Android Head UnitsSubaru

13" Rotating Android Head Unit: UI, Apps and Settings Walkthrough

A tour of the huge 13-inch rotating Android head unit after the BRZ install. Apps and Android Auto follow the screen when it rotates, the settings menu hides behind portrait mode, and the reverse camera view has three sizes.

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Yes — you can install This kit on the Universal double-DIN rotating head unit; the screen covers the vents and AC controls in a small car with a 7 min DIY job. A tour of the huge 13-inch rotating Android head unit after the BRZ install. Apps and Android Auto follow the screen when it rotates, the settings menu hides.

Overview

This is the follow-up to John's 13-inch BRZ install: a walk through the software. Rotate the screen and the interface changes instantly, whether you're in Spotify, Instagram or Android Auto, and the reverse camera still works in either position. The app drawer includes Google Play, Gmail, Maps, a file manager, the Android Auto app and a camera app that supports up to three cameras (front, side and rear). In landscape he couldn't find the full settings. Rotating to portrait reveals the rest: app customization, GPS monitoring, date and time, language, an equalizer, a dimmer tied to the headlights, user settings (auto-navigation, split screen, track lines, parking sounds) and mobile connection settings that auto-launch the car app when a phone connects. It runs the faster PX6 chip. Set the radio region to America. The reverse camera view can be full-screen, keep the top menu bar, or shrink further, which other units he's tried can't do. His verdict: the install was harder than expected because a 13-inch hinged screen barely fits a car this small, but the gyroscope rotation and having both Android Auto and CarPlay make it great.

Vehicle & fitment

Product
13-inch 1080p rotating universal Android head unit (PX6 processor, Android Auto, CarPlay app, up to three cameras)
Shown on
Subaru BRZ (universal 13-inch double-DIN unit)

Always confirm fitment for your exact year and trim with the seller before buying.

Tools & parts

Tools

  • None: software walkthrough

Parts

  • 13-inch rotating Android head unit (installed)
  • Reverse camera (optional; up to three cameras supported)

Video chapters

Step by step

  1. 1

    Rotate the screen▶ 0:29

    Turn the screen and the UI switches orientation instantly in any app, including Spotify and Instagram.

  2. 2

    Tour the apps▶ 1:26

    Android Auto, aux, pictures, Gmail, camera, Maps, the Play Store, app customization and a file manager.

  3. 3

    Camera options▶ 1:48

    The camera app supports up to three cameras (front view, side view and rear view) for a 360-style setup.

  4. 4

    Find the full settings in portrait▶ 2:45

    In landscape John couldn't find the full settings menu. Rotate to portrait to see app customization, GPS monitoring, date and time, language, the equalizer and the dimmer.

  5. 5

    Check the dimmer▶ 3:01

    Turn on the headlights to confirm the screen dims with them.

  6. 6

    User settings▶ 3:12

    Options include auto-navigation on startup, split screen, reverse track lines, parking sounds, touch tones, accessory output and auto-launching the car app when a phone connects.

  7. 7

    Hardware and radio region▶ 3:47

    It shows the RAM, and it runs the faster PX6 processor. Under radio, set the region to America. Some factory menus need a code he didn't have.

  8. 8

    Fitment reality check▶ 5:24

    A 13-inch hinged screen is very hard to fit in a compact sports car. A truck, SUV, Jeep or even a sedan is much easier.

  9. 9

    Reverse camera layouts▶ 6:10

    The backup camera can go full-screen, keep the menu bar on top, or shrink further. Turn off parking-sensor graphics if you don't have sensors.

Wiring notes

Get the parts

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links are affiliate links.

FAQ

What vehicle does this head unit fit?

It is shown for the Universal double-DIN rotating head unit; the screen covers the vents and AC controls in a small car. Rotation is automatic via a gyroscope, and the UI and Android Auto rotate with it Always confirm your exact year, trim and factory audio with the seller.

How long does the install take?

John's full video is 7 min. Plan on that much time for a careful DIY install, plus extra if you are new to dash work.

What tools do I need?

Tools called out in the guide: None: software walkthrough.

Does it support wireless CarPlay or Android Auto?

Check the product listing for wired vs wireless CarPlay / Android Auto before you buy; John shows what worked in the video.

Where do I get the parts?

Use the buy links on this page for the unit and any harnesses John used. Some links are affiliate links.

Is this beginner-friendly?

The guide breaks the job into 9 steps with timestamps into the video. If you can remove trim panels carefully, you can follow along.

Full transcript

Show the full transcript (83 lines) +

0:00So then there's the interface right there and of course you have Spotify open right there and then you rotate the thing and you're auto

0:08auto. You still retain certain stuff like reverse camera so you still have the reverse camera which makes it look like this.

0:19So then there's the interface right there and of course uh can you help me rotate it?

0:30We're gonna just go over the interface first before we go into the application.

0:35You just rotate it like that. Say you're on the, say you're wanting to go on the Instagram boom the UI changes instantly.

0:43And look at that. On the BRZ that thing is just massive.

0:56That's like the whole, that's the whole dash. That's the vents and the AC unit.

1:01That's the vents and the AC unit.

1:03The screen's so massive.

1:05If you can tilt it again.

1:13Very nice.

1:14Can you hold the camera?

1:15Make sure there's not too many reflections.

1:18Depending on how you have your angle.

1:21Alright, so let's just look at the settings real quick while we're at it.

1:26So, we saw the Android Auto, we saw applications.

1:30You have aux pictures, I don't know how pictures play.

1:33There's no pictures in these folders.

1:35Gmail, camera, maps.

1:37Play store, which iss important.

1:38Then we, we had the Android Auto app.

1:40Customize apps.

1:42nothing file manager kind of get it camera we don't have any cameras but it

1:48looks like you could potentially

1:51360 cameras and then I have front view, side view, rear view or something like that I'm not

1:56too sure but yeah you can have three cameras on this you can have three cameras on this

2:01and navigation it's like a default Google maps but I want to go into the

2:10settings because that's kind of more interesting GPS. So let's, let's go to

2:19settings. So I said settings. Oh we were in settings. Interesting. Let's go home.

2:35There's no toolbar. Where's the, where's the settings I'm looking for?

2:45Do I have to rotate it like this?

2:48Okay.

2:49Rotating like this shows you my, so it shows me more settings.

2:54So we have app customized, GPS monitoring, date and time, language, aqualizer, dimmer.

3:01Can you turn on your headlights real quick?

3:04Yeah, so it didn't the screen, okay you can turn it off.

3:12User settings, auto navigation run, split, track lines, parking sounds, touch tone, accessory

3:34output, mobile connections, auto-run car auto when phone is connected I had it on

3:42earlier so I was trying to boot into their background processes. Good it says

3:473G 4G of RAM I'm not too sure I got the update this is using the PX6 so it is

3:53faster. I don't want to do that and you have install set, wheel setting, and

4:00You have install set. Wheel setting. And radio. Let's change this to America.

4:08And that's about it. I don't know the code for this. So probably none of the code but yeah.

4:20So those are some of your basic settings and you get more settings.

4:23And this is kind of like your traditional Android screen.

4:27Let's go to system and see the firmware. Probably want to change the time so it's updated to 8.

4:34Not 9.0 or Android 10 but yeah. There it is right there. That's great

4:43And that concludes the install video. Check out the install fitment and stuff I just plugged in

4:54But anyways, that is the head unit.

5:09Android Auto rotates too so that's really cool and by the boom by the bing we

5:19done here. Anyways thank you guys for watching the install

5:24was a little more difficult than I thought it would, because of the

5:27fit, and getting the way I wanted to look yeah having the hinge and

5:32everything fit into this is a 13 inch screen so it's very, very hard to fit

5:36this in a really small car like this. If you were in a SUV, a Jeep, or you know a truck

5:42or something like that definitely would be a lot easier. Even a sedan would be a lot

5:46easier than a compact sports car. This is basically almost the size a size of a Miata,

5:50but this is how it would look like in a small car. Which is great. I really like the

5:57auto functionality with the gyroscope so when you're orientation.

6:02And I also really enjoy the fact that I have Android Auto

6:06and then Apple CarPlay too.

6:07That's a big selling point when it comes to a car

6:10you still retain certain stuff like reverse camera.

6:13So we still have the reverse camera

6:15which is a big thing for most people.

6:17You can kind of talk.

6:19I don't have any parking sensors

6:20so I might be able to turn that off

6:22but you can kind of toggle between like full screen

6:24or kind of have still your menu the menu up here

6:28which is nice while still having your backup camera

6:32or even have it something like this to make it even smaller.

6:36So it's a nice feature.

6:38I know the other Android head units,

6:39they don't have this bar, it's just that.

6:42So yeah, it's awesome.

6:46Thank you guys for watching.

6:47If you guys were planning to install this head unit,

6:51go by it it below in the link link description below.

6:53I'm gonna test this out in the next week or two

6:56and give you my rundown on how I feel about it.

7:02And then make a full review but this was just kind of like the install and the first impression of the 13 inch head unit.

7:09Thank you guys for watching. Don't forget to smash that like if you made it this far. These videos take a lot of time so I hope you guys enjoy.

Machine-transcribed from the full-length video and lightly cleaned (product names fixed). Watch the video for exact wording.

Next step

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