CheckMag | Here’s how to add Apple Car Play or Android Auto to your older vehicle without the need to dismantle the dash

Android Auto and Apple Car Play are now the de facto standard in most new cars, and for good reason. They offer easy, car centric features for managing navigation and entertainment. However, it is only in the last few years that this has become a standard feature and not reserved as an option for higher end models. Therefore, there are still lots of cars on the road without them.
Android or Amazon tablet and Head Unit Reloaded
Head Unit Reloaded Emulator (HUR) will turn any Android device, whether a phone, tablet or Chinese Android head unit into an Android Auto receiver. At $5 it's cheap and opens the door for using pretty much any Android based tablet as an infotainment system in one's car. A good-sized tablet and discrete mount will give you screen real estate to match even the largest Tesla offering.
Head Unit Reloaded supports wireless and wired Android Auto. The setup for wireless AA is a little awkward and requires the use of a separate WiFi Launcher app on your phone, but once configured it does work relatively well. Because the processing is done on your phone, second hand tablets with an older CPU still work well.
If you buy an Android tablet that supports USB host or USB OTG, you also have the option of adding a wired CarPlay dongle such as this one from Amazon.com for supporting Apple devices. You can even use a USB capture device (available on Amazon.com) combined with the USB Camera Pro app from the Play Store to hook in a reversing camera. It’s not possible to have the app automatically open when selecting reverse, but it can be selected from the launcher in a pinch and is better than not having the option at all. However, the cable management required for this might be a dealbreaker for some.
External Car Play and Android Auto screens
There are a number of these available, from the $249 Carpuride W903 to the $87 Podofo (available on Amazon.com). These units sit on your dashboard and include a number of ways to connect to your existing stereo including Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack or even via a built-in FM transmitter for those with really ancient stereos. They come in various sizes, but are generally a lot wider than they are tall. As a result, they shouldn’t block more of your windscreen than your phone, while providing a significantly better experience.
All the mounting equipment is included, and some models even have a built-in 4K dashcam. If this is something you otherwise would have bought separately you are getting even better value for money. There is no way to plug in a reversing camera into these units, but they still remain one of the simplest and cheapest ways to get wireless Android Auto and Car Play into one's car.
If your car has a DIN or Double DIN socket, there are more integrated ways of adding an after-market head unit, and no shortage of cheap Chinese suppliers. However, if you want a simple way of adding Android Auto or Car Play without all the installation hassle these remain the simplest options.