How to use MirrorLink: The ultimate guide to smartphone

Are you looking for a smartphone integration system to mirror your Android screen to your car infotainment system? Then MirrorLink is all you need. 

Mirrorlink is a car-based integration system allowing you to easily access the information and entertainment apps on your Android screen from your car’s infotainment system while driving. 

Although Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are already available on the market, there has been skyrocketing demand for quick access to music apps, navigation apps, and data on the go as people have become more reliant on smartphones over the years. 

And that’s why MirrorLink has grown in popularity over the course of time and is putting up a tough fight against the top players in the industry like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. 

So what makes MirrorLink so different? Well, while Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the closed proprietary systems, come with built-in functions such as voice-control, navigation, and external apps, MirrorLink is open source. 

One interesting point worth noting here is that MirrorLink has been acquired by Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), which strives to connect smartphones of all operating systems and cars. Currently, MirrorLink is available on more smartphones and cars than its competitors. 

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Following are the most popular MirrorLink enabled cars:

For more information about MirrorLink-enabled cars, check out the official MirrorLink cars page. 

Most Android smartphone brands are compatible with MirrorLink. Check out the below list of MirrorLink-compatible smartphones:

Check out the MirrorLink phones page for the compatible phone models.

Following is a partial list of MirrorLink-enabled applications:

For the complete list, check out MirrorLink apps page. 

MirrorLink provides an interactive dashboard on the car’s infotainment system screen. Although the name suggests MirrorLink mirrors the Android screen, it actually has its own interface with the car as well. 

But you can mirror your Android screen to the car infotainment screen too with MirrorLink, to view and interact with your Android device on the car’s display.  

What makes the MirrorLink interface so special? The best part of MirrorLink is its driver-friendly icons which gives a seamless driving experience while accessing favorite apps on the move. 

Among the wide selection of apps, there are a few fan favorites like Spotify, RockScout, Tencent, Glympse, and KIA Tmap. There are also apps dedicated to particular smartphone brands viz., SKODA MFA Pro, SKODA Remote Control, LG MirrorDrive, and HTC Car. 

Smartphone users of these brands can install the corresponding apps from the Play Store. These apps enable users to fully control their car’s infotainment systems with smartphone devices. Here are a few things you can do with MirrorLink-enabled apps: 

In the following sections, I’ll walk you through the steps to turn on and turn off MirrorLink on your Android. 

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To turn on MirrorLink and use your Android device on your car’s display, connect your Android device to the car using a USB cable. Follow the below steps to turn it on:

Step 1: Once you connect your Android device to your car using a USB cable, go to your Android phone’s home screen

Step 2: Open the apps drawer and go to Settings

Step 3: Select MirrorLink

If you can’t locate MirrorLink in Settings, check out for available networks in More Networks or tap the MirrorLink connection notification.

Step 4: Finally, check the Connect to vehicle via USB checkbox

Most MirrorLink users find turning it off really tedious. Sometimes users just couldn’t navigate their way around to turn it off, or it keeps turning on automatically. But there are workarounds to turn off MirrorLink. 

Step 1: Go to the Settings app on your Android phone

Step 2: Locate MirrorLink in Settings or search for MirrorLink in the top search bar

Step 3: Select MirrorLink

Step 4: Turn off the toggle switch to turn off MirrorLink

Simple, isn’t it? If this method doesn’t work for you, try the next method. 

Step 1: Open the application manager on your Android device

Step 2: Enable viewing of system apps

Step 3: Locate MirrorLink (Samsung MirrorLink 1.1 on Samsung devices)

Step 4: Select it and disable MirrorLink

These two methods work for most MirrorLink users. Try it out by yourself and let me know in the comments section if you were able to turn off MirrorLink with these workarounds. 

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Go to Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Mirrorlink. Once you tap MirrorLink, you’ll see MirrorLink open up in the next window. Check the ‘Connect to car via USB’ option and MirrorLink will be enabled on your Android device.

MirrorLink is compatible with Symbian and Android smartphones. HTC, Huawei, LG, Sony, Fujitsu, and Samsung are some of the MirorLink-compatible phones. Note that MirrorLink is currently not enabled on Apple iPhones.

MirrorLink is a car-based technology that helps you view and control a variety of apps from your car’s infotainment system display when connecting your Android to car dash via a USB cable. With the help of touchscreen, steering wheel controls, and voice activation, you can control the apps on your car dash.

MirrorLink has grown in popularity and it is actually giving Android Auto and Apple CarPlay a run for their money. With its interactive dashboard, drivers can quickly access their mobile device’s data and apps, especially with the large driver-friendly icons. 

MirrorLink is available in a wide range of cars and smartphones, including HTC, Fujitsu, Huawei, and Sony. With the smartphone and car-specific apps, users can do a lot on their car infotainment system, such as navigation control, radio control, volume control, playing music, etc. 

Using MirrorLink is really simple–all you need to do is to connect your phone to the car with a USB cable and enable MirrorLink from Settings. To turn off, navigate to MirrorLink from Settings or Applications Manager.

That’s all you needed to know about MirrorLink. I hope I brought some value to your Android usage. Let me know in the comments section which smartphone-car integration system you use. Until next time, take care and stay safe! Cheers!

Featured image: Photo by M&W Studios from Pexels