Some of these games are better than others
And a few are downright awful
Before I go through the process of getting Xtream Player running on Android Auto, I’ll outline what games are actually in Xtream Player. Most are knock-offs of well-known titles, like BrickIt, a Brick Breaker clone, SweepIt, a Minesweeper copy, or SnakeIt, a Snake imitation. There’s even a Fruit Ninja knock-off called Circle Ninja, and a pretty fully-featured Chess game, too.
The visuals are simplistic, but in most cases, the games work pretty well if you take the time to figure them out. In a way, a lot of the titles remind me of early 1980s 8-bit home console games from the ColecoVision and Intellivision era. They’re great for killing 10-15 minutes in your car, but aren’t the type of games you’d want to spend hours playing. They also don’t compare to the more console-like gaming experiences in Android Auto’s GameSnacks.
Getting Xtream Player working in Android Auto takes several steps
I’d argue the extra effort is worth it
Getting Xtream Player running in Android Auto takes some work. Before you even download the app’s APK, you’ll need to enable Android’s Developer Mode and then Android Auto’s Developer Mode. Doing this isn’t complicated, but it can be time-consuming.
- Open the Settings app on your Android device.
- Tap About Phone.
- Open Software Information (with my Pixel 10 Pro, this option is on the main About Phone screen).
- Find your phone’s Build Number, and tap it seven times in a row.
- If you’ve done this correctly, you’ll see a message stating Developer Mode Enable.
Next, it’s time to access Android Auto’s Developer Settings:
- Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
- Navigate to Connected Devices (it’s the second option).
- Tap on Android Auto (on my Pixel 10 Pro, I also need to navigate to Connection Preferences first).
- Scroll down and tap Version until Developer Settings are enabled (you’ll see a notification that you have only three taps left when you’re close).
Now, you’ll need to install AAEnabler to get the app to appear in your Android Auto Launcher, unless you turn on Unknown Sources. I haven’t tried this particular Android Auto sideloading method with Xtream Player, so I can’t verify it works, but it should. To access Xtream Player’s games, you’ll need a roughly .26 one-time premium fee that you can purchase through AAEnabler.
Next, download the paid version of Xtream Player, Open AAEnabler, and tap the blue Install App button. Go to your device’s Downloads folder to find the Xtream Player APK you’ve already downloaded. Lastly, to use some of Xtream Player’s features, you’ll need to enable a series of somewhat intimidating permissions. It’s up to you whether you’re comfortable giving a sideloaded app this level of access to your device.
