Bahaha, imagine the used listing for this Hyundai Ioniq 6. “Yes, it runs (DOOM) and drives.”
Basically, there are two universal laws in this world:
- If it has a screen, someone will try to run DOOM on it.
- If an auto manufacturer tries to lock drivers out of a system, somebody is going to take that personally.
A Hyundai Ioniq 6 driver on Reddit says they finally hacked and rooted their center console after about six months of messing with it, then started treating the infotainment system like what it secretly is: a locked-down in-car computer that can apparently run Android apps once you crack it open.
The Artist’s Vision
It’s worth hearing from the driver what they were going for here. See the original post, or read it below:
“After like 6 months I finally hacked/rooted my head unit. This is just something ive been working on in my spare time as a side project that started from some annoyances ive had with the car that they probably wont ever fix.
Not sure exactly what im gonna be able to do yet with the actual car systems but im now gonna be working on enabling wireless CarPlay.
With it being rooted it you can very easily can download any app that an android phone could get. Ex YouTube,Google Maps,google, doom etc
Mostly I want to try and fix a bunch of pet peeves I have with the car like walk away lock, carplay, bluelink. A Preconditioning button seems to be pretty easy based on some of the code ive looked through.”
So, practical goals here, and installing DOOM is a proof-of-concept. LOVE IT.
Our Take: We Hoped This Would Happen
I was worried the modding scene would get strangled as cars turn into software-modulated vehicles with vertically integrated, walled-garden ecosystems. “No user serviceable parts inside” energy, but applied to your entire transportation experience.
This post is proof that the auto modding scene isn’t going anywhere. It’s just pushing the envelope for what is considered a mod.
The next generation of hoonigans might not look like grease-stained driveway mechanics with a floor jack and a monster can. I mean they might, and that’s cool, too! But they also might look like DefCon goblins who spend six months reading change logs and then jailbreak your dashboard just to see if it can play Nyan cat gifs.
Turns out, those “You Wouldn’t Download a Car!” ads greatly overestimated the next generation’s respect for DRM.
Your Mileage Will Vary
Rooting a head unit can be the kind of thing that is “fine” right up until it is not. Like any good mod, it’s a little dangerous! I would be genuinely surprised if jail-breaking the center console didn’t void the entire car warranty, and bricking the head unit would be a you-problem.
Don’t brick your car… unless it’s a Cybertruck, in which case, you know what, you do you.
Still. I love the direction of travel here. If cars are going to be computers, then the modders were never going away. They were just going to add a keyboard to their workbench.
