Android Auto is widely available in new vehicles, if not an outright standard feature. The platform takes your Android phone and gives you a simplified, driver-optimized version of the interface right on your vehicle’s infotainment display. Google has been improving Android Auto for years, and it has even introduced Gemini as an AI replacement to Google Assistant. The platform can be loaded with apps like Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions, Spotify for streaming music, and Fuelio to track your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. In fact, there are many free Android Auto apps that are incredibly capable and deliver an improved driving experience.

But beyond the essential Android Auto apps are many more that you might not realize are compatible with the platform. For many drivers, Android Auto and the apps that are best used with it have become second nature. It’s easy to lean on the things that are known to work, even if some other options are out there. For the curious, the Android Auto ecosystem runs deep, which is why we’ve singled out some apps that aren’t regularly associated with it. Android Auto has music streaming apps beyond Spotify available, useful Google apps outside of Maps, and even apps that allow you to keep up with all of your messaging while on the road.

With more than 10 billion downloads in the Google Play Store, WhatsApp is the number one app when it comes to free communication on Android devices. It supports text chats, voice messages, video calls, group threads, and even media sharing. It also works across Android and iOS platforms, which makes it a natural choice to stay connected with people no matter what device they use. This all comes with end-to-end encryption at no cost whatsoever. That makes WhatsApp an incredibly popular messaging platform, and even those who use it may not be aware that it’s compatible with Android Auto.

When you connect your Android phone to your vehicle, Android Auto displays incoming WhatsApp messages as notifications on your vehicle’s infotainment screen. Gemini can read them out loud, and using only your voice, you can provide it with replies to send back. You can also initiate new conversations hands-free, making it easy to stay in touch with your contacts while keeping your focus on the road. For an app that most people think of purely as a phone or tablet experience, WhatsApp’s Android Auto integration adds convenient messaging to daily drive time.

With more than 100 million downloads, Apple Music is one of the most popular music streaming services in the Google Play Store. Some users may be surprised to find it has a lot to offer the Android platform despite its native existence within the Apple software ecosystem. The app gives Apple Music subscribers access to a library of more than 100 million songs, and one thing Apple leans into heavily is curated music. It provides handpicked new release recommendations and a suite of radio shows that are tailored to various interests and music genres.

Android Auto users who are subscribed to Apple Music can tap into such services, and the app can also be used to manage your own library of music files. What may catch Android users off guard is how well Apple Music integrates with the Android Auto interface. Once the app is installed and your phone is connected to your vehicle, you’ll be able to control music playback directly from your vehicle’s dashboard display. The app shows up on the Android Auto menu just as any other app would, giving you access to both streaming music and any of your own music files you have stored locally on your phone.

Tidal positions itself as the music streaming service for people who care deeply about how their music sounds. It’s one of the Spotify music streaming alternatives users swear by, and it’s fully compatible with Android Auto. It has an extensive library of music, but where Tidal sets itself apart from many other streaming services is with the amount of music it offers with best-in-class audio. That includes up to 24-bit, 192 kHz playback, with other high-quality playback options also available to suit device connection speeds.

Tidal does require a subscription for full access to its music library, but a free trial is available to new users. For Android Auto users who weren’t aware high quality music playback was available in their car, Tidal is the perfect app to take a look at. Audiophiles should appreciate what it has to offer, and Android Auto users looking for a premium streaming music service are likely to enjoy the wide variety of music and the way the app integrates with the Android Auto platform. Once connected, it integrates with Android Auto the same way any other media app would, giving you browsing and playback controls directly on your dashboard display without having to touch your phone.

Most people probably think of a warm recliner or a quiet bedroom when they think of kicking back with a good book, but Google Play Books & Audiobooks allows Android Auto users to dive into a story while out and about. The app provides access to millions of titles across e-books, audiobooks, and even comic books. Its audiobook selection covers bestselling fiction, nonfiction, self-help, and much more. No subscription is required with Google Play Books & Audiobooks, only individual title purchases, which allows you to build out your own library and tap into it from any number of Android devices.

While e-books may not be the most ideal piece of media when driving around the city or heading out for a road trip, audiobooks certainly are. Services like Audible tend to stay top-of-mind in that marketplace, but Google Play Books & Audiobooks is a fully integrated Android Auto app that doesn’t require a monthly subscription. You can pull up your Google Play Books & Audiobooks library from your vehicle’s dashboard display, pick up where you left off within an audiobook, and control playback without ever having to touch your phone.

NPR has been a radio fixture for decades, and with the NPR app for Android comes Android Auto access to everything NPR has to offer. That includes national news, local member station programming, and a library of public radio podcasts. NPR One is also featured in the NPR app. It provides a personalized, in-app feed of national news, local headlines, and other content from across the public radio network. The app provides a certain amount of interaction as well, as you can save content to playlists, which also helps NPR One deliver future content that is more likely to resonate with you.

With official support for Android Auto, NPR makes all of this available right on your vehicle’s dashboard display. Once the app is installed and the phone is connected to a vehicle, the NPR icon turns up among other streaming services and podcast apps. From here, users can interact with the app much like they would directly on their phone. NPR may not be the first streaming service to come to mind alongside Android Auto, but with all of its content accessible for free, and with it integrating well with the Android Auto interface, it’s an app that many Android users may want to have access to while they’re in the car.

Selecting these apps was simply a matter of determining which apps are available for Android devices that most people might not think of when they’re in their car. There are a lot of obvious apps to keep on hand when tapping into the Android Auto platform. These were chosen because they are likely to be an afterthought when it comes to the Android platform (such as Apple Music) or to the driving experience (such as WhatsApp or Google Play Books). We leaned toward free apps, but subscription-based and paid apps made the cut where their features justified their price.