INSTALL GUIDE
Pick what you need below — a first install or an update. The page shows only those steps; follow them top to bottom. Requires Android 8.0 or later.
INSTALL FROM GOOGLE PLAY
CarStream isn’t public on Google Play yet, so search won’t find it — you unlock the download yourself with your order code/key + Gmail. Works for both phones on Android Auto and Android Box.
Unlock the download
Enter your order code (CARSTREAM…) or key (CS-XXXX-XXXX) and your Gmail, then press the button. Each download pass lasts 48 hours.
It must be the Gmail signed in on the Android phone you will install on — the same account Google Play uses there. With the wrong Gmail the phone won’t get the invitation, or you’ll see “email doesn’t exist”.
No key yet? Buy one here. Trouble? Contact support with your order code + Gmail.
Accept the invitation, then install
After pressing, the box above says “processing” — wait ~1 minute until it says Done. Then, on that Android phone, open the CarStream Google Play link and tap Become a tester.
It’s normal not to be able to download right after accepting — it isn’t an error. Wait about 30 minutes, open the link again and tap Install like any other app.
Each order code/key is linked to one Gmail. Entering another Gmail switches to the new one (the old one is removed). The pass lasts 48 hours and is then released for others — once installed you use the app with your key, no pass needed. Later, if an update won’t download, enter your order code/key + Gmail again for another 48 hours.
Activate your key
Open CarStream, paste the key you bought into the activation box and tap Activate.
One key per device. You can move it 2 times a year: Settings › Activation › Change key to release it from the old phone, then enter it on the new one. The key never expires.
Run it in the car
Phone: plug in a good cable, or connect wireless Android Auto. When Android Auto starts the car screen shows three tiles — all from one install, nothing else to download:
Installed from Google Play, there’s no need to enable “Unknown sources” in Android Auto — the app comes through the official channel, so the car shows it.
CarStream — the main app: pick a source and watch.
CarStream Full — the full-screen version.
CarStream Control — the “now playing” tile, where steering-wheel buttons and voice search go.
On an Android Box in the car there’s nothing to connect: open CarStream and choose Box mode — or wait 6 seconds and it enters by itself. From then on it starts with the ignition.
Video keeps playing while the car is moving. Drivers should leave the watching to passengers and use the steering-wheel buttons or voice.
The Google Play version shows on the car screen with nothing to enable. If the phone has CarStream installed from an .apk downloaded elsewhere, uninstall it and reinstall with the steps above.
Installed from Google Play and still not there? Unplug and replug the cable, or fully close Android Auto on the phone and reconnect. Still nothing? Contact support.
Needs Android 8.0 or later and Google Play signed in with a Gmail. Below Android 8.0 the app won’t run.
UPDATE TO A NEW VERSION
Updates install over the old version — no uninstalling, no lost key, settings and signed-in accounts stay. Just follow the two steps below.
Open CarStream › Settings and scroll to the bottom for the version line — tap it to copy, handy when contacting support.
Unlock the download again, then update
A download pass lasts only 48 hours and is then released for others, so every update needs a new pass for your Gmail. Do it right here — no need to message anyone.
Whether it says “added to the list” or “N hours left”, you’re allowed to download. Tap the button below on that Android phone, then tap Update on the CarStream row.
It installs over the old version, so your key stays activated — no re-entering it, no device move used. Settings, signed-in accounts and watch history all stay.
Only the Accessibility permission (if you use the Waze/Gofa speed source) is sometimes turned off by Android after an update — turn it back on in the app’s Settings if the speed bubble doesn’t appear.