You can find Android apps for absolutely everything these days, so why not for driving? The field of car-related apps is really revving up, and there are plenty of great Android car apps for the user on the go. Here’s where the rubber meets the road — these are the best Android driving apps for getting the most out of your car and your next road trip.
Android Auto (free)
Google’s in-car system comes preinstalled in some cars now, but you can also use it by connecting your phone to a compatible car display, or just by using your phone in a dock on its own. With a simplified interface and hands-free voice commands, Android Auto enables you to use your phone safely while driving. The list of apps that work with Android Auto includes Spotify, Telegram, Skype, TuneIn Radio, and Audible, and it’s steadily growing. You can comfortably use it to navigate, listen to music, or send messages all with voice commands. It runs on any phone with Android 5.0 or later.
Download now from:
Google Play
GasBuddy (free)
Why waste gas driving around looking for the cheapest place to fill up? GasBuddy is one of the highest-rated apps available, one that can help you track down the cheapest fuel in your area. Filter the results based on your city, zip code, or postal code to find the best deals near you. You can also report gas prices to help other users find cheap fuel and earn points. You might even win $100 worth of gas through various promotions. Best of all, you will save money by filling up your tank at the cheapest place.
Download now from:
Google Play
Drivemode (free)
As the name suggests, this app is designed to simplify your Android phone, making it easy to operate when driving. You can navigate the big, bright interface via broad swipes with your peripheral vision, so there’s no need to take your eyes off the road. It also supports voice controls. You’ll be pleased to find plenty of big name apps are integrated, including Google Maps, Waze, Spotify, Facebook Messenger, and a few others. There are plenty of options here that make it safer and easier to use your Android phone in the car.
Download now from:
Google Play
Car Dashdroid (free)
With Car Dashdroid, you can use all your favorite apps without taking your focus off the road and compromising your safety. The app provides large buttons and intuitive voice commands, so you can easily see what you need and talk to your device to get things done. The app offers three sliding panels, allowing you to easily swipe between the dialer, main dashboard, and custom shortcuts. You can also set up more than 40 shortcuts, whether you want to do so for accessing your favorite apps, contacts, or other custom actions.
Download now from:
Google Play
Waze (free)
You can get all sorts of useful real-time information about the road ahead from the active community on Waze. The app also offers turn-by-turn directions, rerouting based on traffic, and alerts about accidents, hazards, and police locations. You can use it to share your ETA and progress with friends and family, which is ideal when you’re meeting up somewhere. Throw in info on points of interest, the best gas prices nearby, and Facebook integration and you have one of the most comprehensive Android car apps around.
Download now from:
Google Play
Ultimate Car Dock ($5)
The Ultimate Car Dock app makes going hands-free in your vehicle a reality. With this app, you can make phone calls and send messages via a host of personalized voice commands. The app’s sleek design keeps you from being distracted, too, while showcasing whatever it is you want to see. The app offers full voice recognition and integration with your vehicle’s steering wheel or headset via Bluetooth. You also get personalized voice responses, a dedicated music player, and five different screens to make use of.
Download now from:
Google Play
ReadItToMe (free)
ReadItToMe is a unique hands-free app that reads, well, anything on your smartphone to you. You can use it to hear incoming callers, SMS messages, and an array of other desirable information. The app can also translate text talk to normal words and convert any language to the language of your choosing. It’s perfect if you’re driving, running, at the gym, or for any other time your hands might be tied up. The paid version of the app also allows you to reply to messages using your phone’s native text app, Whatsapp, Hangouts, Telegram, and other platforms.
Download now from:
Google Play
TomTom (free)
TomTom’s GPS Navigation app offers you a sleek combination of the latest TomTom car navigation and world-class traffic information. With these two features, you can choose the best route available based on accurate, real-time traffic information that’s designed to get you to your destination as quickly as possible. You can also use it to learn exactly what is causing a delay and how best to avoid it, or look up the speed limit in your current area. Plus, you get 50 miles a month for free, though you’ll have to pay $20 a year if you go over the limit.
Download now from:
Google Play
CamOnRoad (free)
If you don’t want to splash out for a dash cam, then you might consider installing this app and transforming your phone into a DVR to record your driving. It’s very easy to use, you can save footage to the internal storage or a MicroSD card, and you currently get 2GB of cloud storage for free. It also works as an augmented reality app with the ability to show GPS directions on top of the video recording viewfinder. You can even get it to display gas station and speed camera locations. There’s also a background video capture mode, so you can record and still use your phone as normal.
Download now from:
Google Play
Torque Pro ($5)
Torque Pro is the ultimate app for any car lover. With this app, you’ll get OBD fault codes, car performance information, sensor data, and a good deal of other useful metrics. The app can record everything from acceleration to CO2 emissions, as well as horsepower and torque. It can also diagnose problems through the car’s onboard diagnostic computer — OBD-II, although this requires a separate connector — and shut off any annoying “check engine lights.” If you find yourself in over your head, it can also send OBD-II data via email, or create an Open Office document to present your mechanic. It can even use your GPS to provide tracker logs with OBD engine logging, so you can see what you were doing at any point in time.
Download now from:
Google Play
This article was originally published in 2012 and was last updated on 4-21-2017 by Simon Hill to add Android Auto, Drivemode, Waze, and CamOnRoad.