Android Auto is finally getting official YouTube support, and my car's giant screen is about to get way more useful

Published Aug 18, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT Patrick O'Rourke is XDA's News Editor and Entertainment Segment Lead. Previously, he was Pocket-lint's Editor-in-Chief, the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian tech publication MobileSyrup, and earlier in his career, he worked as the technology editor at the Financial Post and Postmedia. He's based in Toronto. Over the past 15 years, he's written thousands of articles. Patrick has also interviewed dozens of tech industry executives and covered GDC, E3, Gamescom, WWDC, Apple keynotes, Samsung Unpacked events and more. Patrick has a BA in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. I have absolutely zero interest in watching YouTube videos while I'm behind the wheel. It's not only wildly unsafe and illegal in most places, but it's also just a really stupid thing to do that endangers you and everyone around you on the road. But watching YouTube videos on my car's expansive, high-resolution screen while parked and killing time before an appointment? That's something I've always thought I should be able to do with Android Auto. While it's been possible for a long time to watch YouTube videos through Android Auto via sideloading rather shady apps like Fermata Auto or with third-party Android Auto dongle accessories, the process is cumbersome and, in many cases, doesn't work consistently depending on what Android smartphone you own. Additionally, even if you get a sideloaded YouTube app running, it's likely Google will just kill it with an Android Auto update at some point (this has happened to me a few times now). However, Google has thankfully heard my (and many other Android Auto users') pleas and is bringing official YouTube support to Android Auto. Android Auto is finally stepping its YouTube game up I'll soon be able to put my car's big infotainment screen to good use when I'm parked Before you scroll to the comments to tell me I should use my phone to watch YouTube in my car instead, let me just say that I hear you. That's definitely an obviously far more straightforward way to watch YouTube in my car while it's parked. Still, I'd argue there's something to be said for actually using my car's big screen for something useful when it's otherwise sitting idle. As unhealthy as it is, Android Auto YouTube support would let me freely doomscroll social media on my phone while watching something on my car's infotainment display, just like I often find myself doing at home despite my best efforts. I can also see it coming in handy when I'm waiting for my EV to charge, which can take 45-50 minutes depending on the charger's speed and how much I need to charge. It's just more comfortable to lay back and watch something on a screen mounted in front of you. YouTube support is coming to Android Auto alongside a more comprehensive update to the in-car platform, including Google's fun-yet-functional Material 3 Expressive redesign of core apps. On top of Material 3 Expressive and YouTube support, this update is set to bring real widgets to Android Auto for the first time, following several months of rumors. When native YouTube support launches on Android Auto, it will support up to 1080p video at 60fps.There's also a feature that automatically transitions the video to an audio-only mode that plays in the background while you drive, though this only works with a YouTube Premium subscription. Once the vehicle is in motion, the YouTube video turns into a static image so you don't get distracted behind the wheel. Given I watch/listen to a lot of video podcasts on YouTube, this feature might finally get me to subscribe to YouTube Premium if it works well. Thankfully, it looks like both my Hyundai Ioniq 5 and my Kia K4 Hatchback are likely part of the initial rollout of Android Auto's YouTube support. Below is a full list of manufacturers set to support it at launch (a list of specific car models from these manufacturers hasn't been released yet): BMW Ford Motor Company Genesis Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Renault Škoda Volvo Cars Mahindra Unfortunately, we don't know exactly what YouTube will look like in Android Auto, but it'll likely resemble the desktop iPad UI, which prominently features a horizontal carousel of video thumbnails, including your subscribed channels and algorithmically recommended videos. So when is YouTube actually coming to Android Auto? We don't have a specific release date yet Credit: Google We still don't know when YouTube will finally land on Android Auto, with Google's last official update from back in May only stating "later this year." With that in mind, it's possible YouTube for Android Auto won't launch until this fall or winter. However, at the very least, we know it's coming before the end of 2026. I expect a pretty staged rollout rather than the app arriving all at once for every car. For example, Hyundai might opt in with its EV models first, before following suit with its other vehicles. As far as I've been able to tell, no car manufacturer has confirmed specific model compatibility yet, though announcements could still be coming. With that in mind, YouTube will likely arrive via an Android Auto update that then needs to be tested by specific manufacturers' and enabled on certain car models. With that in mind, it's likely that even if your car doesn't get native YouTube support right away, someone will find a way to make it work through an obscure developer setting of some sort (or maybe by sideloading, though that defeats the purpose of official YouTube support coming to Android Auto. While Apple opened CarPlay to more video apps with iOS 27, no official announcement has been made regarding YouTube coming to the platform. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see it make its way to the in-car platform at some point, likely after it's launch on Android Auto.