Screen Mirroring vs Native App in the car: Which is better?

For years, the "Holy Grail" of car infotainment has been to be able to watch the same videos and applications we have on our mobile directly on the radio screen. To achieve this, historically there were two methods: mirroring the screen (Screen Mirroring) or installing prepared native applications. Today we face both systems.

The Classic Method: Screen Mirroring (AAAD, MirrorLink)

Screen Mirroring, popularized by programs like AAAD or Screen2Auto, works literally by recording your mobile screen in real time and sending that compressed video to the car screen.

The Dark Side of Mirroring:

• Battery and Temperature: It is the biggest battery destroyer. Your phone has to download the video from the internet, play it on its screen, re-record its own screen, encode that video, and send it over Wi-Fi. This causes extreme heating of the phone in just 20 minutes.
• Screen Always On: If you lock or turn off the mobile screen, the car screen goes black.
• Stretched Resolution: Mobiles are vertical (elongated) and car screens are horizontal (panoramic). You will see huge black bars on the sides.

The New Era: Native Applications (AutoIPTV)

A "native" application like AutoIPTV or Spotify is programmed using Google's official languages for vehicles (Car App Library).

Why do native apps win by a landslide?

• The phone can be off: Once you hit Play on the car screen, you can turn off the phone screen and put it in your pocket. The car takes control, saving up to 80% more battery compared to Mirroring.
• Integration with the car: A native app understands if it's day or night (turning on the car lights changes it to dark mode) and allows you to pause or change channels using the physical steering wheel buttons.
• Split Screen: Only native apps allow showing Google Maps on the left half of the screen, and the video or music player on the right half at the same time.