There's a new dev kit for Android Automotive, and it doesn't come from Google

Key Takeaways

• Snapp Automotive's kit offers a cheaper and more flexible option than Google's for developing Android Automotive apps.
• The kit uses readily available parts like a Khadas VIM3 Pro board and touchscreen display to break out of an emulator shell.
• Snapp promises to support older OS versions for wider compatibility.

Android Automotive is making its way into more vehicles with every new launch. Not to be conflated with the plug-and-play solution that Android Auto is, Automotive is when the vehicle's infotainment system uses the Android OS directly. While adoption improves, users like you and me still get to choose from just a handful of apps. That could change soon, thanks to a new dev kit that's surprisingly not a Google offering.

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The current state of affairs for Android Automotive development requires the developers to invest in a Google Pixel Tablet and run a dedicated emulator on the device for testing their apps. 9to5Google explains this system is still in early access, and works with just one OS version. While around $400 for a new tablet and other odds and ends may be pocket change for an automaker developing a new user experience for a vehicle, it is a prohibitively steep cost of entry for small developers looking to make apps for the platform.

A company focused on building infotainment experiences for vehicles with Android Automotive, called Snapp Automotive, recently unveiled its own kit which uses off-the-shelf parts to create a real-world Android Automotive environment, which is better than a simulator deployment.

Readily available parts to set up for cheaper

Better software flexibility too

Source: Snapp Automotive

Snapp suggests aspiring app developers invest in a Khadas VIM3 Pro, a development board readily available on Amazon. Its Pro model also has plenty of RAM to ensure simulations run smoothly. This board retails for around $100. For an additional $100, you can add a touchscreen display from Waveshare or any other robotics and tinkering-focused brand. This will help simulate actual interactions with the headunit of a vehicle. If that sounds expensive too, the company's older kits use Raspberry Pi dev boards.

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While the hardware is certainly cheaper, Snapp promises to make AAOS builds that supports Android 15 all the way back to 12, instead of the Android 14 lock-in with Google's dev kit. Support for older builds means apps can be backwards compatible too, and hence usable on older vehicles.

With these aspects, normal users like myself immediately think, "so what's stopping me from running this setup and getting Android Automotive in my vehicle?" Well, for one, Snapp's system is de-Googled, so conveniences like Maps are replaced by Snapp Maps, and you won't get the same sync across Google apps you enjoy with Android Auto. Hopefully, this dev kit spawns more Android Automotive apps for everyone.