Reference Series · Connectivity
Android Auto for Harley-Davidson: What It Does and Which Bikes Support It
Quick answer: Android Auto projects a simplified, driving-focused version of your Android phone (navigation, music, calls, messages, voice) onto a compatible display. On a Harley, factory support splits by platform: Boom! Box GTS (roughly 2019+) supports wired Android Auto; older Boom! Box 4.3/6.5GT and 1998-2013 radios do not; and Skyline OS (2023.5 CVO, 2024+ Touring) currently offers Apple CarPlay but not native Android Auto. For unsupported bikes, an aftermarket head unit (1998-2023) or a CarPlay-to-Android-Auto adapter (Skyline) are the routes.
Android Auto is Google's way of putting a driving-focused version of your Android phone onto a compatible display: the apps that matter on the move (navigation, music, calls and messages) in a clean interface with large controls, operated by touchscreen, physical buttons, or voice. It is the Android equivalent of Apple CarPlay. This guide explains what it does and which Harleys support it. If you use an iPhone, see What Is Apple CarPlay and What Can It Do?
What Android Auto Can Do
Navigation
Navigation is a strength, because Google Maps is Google's own. You get full turn-by-turn on your display with Google Maps or Waze, clear spoken prompts, voice destination search, and live traffic and rerouting. You can download Google Maps areas in advance so navigation keeps working where mobile coverage drops out, which matters on remote Australian and New Zealand routes.
Music and Audio
Android Auto puts your audio apps on the display with large, glove-friendly controls (YouTube Music, Spotify, podcasts, audiobooks, radio apps). You can browse, skip and choose playlists by voice.
Calls and Messages
Make and receive calls hands-free, with your contacts and recent calls brought in, and place a call by voice. Messages are handled by voice: your assistant reads incoming messages aloud and lets you dictate replies without looking at the screen, across common messaging apps, not just standard texts. Audio comes through your system or your helmet comms, depending on setup.
Voice Control
Voice control is what makes Android Auto genuinely usable on a bike. Depending on your phone and where you are in Google's current rollout, that is handled by Gemini or Google Assistant (Google is transitioning Android Auto's voice features from Assistant to Gemini through 2026). Either way, you can set a destination, place a call, send a message or change what is playing by speaking, with a button or a wake phrase, which is the practical way to operate everything with gloves on and both hands on the bars.
Wireless vs Wired Android Auto
Android Auto can connect two ways. Wireless links your phone over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi with no cable, the practical choice on a bike. Wired uses a USB cable, which is the most stable but means docking your phone. Which you can use depends on your display and your phone, so confirm before you buy.
Why Android Auto Is Useful on a Harley
On a motorcycle, Android Auto is a real usability gain, though it is not a substitute for attention and can still distract, so use it sensibly. It helps because you cannot safely handle a phone (voice control and large on-screen targets keep you connected without a handheld phone), you ride with gloves and a helmet (speaking works when fine taps do not), and you ride where coverage fails (offline Google Maps downloaded in advance keep navigation working across long remote stretches).
What Android Auto Is Not
Android Auto is an interface and a source, not an audio-quality upgrade. It changes how you control your phone and provides a convenient source, but it does not make your speakers or amplifier sound better on its own, and its final audio quality still depends on the connection, the app and the head unit. If your system distorts at highway speed, Android Auto will not fix that; the limitation is downstream in the speakers, amplification and tuning.
Which Harleys Support Android Auto?
You need an Android phone and a display that supports it. On a Harley, factory support comes down to the infotainment platform, and the pattern is not what most riders expect.
Boom! Box GTS: supported, wired
Harley added Android Auto to Boom! Box GTS-equipped Touring, Trike and CVO models through a 2020 software update. It is available on supported GTS-equipped bikes once the required software and connection requirements are met, and it runs as a wired connection: the phone connects to the bike's USB port with a good cable, projection mode on, and current radio software. Because it was added by software update, the infotainment platform and software matter more than a loose year boundary. A headset with a microphone is needed for voice commands. Harley does not document wireless Android Auto on GTS, so treat wired as the official path.
Older factory systems, including 1998 to 2013 bikes: not supported
The earlier Boom! Box 6.5GT and 4.3 systems, and the factory radios on 1998-2013 Street Glide and Road Glide models, have no native Android Auto or CarPlay. Harley's own route to add projection to many 2014-2018 bikes was to retrofit a Boom! Box GTS unit. For those and the classic 1998-2013 models, an aftermarket head unit is the way to add Android Auto.
Skyline OS (2023.5 CVO and 2024+ Street Glide and Road Glide): CarPlay, not Android Auto
This surprises people. As of July 2026, Skyline OS supports Apple CarPlay, including wireless, but does not provide native Android Auto projection. On a Skyline bike, an Android phone does not receive the native Android Auto projection interface, although supported Bluetooth phone and media functions remain available. Harley has not announced that Android Auto will be added to Skyline by a later update, so do not assume it will arrive the way it did on GTS.
There is a current workaround. Because Skyline supports CarPlay, a third-party CarPlay-to-Android-Auto "AI box" can identify itself as a compatible CarPlay device and then provide an Android Auto connection for your Android phone. These are not a Harley product, so behaviour varies by adapter, phone and Skyline software version, and details like start-up, audio routing and the microphone can differ. Skyline also requires a headset paired to the bike before CarPlay will run, so some setups need a paired headset (or a bypass adapter that emulates one) as well. It is a practical option today, but treat it as an aftermarket workaround rather than an official feature, and talk to us about what currently works for your specific bike before buying.
Aftermarket head units
If your bike does not support Android Auto from the factory, or you want wireless where the factory system is wired, an aftermarket head unit is the clean answer for 1998-2023 bikes. Model-specific units are available for common Harley platforms, providing wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay together, using factory mounting. Handlebar-control retention is generally supported through direct wiring on the pre-2014 classics and the CAN bus on 2014-later bikes, but exactly what is retained depends on the specific radio, interface and model, so confirm for your bike. On 2023.5 CVO and 2024+ Skyline models the factory display is not simply replaced with an aftermarket head unit, so the CarPlay-to-Android-Auto adapter above is the more realistic route today. For which option suits your exact year, and for CarPlay fitment, see the Harley CarPlay compatibility guide. Availability of both platforms can also vary by market and region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need mobile coverage for Android Auto to work?
Not for Android Auto itself once your phone is connected. Individual apps may need data, but Google Maps lets you download areas in advance, and downloaded music and podcasts play without signal. For remote touring, downloading maps and music beforehand keeps everything working where coverage drops out.
Can I use Android Auto with gloves on?
Yes, mainly through voice control (Gemini or Google Assistant, depending on your phone and Google's current rollout), which lets you navigate, call, message and change music by speaking. Physical buttons on many displays also help. Fine touchscreen taps can be difficult with gloves, which is why voice is the primary way to use it on a bike.
Can I add Android Auto to a 1998 to 2013 Harley?
Yes. These classic Street Glide and Road Glide models had no factory Android Auto, but a model-specific aftermarket head unit adds wireless Android Auto using factory mounting, and generally retains handlebar controls through direct wiring (confirm what is retained for your exact model).
Does my Harley have factory Android Auto?
It depends on the infotainment platform. Supported Boom! Box GTS-equipped bikes support wired Android Auto once the required software and connection requirements are met. The earlier 6.5GT and 4.3 systems and 1998-2013 factory radios do not. As of July 2026, Skyline OS (2023.5 CVO and 2024+ Street Glide and Road Glide) supports Apple CarPlay but not native Android Auto, so Android phones do not receive the native Android Auto interface there, though supported Bluetooth phone and media functions remain available. If your bike does not support it, an aftermarket head unit adds wireless Android Auto.
Why do the newest Harleys have CarPlay but not Android Auto?
Skyline OS supports Apple CarPlay but does not currently offer native Android Auto projection. Harley states the fact but has not published the reason, so any explanation is speculation. On a Skyline bike the factory display is not simply swapped for an aftermarket unit, so the current workaround is a third-party CarPlay-to-Android-Auto adapter. It is an aftermarket workaround rather than an official feature, and behaviour varies by adapter and phone, so check what works for your bike first.
What's the difference between Android Auto and Apple CarPlay?
They are the same idea for different phones. Android Auto is Google's platform for Android; Apple CarPlay is Apple's equivalent for iPhone. Both project a simplified, driving-focused interface with navigation, audio, calls and voice control.
Want Android Auto on your Harley?
Tell us your model and year and we'll confirm which option fits your bike.
Get in Touch →Related Guides
- What Is Apple CarPlay and What Can It Do?: the iPhone equivalent, explained the same way.
- Apple CarPlay on Harley-Davidson: Compatible Models and Upgrade Options: which Harley models support CarPlay and how to add it, including handlebar control retention.
- Stock Harley Radio vs Aftermarket Head Units: whether upgrading the head unit is worth it.
Motorcycle Audio Australia. Sound That Rides.