You shouldn't text and drive, but I keep noticing myself doing it anyway. As part of my efforts to return to the caveman days and spend at least some of my time disconnected from the internet, I want to stop this. However, I have terrible impulse control. So the only solution is to put my phone in the trunk before I start driving, and use something else for the tasks I would normally use my phone for. Here's what I want:
- gps
- podcasts
- audiobooks
- music (Ideally, music would function as "radio with a skip button". I want to choose a familiar channel that I know I will probably like, and occasionally hear something new - but my local radio stations won't work because they don't play the Tony Hawk video game soundtracks.)
- everything free forever
- no ads forever
- minimal configuration/setup (I don't want to manually download music and create playlists)
- works offline
- lockout of everything except fast forward/rewind/pause/volume while car is in drive
- integration into my existing steering wheel controls (fast forward/rewind/volume)
- ability to run additional apps (like iOverlander) when not driving
- A pony
Things I don't care about:
- Open source
- Not being tracked
- Voice controls
- Having all these features in a single device
- Sleek design (I will mount it using 2x4s and wood glue if needed)
My car is a 2013 Corolla with a broken stereo that I've been meaning to replace anyway. I know there are a number of products out there that more or less fit my needs and/or could be hacked together into something workable, but I'm asking the hivemind. Tell me what to do nerds! Tell me how to live my life!
Edit:
Probably I will end up with a head unit with android auto, but I've never used one of these before, and don't know how well it will isolate me from my phone. Will I need to get a separate cheap-o phone to use it with to ensure distraction isolation?
If I do go this route, I am wondering about make/model recommendations so I don't buy something that will break immediately.
Finally, is paying for spotify just the way to go these days? I’ve been avoiding it by using newpipe for years, but newpipe doesn’t have radio-like functionality to just pick a station and listen.
a Spotify car thing would have checked all these boxes except for free and a pony, but they murdered it in its crib.
Do they still make head units? I bet a radio/head unit running android auto would do all this.
something like this, with your phone connected over Bluetooth or USB and the locked in the glove box
https://carpartsfaq.com/best-android-auto-double-din/
Yeah, that was essentially what I was looking at. But I've never really used one, and don't know how much access it would give me to the rest of my phone. Like, will it relay text messages and phone calls? Because I don't want that.
And then I would wonder which make/model to buy. I'm a cheap bastard - but I still am willing to pay a bit more for something that is useable and durable, rather than something that will constantly piss me off. And we all know online reviews are full of lies.
Finally, is paying for spotify just the way to go these days? I've been avoiding it by using newpipe for years, but newpipe doesn't have radio-like functionality to just pick a station and listen.
I hate a lot of things about Spotify, but for ~ $20 a month family plan six accounts can stream simultaneously, and all of them are in constant use on my end, so for me it's worth it (I travel a LOT)
https://radio.garden/
You should be able to find an Android Auto / Apple CarPlay device that will give you what you're asking for. Then just set your phone to Do Not Disturb or a specific Driving mode so that it doesn't let you control the phone itself until you reach the destination or are at a complete stop.
Newpipe should let you download and convert as MP3 or whatever format and then you just play in your music player of choice.