zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Tech
/
Android Auto Is Getting A Little Update With A Lot Of Helpful Tweaks
Android Auto Is Getting A Little Update With A Lot Of Helpful Tweaks-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:28

Unlike Apple CarPlay, Android Auto’s gone through some profound changes from its initial design when it first released five years ago, up until now. And Google is further tweaking and adding to Auto’s functionality even still, that is rolling out this summer.

One of Android Auto’s more noteworthy improvements is a refined messaging interface that allows you to start composing messages within apps that aren’t just the standard Android SMS client. You’ll soon see all your messaging apps on the launch screen, even third-party ones, and when you open them there will be a “+ New” button in the upper right. Sending a message this way, versus just saying “Hey Google...” should make it absolutely clear you’re using, say, WhatsApp, and not text.

Speaking of the launcher, you’ll be able to reorganize your app icon order from your phone, which is something that really should have been possible in Android Auto before. Moving things around can be a pain through your car’s display and easy to forget to do in the moment, after you’ve buckled yourself in and are focused on going somewhere.

Media apps will also now present a “back to top” button, which is super useful. The infotainment display in my Fiesta is 6.5 inches large and horizontally oriented, and thus requires a lot of swiping to get to the top or bottom of any list — a shortcut would be much appreciated.

If you drive an electric vehicle, you’ll certainly appreciate the integration of EV charging apps within Android Auto. It’s a development on an initiative Google to ease development of car-centric apps in Android Auto and pre-installed Android Automotive systems. At Google’s I/O developer conference in May, it said ChargePoint and PlugShare were among the first to take advantage of the new, streamlined framework. This will extend to parking and navigation apps as well.

These days I use an iPhone, so I haven’t had much experience with Android Auto in a little over a year, back when I was carrying around a Pixel. I appreciate the recent switch from a card-based interface to something more akin to a phone screen’s app drawer. The card system could be clever and helpful, but oftentimes made getting to the particular app or feature I was looking for a bit difficult, especially when trying to focus on driving.

If you own an Android phone running at least version 6.0 (that’s Marshmallow, for those interested) and the proper car, you should see these quality-of-life upgrades in the coming weeks.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Tech
Biden’s First EV Charging Station Goes Online After $7.5 Billion In American EV Investments
Biden’s First EV Charging Station Goes Online After $7.5 Billion In American EV Investments
Despite in investments for the development of in the , not a single charging station had gone live thanks to — until now. The first EV charger paid for by Biden’s Bipartisan deal has come online in Ohio, according to , which marks the operational start of what the...
Jul 11, 2025
GM Says It's Dropping Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Because They're Unsafe (Update)
GM Says It's Dropping Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Because They're Unsafe (Update)
GM is still dealing with the fallout of its decision to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of developing its own in-house system. In the last eight months, the company has had to deal with while still maintaining its in-house system will be “.” Since neither of...
Jul 11, 2025
Costco Will Sell The Chevy Blazer EV At A Discount To Go With Your Rotisserie Chicken
Costco Will Sell The Chevy Blazer EV At A Discount To Go With Your Rotisserie Chicken
knows that you keep coming back for the and Kirkland brand, but you can now also buy a cheaper at your local warehouse. Chevy notified its dealers that members are eligible for a $1,000 rebate on the through January 2, according to . The discount is part of ,...
Jul 11, 2025
Truck Fans Would Rather Wait For A Toyota Tacoma EV Than Buy A F-150 Lightning Or Cybertruck
Truck Fans Would Rather Wait For A Toyota Tacoma EV Than Buy A F-150 Lightning Or Cybertruck
fans are already cooling on despite more options on the market and news of upcoming models from the likes of Chevy and Ram. The and have yet to be released, while the has recently joined the and for sale in the U.S. And, yet, all of these current and...
Jul 11, 2025
Danish Investors Dump Tesla Shares After Elon Musk Calls Strikes In Sweden 'Insane'
Danish Investors Dump Tesla Shares After Elon Musk Calls Strikes In Sweden 'Insane'
Danish pension fund PensionDanmark is dumping all of its stock and putting the U.S. EV maker on its exclusion list of the companies it chooses to invest in – or not. The fund is selling all of its shares due to Elon Musk’s refusal to enter into labor agreements...
Jul 11, 2025
Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days (Update)
Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days (Update)
Experts have said that one of the ways to speed up EV adoption is for them to support . The ability for owners to power their house off their car or from the grid is vital. Just nine EVs on the market currently support bidirectional charging, but now VW...
Jul 11, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved