Phone-based in-car infotainment on Android in late 2022

Ugh.  This was nearly a rant, but I'm asking the hive mind. 

TLDR: all the big tech companies have killed all the good ways of using my phone in the car. 

The car:  2013 Honda CR-Z EX. Factory head unit. Nice phone holder. Analog aux jack. USB supports iPod and MP3 through a crappy single line display. Bluetooth only for phone calls. 

The phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover Pro. Has headphone jack, usb C. Android 12.

Apps:  I have local files, Spotify Premium, YouTube music Premium and a little Bandcamp. Google Maps. 

Rant:  I don't want a new car, or a new head unit. I don't have protected parking. I don't want more dohickeys than an aux cable and a phone mount. I need an app that keeps the screen on, and gives me touch access through a simplified interface to Spotify Premium or YouTube Music Premium and navigation.

Google used to offer Android Auto on the phone screen. They killed that. They then offered Google Assistant Driving Mode, which looked different, but still offered the key features: big buttons, media controls, navigation, a simplified interface, and keeping the screen unlocked. They apparently killed that last month. My driving mode shortcut doesn't work anymore, and now, asking assistant for driving mode gets a Maps screen that has a larger than standard ui. It'll show media controls, only if you start a song from voice.

Spotify offered a car mode, but they killed it to offer Car Thing hardware, which was a screen that only does Spotify, then they killed that after only a couple of months, and never brought car mode back. 

Samsung used to offer a Car Mode app, but that appears to be gone. 

What's out there from a reputable source that will keep the screen on, and provide a good interface to navigation and music? 

Before the AA days, I used to use an app that was basically an interface with 6 app tiles per screen, but damned if I can find it now. I do know that if you're plugged in, Waze will keep the screen on, that's how I use it in the Expedition, which doesn't have AA.

I just use YT music and Google Maps as necessary, but I am curious about what other options there are.   Maps will stay open to a small window on my phone, so I can use both at the same time.  Only downside is that I mount the phone in landscape mode in the car, but need to lock it to portrait mode so YT music works correctly, which makes the map app sideways too.

My phone doesn't have a headphone jack and my car stereo doesn't have a bluetooth reciever so I have a USB-C to headphone adaptor and a patch cord.

Worse, Google Assistant is terrible. I have an Android TV. If I ask my phone, while driving to "Open Spotify" it'll respond "Opening Spotify on KD49X750F" and I'll come home to find my living room TV is on, ready to play music. 

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Before the AA days, I used to use an app that was basically an interface with 6 app tiles per screen, but damned if I can find it now. I do know that if you're plugged in, Waze will keep the screen on, that's how I use it in the Expedition, which doesn't have AA.

That's right, Waze has done music integrations. I'll try that next time I'm out. 

No help about the Auto/Driving mode, but to keep the screen on there's a switch in the Developer settings that might help ... it might vary by phone, for that matter Developer settings might not be available on all phones, but if it is a Google for your phone + "Screen always on when charging" should turn up instructions. I find this useful when working at my desk (phone in charging stand) and in the car (phone in cradle). You'd need either a wireless cradle or plug it in for this to work obvs.

HTH ...

I never mussed with settings, being a point and grunt kind of person with modern tech, but Google Maps keeps the screen active when it is running, and YT Music keeps the screen active when playing.  Pause the music and it will shut off per whatever the main settings are.