Newpipe receives support for Android Auto, becoming an alternative to music streaming services

As many of you know, Android Auto does not officially support YouTube, but thanks to Newpipe Things are starting to change, or at least to open up; The Open Source alternative to Google’s popular streaming video service has just received a very interesting update, which allows the reproduction of content directly from the car screen (obviously with a whole series of limitations).

A novelty that, on closer inspection, could mark an important watershed in the evolution of Android Auto, if until a few months ago the platform was rigidly closed to a very small number of app categories, today the opening to new types of software represents a substantial change of step.

Newpipe lands on Android Auto, what can be done and what not

With the latest update of the app, which came to version 0.28.0, the Newpipe developers introduced the native support to Android Automaking it possible to access history, playlists and research features directly from the car’s infotainment system; The actual video playback, as it is easy to imagine, is not availablein line with Google’s guidelines that aim to reduce driving distractions.

This means that we are not in front of a pirate alternative such as those already seen in the past (just think of Carstream or the mirroring of the phone screen), but rather a first implementation of a technically video app on Android Auto, with an optimized interface and which does not require anywriting workarounds.

Although Newpipe was born as an alternative opensource to YouTube, and therefore as an app for video streaming, The support just introduced to Android Auto means that the app behaves like an audio platformallowing users to listen to YouTube content in audio format only, without visual distractions and with an optimized interface for driving.

A choice that can only be partially surprised, on the one hand Google continues to maintain a certain penalty on the safety front during the use of Android Auto, severely limiting the possibility of showing visual content during the march; on the other, this limitation translates into a concrete opportunity for those looking for A free, free, light and advertising alternative to traditional music streaming services Like Spotify, YouTube Music or Amazon Music.

Thanks to the compatibility with chronology, personalized playlists and research features, Newpipe can be used as a real music player in the cardrawing on the vast catalog of content available on YouTube, but without subscription constraints or advertisements; A particularly interesting option for those who are attentive to privacy, or simply want a slimmer experience and focused on audio.

Of course, in order to use Newpipe on Android Auto it is necessary to download the app through alternative channels, since it is not available on the Play Store for reasons related to the access policies to YouTube content; The advice, as always in these cases, is to rely on the official website, or alternatively to Github to proceed with the download of the APK, avoiding un verified solutions.

With this update, Newpipe once again demonstrates its ability to quickly adapt to changes in the Android ecosystem, offering users a simple and functional solution.

In general, support for the Google infotainment platform of a dedicated app (in theory) to video playback does not represent an immediate revolution, as much as a significant stop in the direction of a more open, flexible and customizable Android Auto.