Image: luchoelzurdo / reddit.com · The reused BQ Aquaris phone in its printed case, with case design and system diagram
An Android 4.4 phone reused as a Home Assistant panel
Claude Code helped turn a BQ Aquaris E5 into a native dashboard and BLE proxy, overcoming an obsolete WebView and HTTPS support.
Credits
- Build author luchoelzurdo Source ↗
Earliest dated source: Details reviewed:
The full story
A 2014 BQ Aquaris E5 could no longer install the current Home Assistant companion app or Fully Kiosk, and its WebView was too old for the web frontend. Claude Code wrote a native application without WebView, Gradle or external libraries. It loads a newer TLS provider from Google Play services and pins Let's Encrypt roots.
The dashboard is configured through JSON and displays car fuel, battery and charging information. The phone also acts as an ESPHome-compatible BLE proxy. A low-resolution brightness comparison wakes the display on motion without storing frames, and an automation warns the owner when they leave without their watch.
The maker directed the work and checked it on the phone. Claude Code also helped design a tilted, 3D-printed case through SolidCraft. A root-dependent battery guard keeps charge between 70 and 80 per cent.
Before and after
- Starting problem
- Modern dashboard apps and HTTPS connections did not work on the old phone.
- Reported result
- The maker reports a working native dashboard, BLE proxy and reminder setup.
Device and compatibility
- BQ Aquaris E5; Android 4.4; 1 GB RAM · Android 4.4
BLE proxy uses the ESPHome native API; the battery guard requires root.
Source ↗
What you need
What Claude did
- Native dashboard app, TLS compatibility, BLE proxy and enclosure designClaude Code Source ↗
Parts and cost
How it was done
Tools
Themes
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Sources
From a short post by the maker, so the details are as they tell them.
- Reddit: I turned a 2014 phone into a Home Assistant dashboard, BLE proxy and motion sensor. It yells at me i
The maker's post describing the project and reported limitations.