i8 Complete Guide

China app needs a +86 number today — the international edition arrives with the export version

• •Remote climate, fridge and seat pre-conditioning
• •Vehicle status, charging and range monitoring
• •International edition: email registration, local maps, OTA

🌍 Current Gulf L7/L8/L9/MEGA imports are China-spec needing the Chinese app + Chinese number (usually set up by the exporter). The official international edition launches Middle East-first (Al Fahim UAE, Naghi KSA) with email registration.

The community-proven kit to get YouTube, Google Maps and an Arabic keyboard onto your imported car's screen

• •GBox (free): runs Google services — YouTube, Google Maps, Netflix — in a sandbox on GMS-less screens
• •Aurora Store (free, open source): download Play Store apps with no Google account, straight from the screen
• •Gboard: Arabic/English typing replacing the Chinese-only factory keyboard on imports
• •Google Maps or Waze on the factory screen — full Gulf coverage unlike the Chinese factory nav
• •Install: ADB from a laptop (adb install -g) — the same path i99dash uses. On BYD install AppManager first to unlock installs

🌍 Proven by thousands of owners (XDA + Russian and Gulf communities). Verified caveats: BYD removed ADB in v1.7+ (newer units need a downgrade or an AI Box), OTA updates can wipe apps, and video on the driver screen while moving is illegal and unsafe. APKs must be arm64-v8a.

Adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to any Android car screen

• •Full CarPlay + Android Auto, wired and wireless
• •No wiring changes — plugs into USB, fully reversible
• •Online firmware upgrades via the AutoKit app

🌍 Thousands of Amazon owner reviews — the standard in the head-unit scene. On newer locked BYD DiLink units owners use the AI Box hardware variant instead of the APK — warranty-safe and non-invasive.

Unlocks YouTube, IPTV, video and web browsing inside Android Auto — free and open source

• •Local video, IPTV (m3u) and YouTube on the car screen via Android Auto
• •Built-in web browser and screen mirroring
• •Works without root on Android 14/15/16

🌍 Installs on your phone (not the head unit) and needs developer mode + Unknown sources in Android Auto settings. For cars with Android Auto. Video while driving is unsafe and illegal — passengers and parked use only.

An app store of 100+ screen-adapted apps for Li Auto and Zeekr — installed from a laptop or the MagicBox dongle

• •Apps re-scaled for the car displays (nav, video, music)
• •Installs on all three Li Auto screens incl. the rear
• •Re-install support after OTA updates

🌍 The de-facto standard in the Russian Li Auto community (Russian UI). Gulf owners can replicate the same result free via plain ADB (adb install -g) — the service just adds convenience and a curated catalog.

The Gulf's community charging map — live status, owner reviews, and the 'free the charger' ping

• •Gulf + Jordan stations with owner reviews and comments
• •Live status reports: working / broken / crowded / ICE'd
• •Ping the car blocking the charger via its QR sticker
• •Nearest stations to you in one tap

🌍 Every report you file earns reputation and helps the next owner — this is OUR map, grown by our community.

Plan your Gulf road trip with charge stops tuned to OUR summer heat — not Europe's weather

• •Ready corridors: Kuwait ↔ KSA ↔ UAE ↔ Jordan
• •Accounts for heat and speed impact on your car's range
• •Charge stops from our live map — no stale listings

🌍 Built for our roads: Salmi corridor, the Causeway, Riyadh–Dammam — under real summer conditions.

Read live EV battery data with a cheap Bluetooth OBD dongle

• •Built-in profiles for BYD Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, Sealion, Denza and more
• •Live data: SoC, voltage, current, battery temperatures
• •Works with any ELM327 Bluetooth adapter (~$10-30)
• •Reads/clears fault codes on most brands

🌍 Used-buyer alert: true battery health (SOH) is NOT exposed via standard OBD on BYD — you get SoC and voltages only. For an authoritative report before buying a used BYD: dealer diagnostic (VDS) or a pro tool like the Foxwell NT710.

Saudi Arabia's national fast-charging network (PIF + Saudi Electricity Co.)

• •100–350 kW fast chargers with reservations
• •Real-time availability, connector type and power
• •Unified in-app payment
• •Highway corridors (Riyadh–Qassim and more)

🌍 KSA only — the must-have app for any EV owner in Saudi Arabia. Network targets 5,000 chargers by 2030.

Petromin's charging network — 200+ locations across Saudi Arabia

• •AC & DC chargers with slot reservation
• •Start/stop charging remotely
• •Built-in EV route planner
• •Pay with mada, STC Pay, Apple Pay

🌍 KSA — largest network by locations (200+), strong at urban/retail sites. Complements EVIQ.

The UAE's federal charging network — expanding nationwide

• •Government-owned (Ministry of Energy + Etihad WE)
• •Fast chargers on federal inter-city roads
• •Session start, payment and history in-app
• •24/7 support

🌍 UAE only — key for trips outside Dubai (Northern Emirates, Abu Dhabi highways). Scaling to 1,000 chargers by 2030.

Dubai's original charging network — 400+ stations

• •Map of 400+ Green Charger stations across Dubai
• •Live availability and session activation
• •EV account registration & billing via DEWA

🌍 Dubai only — registration is mandatory for DEWA public chargers.