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The guides

Your phone as a car dashboard

Practical guides on turning your Android phone into a driving cockpit: setup, mounts, speedometers, driving safely, and the real difference between CarPlay and Android Auto. Written by the team behind Cardashly, with our stake stated up front.

Feature

Choosing a dashboard theme you can still read at night and in sun

What changes between Cardashly's cockpit themes, how the automatic day and night switch works, and the large-digit driving mode, with advice on contrast and glare.

4 min read
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Guide

Planning a long drive: tolls, weather and EV range in one route view

How Cardashly's route planner compares options, estimates tolls, avoids road types, and shows the forecast for when you will actually reach each point. Including how rough the EV range hint is.

4 min read
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Comparison

Best free car dashboard apps for Android in 2026

Five Android car dashboard and launcher apps checked against their Google Play listings in October 2026: what is free, what is a trial, what is paid, and who each one suits.

6 min read
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How-to

Connecting an ELM327 OBD-II adapter to Cardashly, step by step

The three-step connection flow, Bluetooth versus Wi-Fi adapters, which engine values to expect, and what to check when the screen shows dashes or a connection fails.

5 min read
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How-to

Modernizing an older car with a phone dashboard and OBD-II

How to give a car with no screen maps, a clear speedometer and live engine data using a phone, a mount and a cheap OBD-II adapter. What works, what to buy, and the catches.

4 min read
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Guide

Can you get CarPlay on Android? What works instead

CarPlay does not run on Android phones. Here is why, what the "CarPlay for Android" apps actually are, and the four options that give an Android driver the same experience.

4 min read
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How-to

Using an old Android tablet as a car dashboard

A spare tablet makes a bigger, easier-to-read car dashboard than a phone, but only if it has GPS, a data connection and a mount that can hold it. How to check and set one up.

3 min read
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Comparison

Android Auto, the car's own screen, or a phone dashboard?

Three ways to get maps, music and calls in the car, compared honestly: Android Auto, the built-in infotainment system, and a phone-mounted dashboard app. Which fits which car.

4 min read
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Guide

What is a car dashboard app, and how do you pick one?

A car dashboard app turns a mounted phone into a driving display. What they do, how they differ from Android Auto, and a checklist for choosing one, including the permissions it should ask for.

4 min read
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Comparison

CarPlay vs Android Auto: what actually differs

CarPlay and Android Auto do the same job for different phones. Here is how they compare, how to check whether your car supports either, and what to do if it supports neither.

3 min read
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Guide

Driving safely with your phone as a dashboard

What makes a phone on the dash a help rather than a distraction: glance time, placement, night settings, and the rules we design our own app around.

3 min read
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How-to

How to turn your phone into a car dashboard

A step-by-step setup: choosing and placing a mount, keeping the phone powered and cool, and setting up a dashboard app before you drive.

4 min read
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How-to

How to use your phone as a speedometer

Your phone can show your true speed from GPS, often more accurately than the car's dial. How it works, where it fails, and how to set one up so you can read it in a glance.

5 min read
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