Get excited about the Upcoming Android Automotive Upgrades that will improve the way you use and interact with your Android phone while driving. While Android found a place in automotive dashboards, there is no real synchronicity between it and the version designed for mobile devices.
In 2015, Google released Android Auto. The OS system can act more as a device driver that enables the smartphone to interact with your car’s infotainment system. A device driver typically acts as a translation layer between an external device to work with a computer.
For example, a mouse, trackpad, or trackball all provide the same basic functionality when plugged into a computer. The user can move the cursor around the screen and select different items. However, each has a unique physical interface.
Upcoming Android Automotive Upgrades
The first GM vehicle to reach customers with Android Automotive are the 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe. And Suburban as well as its GMC luxury division’s Yukon. Many others will arrive in the coming months.
Once logged in, the driver can download approved Android apps. That includes NPR One, Spotify, Tidal, Hoopla, Libby, and PocketCasts. These download and run directly in the infotainment with no phone required. Logging into the individual apps syncs data to corresponding accounts.
The current or upcoming Android Automotive-based infotainment systems superior to what automakers already have been providing. The GM Android Automotive interface works well. Is very easy to use and is very responsive.
Google Assistant is activated with a tap on the touchscreen. A button on the steering wheel or “Hey Google.” Earlier generations of in-vehicle voice recognition had limited vocabularies. And often required a sequence of commands to enter a destination, but Google Assistant comes closer to natural language capability.