Third-party ROMs for Android Auto are coming

Hacking away at automobile infotainment is great for the tinkerers, but it raises legitimate safety concerns as well.

One of the features to Android Auto is the promise of a semi-walled garden. Google controls what apps work in Android Auto, and what can be shown on the screen as to create the safest possible ecosystem in which phone and car can interact. As we've seen exploring all of the apps available for Android Auto, this isn't a perfect system. On top of the occasional usability bug, Android users who have grown accustomed to the open and modular nature of the OS find the head unit display to be more than a little limiting.

A way around this was always going to happen, and now it has. Pioneer AVIC units have had their security stripped and the ability to install modded versions of Android Auto onto these aftermarket head units.

On a high level, this is a huge win for consumers who want to do more than the manufacturer intended with their hardware.