An Emulator Rolls Out For Android Auto Developers

With the Android Auto prototypes trickling into the news, and the launch of the new generation of cars set in 2016, Android Auto is certainly working overtime to entice developers into creating apps for the new extension of Android. With that, a new emulator geared for helping the devs test their apps was rolled out, just for them.

The emulator for developers, called the “Desktop Head Unit (DHU),” lets them plug an Android device onto a computer, as an end-user would plug in an Android onto an Android Auto dashboard. The developer can then test how the app runs, as well as check the app for bugs.

Just like how an Android would behave when plugged into an Android Auto-powered car, the DHU will put the device in “dormant mode,” and then the emulator takes over, just like how the Android Auto would take over. The developer can then use the system from the emulator, as how an end user would use the system from the Android Auto dashboard in their cars.

For interested developers, the DHU is available on the Android SDK manager page: https://developer.android.com/tools/help/sdk-manager.html. There’s a link to the Desktop Head Unit on the sidebar, but developers can also navigate to this link: https://developer.android.com/tools/help/desktop-head-unit.html

The Android as a community has always taken care of its developers. They always provide the developers with the right tools, in order to encourage them to refine their apps, as well as to entice more developers to build for the Android. It is a robust open source community that takes after the spirit of its “mother” platform, Linux. This move for Android Auto developers is yet another testament to that atmosphere and drive to ensure that the developer community has all the tools it needs, and is, ultimately, well taken care of.

For more on Android Auto, please check out Droid Report’s "Carmakers To Roll Out Android Auto-Powered Rides In 2016": https://www.droidreport.com/carmakers-roll-out-android-auto-powered-rides-2016-10590