From Repo to Road: How Third-Party Apps Actually Get Into Cars

From the outside, getting an app into a car looks simple: submit, wait, done. From the inside it is a pipeline of driver distraction reviews, compatibility testing across head units, safety requirements and release trains. As Product Owner for third-party apps at an automotive OEM, I run this pipeline every day. This session shows how an app really travels from a developer's repository onto the dashboard of a production car: what OEMs check and why, where most submissions fail, what the split between Google-built-in and OEM app stores means for your distribution strategy, and what you can do as an Android developer to pass review on the first attempt. You will leave with a realistic map of the automotive app distribution landscape in 2026 and a concrete checklist for making your app car-ready.