How to utilize Android Car API inside an app

Question

I want to test and (if possible) utilize Android Car API functionalities inside my Android app. Specifically, I need to be able to import classes under android.car.* package which can be seen here: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/car/packages.html

I also found the repo on Google Git: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/services/Car/

How should I add this library as a dependency in my app?

Answer 1

The library is now released as part of Android Q SDK in Android Studio. You need to

1. update the SDK 29 to minor version 5 using SDK manager

2. Update app module build.gradle include car-lib

   android {
        compileSdkVersion 29
        buildToolsVersion "29.0.3"
        ...
        useLibrary 'android.car'
   }
   

3. API documentation is available here

Answer 2

Edit: This answer is outdated. Use the method in the accepted answer now that the tooling has been updated and the lib is part of the platform.

There's no prebuilt binary for android.car, but you can build it yourself by running mm in packages/services/Car/car-lib: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/services/Car/+/refs/heads/master/car-lib/Android.bp#50

If your app has an .mk or .bp file, you can include the library like CarService does here: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/services/Car/+/master/service/Android.mk#42

The library is mostly meant for OEMs though and not so much for third parties.