What Is MirrorLink? A Guide to the Car Smartphone Communication Standard
Nowadays, it’s possible to mirror your smartphone’s screen to almost any device—from your TV or laptop to your car’s infotainment screen. If you want to mirror your smartphone to your car’s infotainment system, you usually need an Android Auto or Apple CarPlay-compatible head unit.
However, you could also use MirrorLink to integrate your smartphone with your vehicle. But how does it work? Let’s find out!
What Is MirrorLink?
MirrorLink is a smartphone-to-vehicle integration system that works similarly to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This means you can connect your smartphone to the vehicle’s infotainment display using MirrorLink. Once your smartphone is integrated into the infotainment system, you can interact with the apps using voice control, dashboard buttons, steering wheel buttons, or touchscreens.
However, MirrorLink is an open-source system that any car manufacturer or developer can customize—unlike Android Auto orApple CarPlay. In fact, Nokia developed and introduced MirrorLink as the first smartphone-to-vehicle integration system a few years before Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were available.
The MirrorLink policies are set up by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), the organization that also owns the platform.
Which Vehicles and Smartphones Are Compatible With MirrorLink?
MirrorLinklists the manufacturers whose cars are compatible with the platform, and they include Citreon, General Motors, DS Automobiles, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Škoda Auto, Suzuki, and Volkswagen. When it comes to smartphones, MirrorLink works on HTC, Huawei, LG, Samsung, and Sony smartphones.
If your vehicle isn’t compatible with MirrorLink, Android Auto, or Apple Carplay and you want to connect a recent smartphone to your car, you will need to install a compatible aftermarket head unit.
How Do You Use MirrorLink?
If you want to use MirrorLink, you first need to install the app on your smartphone, assuming your phone is compatible. Next, connect your smartphone to the infotainment system using a USB cable or Bluetooth.
Once your smartphone is integrated into the vehicle, you can access some of your apps on the infotainment display. If you don’t want to get distracted, you can control the apps using steering wheel controls or voice commands.
Furthermore, to prevent distracted driving, MirrorLink doesn’t allow you to browse the internet or stream videos, but you can still use the touchscreen and dashboard buttons.
In addition to that, MirrorLink only supports a few apps. TheMirrorLinkwebsite only lists a handful of apps, with none of the most popular ones, like Spotify, supported natively. Nevertheless, they should be enough to make a call, listen to music, check weather forecasts, and navigate.
What Are the Limitations of MirrorLink?
Even though MirrorLink was considered a game-changer when it first launched in 2010, its popularity was overshadowed byGoogle Assistant Driving Mode, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. It’s also limited to old smartphones released in 2016 and 2017.
Unfortunately, theCar Connectivity Consortiumwill discontinue its MirrorLink operations after September 30, 2023. This means you will stop receiving updates on your MirrorLink app, and in the future, it may cease to work on your smartphone.
Beyond that, most car manufacturers have moved on to designing infotainment systems withAndroid Automotive (an advanced version of Android Auto)that are far more powerful than MirrorLink. It also doesn’t help that it has the least functionality when youcompare MirrorLink, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay.
Can You Use MirrorLink Today?
From the looks of things, the best days of MirrorLink are behind it—the app is no longer updated and will cease its operation by September 30, 2023. Not to mention, this system is usually found on older vehicles and older smartphones, so it will slowly disappear along with those vehicles and devices.
If you’re rocking a newer phone and a newer ride, you probably won’t see this anymore. Besides, you’re better off upgrading your head unit to work with newer technologies like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto if you want to integrate your car and smartphone.
If you’re looking to use Google’s in-car information and entertainment service, you’ll need one of the best Android Auto head units available today.
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