Modern user interfaces are designed to make it easier for humans to interact with machines, but describing what's on the screen may not always be an easy task. Whether it's to explain an issue you're facing or to help someone out, sharing a screenshot usually makes it easier to convey the proper message.
Although taking a screenshot on an Android phone is easy, doing so when using Android Auto isn't as simple. Still, you can capture them without too much trouble. Here's how it's done on any Android phone.
Enable developer settings
Before taking a screenshot in Android Auto, you need to enable the developer settings on your phone. This step gives you access to additional options that are normally unavailable out of the box.
- Connect your Android phone to your car, either wirelessly or with a cable.
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Once the connection is established, navigate to your phone's Android Auto settings.
- For Samsung phones, go to Settings > Connected Devices > Android Auto.
- For Pixel phones, go to Connected Devices > Connection Preferences > Android Auto.
- If you're not sure where they're located, the easiest way is to navigate to your phone's settings and search for Android Auto.
- In the Android Auto settings menu, scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap the version number ten times.
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When prompted, tap OK to accept enabling developer settings.
- It's best not to change the other settings unless you know what you're doing, so make sure you only access this menu to save a screenshot.
Take a screenshot
To take an Android Auto screenshot, you'll go through some menus on your phone, which you shouldn't do while driving. It's best to park the car before following the below instructions:
- Go to the Android Auto settings menu, as described in the steps above.
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Tap the overflow (⋮) menu in the upper-right corner of the screen and tap Developer settings.
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Tap Share screenshot now, which lets you take a screenshot and share it with most of the apps installed on your phone.
You have to share the screenshot immediately after you take it, as there is no option to save it locally. This is annoying, but an easy way to overcome this limitation is to save the screenshots to your Google Drive account. Whichever option you prefer, it's best to avoid tapping Always at the bottom of the screen, as it means you'll always share Android Auto screenshots through the same app once you select it.
Images are often better than words
Even though Android Auto can be annoying and does not necessarily offer the most intuitive way to capture and share screenshots, it still offers the option to do so. Images often make it easier to explain your point, and screenshots are much clearer than taking a picture of your screen.
Despite these shortcomings, there is still a lot to like about Android Auto. Its most notable feature compared to Car Play is most probably the ability to download and install a large number of apps. Check out the list of our favorite Android Auto apps and try some of them out.