How do I enable ADB and install my own apps on a Chinese-version EV?
Chinese-market head units run Android but ship with a China-only app store and locked developer options, so Google Maps, Waze, Spotify or YouTube cannot be installed. An OEM engineer opens the engineering menu remotely, enables ADB over USB or Wi-Fi, and walks you through the first APK install. OEM functions and updates stay untouched.
Why does this happen to imported Chinese EVs?
The head unit in a Chinese-version car is a full Android tablet with the debugging switches hidden behind a dealer-only engineering menu. Without ADB there is no way to put an APK on it, and the built-in store only offers Chinese services that do not work abroad.
Opening the menu is a configuration step in the OEM tool, not a hack. Nothing is rooted, the OEM software is not modified, and the car keeps receiving whatever updates it is entitled to.
What happens in the remote session?
You tell us the model and head-unit software version; we confirm ADB is available on it and quote.
Cable in, engineer connected. The engineer opens the engineering menu and enables developer options and ADB.
You connect a laptop by USB or over the car’s Wi-Fi hotspot and install the first app with adb install while we stay on the call.
The engineer confirms the OEM functions are unaffected and sends a one-page guide for installing more apps later.