavior in Automotive OS
The Automotive OS emulator also supports rotary input. Navigate the app without mouse clicks and check focus order, scrolling, selection and escape behavior. A design that works with touch can still fail when a rotary controller is the primary input.
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| Question | Best route | Why |
|---|---|---|
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| Does my Android Automotive OS app respond to car state? | Automotive AVD | It provides an Automotive OS device profile and simulated vehicle properties. |
| Does my media service behave before the UI opens? | Media Controller Test app and platform checks | It exercises media-session and service-startup behavior. |
| Will the app work on a specific production vehicle? | Real-hardware testing, such as the hardware route listed in Google’s testing index | Vehicle hardware, OEM software and connection behavior are not fully represented by a generic emulator. |
Troubleshoot common DHU failures
The DHU starts but the phone is not detected
- Unlock the phone and keep the screen available during first connection.
- Confirm that first-connection terms and permissions were accepted.
- Check that Android Auto is installed and, on Android 10 or later, updated through the Play Store.
- Try a known-good USB data cable and a different USB port.
- On Windows, install or correct the required WinUSB driver, then restart ADB.
- Switch from USB Accessory Mode to ADB tunneling after enabling the Android Auto head unit server and “Add new cars to Android Auto.”
ADB tunneling fails
- Confirm that USB debugging authorization was accepted on the phone.
- Verify that the head unit server is enabled in Android Auto developer settings.
- Run
adb forward tcp:5277 tcp:5277again after reconnecting the phone. - Ensure no other process is occupying the forwarded port.
Linux reports a startup or library error
Check that the machine meets DHU 2.x’s GLIBC 2.32-or-later requirement and has libc++1 and libc++abi1. Also confirm that the DHU binary has execute permission.
Controls do not respond to the mouse
You may be in rotary mode, where keyboard shortcuts are used and mouse clicks are ignored. Switch to touch or hybrid mode, or use the documented rotary shortcuts to continue the test.
Use a disciplined pre-car checklist
- Confirm whether the app target is Android Auto or Android Automotive OS.
- For Android Auto, verify Android 9 (API 28) or later on the phone.
- On Android 10 or later, update Android Auto from the Play Store before the first DHU run.
- Install the app build and accept Android Auto’s permissions.
- Install the DHU package from Android Studio’s SDK Tools.
- Connect with
./desktop-head-unit --usb, or configure ADB tunneling with port 5277. - Test touch, rotary and hybrid interactions as applicable.
- Run category-specific quality checks, including media-service startup tests.
- For Automotive OS, create an Automotive AVD and test speed, gear and rotary behavior.
- Before relying on the result in a customer vehicle, perform hardware testing appropriate to the vehicle and OEM combinations you support.
The DHU gives you a repeatable way to catch Android Auto UI and interaction problems before getting into a car, while the Automotive AVD covers a different operating-system target. Neither emulator guarantees identical behavior across every production vehicle, so use them as the first validation stage rather than the final proof.
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