If you use Home Assistant with Android Auto, you can put supported controls in the car and build routines around the phone’s connection state. The Android Auto Connection sensor reports that the phone is connected, not that you have left home.
What Home Assistant can control in Android Auto
Home Assistant separates favorites you can operate from the car from favorites that only display a sensor’s state.
| Entity group | Android Auto behavior | Practical use |
alarm_control_panel, button, cover, fan, input_boolean, input_button, light, lock, scene, script, switch | Actionable favorites | Choose controls or scripts you want to operate from the vehicle interface. |
binary_sensor, sensor | Display favorites | Check a state in the car; these entity types are not listed as directly actionable. |
The alarm-panel actions for arming away or disarming are available directly only when the alarm does not require a code. Your vehicle may also limit how many entities it displays.
Set up the Companion app and choose favorites
For Android Auto, sign in to Home Assistant on your phone. For Android Automotive OS (AAOS), sign in in the vehicle. Set up favorites while parked.
- Open the driving favorites settings. In the Companion app, go to Settings > Companion app > Android Auto favorites, also called Driving favorites. Choose the entities you want to appear in the car.
- Use the entity shortcut if your version supports it. With Home Assistant 2025.12 or newer, open an entity’s More info page on the device where you want the favorite to appear and add it there.
- Use the Android Auto app for the documented AAOS exception. With the Home Assistant app installed from the Play Store on an AAOS vehicle, favorites cannot currently be set from the vehicle itself. Home Assistant points to the Android Auto app as an interim option.
The Home Assistant Companion documentation covers the vehicle interfaces, favorites, sensors, and notifications.
Build routines with more than a connection signal
The Android Auto Connection sensor reports whether the phone is connected to Android Auto. A connection can occur while the car is still parked, so use that state as context alongside other conditions.
A departure example from Yadullah Abidi combines a home-zone exit, the connection sensor, and a check that no other household members remain home. The routine can then act on suitable entities, such as lights or a thermostat. This pattern depends on the location and presence information configured in your Home Assistant setup.
A historical early-beta walkthrough by This Smart House shows the connection sensor and touchscreen controls in a vehicle. It offers a look at an earlier version, not current setup instructions.
For an arrival routine, Abidi describes combining entry into a home zone with the connection state, then adding sunset as a condition before switching on driveway or hallway lights. He also describes an approach-zone and temperature-sensor pattern for starting an air conditioner controlled through smart plugs. These are examples for installations with the relevant entities and location setup.
Use scripts for preset actions
A script favorite runs a predefined sequence of Home Assistant actions. It can offer a way to run an action that is not exposed as a direct car control, provided that action is available in your Home Assistant setup. A script runs its preset sequence; it does not turn the car interface into full interactive control of every device.
Abidi’s examples use scripts for lighting and climate actions, with conditions or Choose blocks to vary what runs. That makes a script useful when you want one favorite to launch a prepared routine rather than select each action separately.
Show Home Assistant notifications in Android Auto
Home Assistant notifications are hidden from Android Auto by default. Add car_ui: true to the notification data to enable display on the phone and in Android Auto. For a notification to pop up over the current car screen, its phone notification channel must also allow pop-ups. The Home Assistant app must remain enabled and visible in the Android Auto launcher, and not every notification feature is supported in the car interface.
Check the connection sensor, location condition, and household-presence condition as separate parts of a routine. That way, a phone connecting to Android Auto while you are still parked does not, by itself, trigger a departure routine.
