MirrorLink is an app that links your phone to your car’s infotainment system. It allows you to use selected music streaming and navigation apps via the car’s display, so you don’t need to handle your phone while driving. In that regard, it’s much the same as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it isn’t tied to a particular operating system, as they are.
Using MirrorLink can help you get the best of your car’s on-board tech (and your phone apps) while on the move. What’s more, how future-proof a car’s cabin tech is can provide a useful barometer for future residual values, too.
In this guide, we’re going to explain everything you need to know about MirrorLink, how to use it and what you can do with it.
How do I enable MirrorLink?
If your car has MirrorLink, you’ll find it somewhere among the options in the infotainment system, probably in the entertainment menu. Some manufacturers have their own brand name for it, for instance Skoda calls it SmartLink. Plug your phone into the car’s USB port and press the icon. There may then be a bit of rigmarole to go through to get the two to talk to each other; some cars allow to you to connect to MirrorLink wirelessly.
Once car and phone are synced, the car’s display should automatically switch to the MirrorLink screen, if not you need to select the media screen. At that point, you can use whatever apps you want.
What apps can I use on MirrorLink?
Once your phone is synced to MirrorLink, the car’s display will show a screen that ‘mirrors’ your phone’s home screen – hence the term phone mirroring – with icons for various apps. Not all apps are compatible with MirrorLink; those that are include Spotify and Facebook, plus a host of other entertainment and navigation apps. MirrorLink has its own set of apps, as well. It’s worth exploring them to see what might be useful to you.
You can navigate to whichever apps you want to use with the car’s controls, be it a touchscreen, rotary controller, steering wheel buttons or voice commands.
What is MirrorLink for Android?
There’s no such thing. As mentioned earlier, MirrorLink isn’t tied to any one phone operating system, unlike Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. That means it can support other operating systems like Microsoft’s Windows. It’s also a useful backup if Android Auto and Apple CarPlay won’t connect.
There are some apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store that claim to provide phone mirroring similar to MirrorLink. However, they’re not official and usually just bombard you with ads without necessarily providing any useful functionality.
Should I use MirrorLink?
It’s a good idea to try MirrorLink as well as Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to find out which you prefer using. You certainly need to link to one of them if you want to use phone apps while driving because handling a phone when you’re behind the wheel is now illegal in the UK. You can read more about the law on using a phone while driving on Parkers.
However, MirrorLink’s graphics look rather old-fashioned now. You may also face compatibility problems when trying to use MirrorLink in an older car with a new phone, or vice-versa. The latest Samsung phones don’t support MirrorLink either, likewise some of the latest cars. The dominance of Apple and Android in the market means MirrorLink may eventually disappear from new cars, but it could still serve a useful purpose for used car buyers and drivers with older phones.
Looking for more jargon-busting motoring meanings? Head over to our Parkers Car Glossary page and take a look at our other definitions.
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