It is a boon for folks with older rides. Previously, you could only get Android Auto in one of two expensive ways: buying a new car that had it built into the factory stereo, or buying and installing a pricey head unit yourself. “[We] know there are millions of older cars on the road that are not compatible with Android Auto, and many don’t have a screen at all,” Gerhard Schobbe,
The new Android Auto client, which supports phones running
For the uninitiated, the Android Auto experience centers around the home screen, which shows three cards containing the most relevant bits of information at any given moment. If you receive a phone call or text, you will see the content of the message. If there is a road closure ahead, you will see detour details. And if there is inclement weather projected for your trip, you will receive an alert.
Apps are the other half of Android Auto’s equation and the platform is practically overflowing with them. They are informally divided into categories. Navigation apps include Maps, which provides turn-by-turn directions with distances, ETA to destinations, voice prompts, and pop-up notifications about upcoming lane switches and turns. Among the music apps are Google Play Music, Spotify, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Joyride, Stitcher, podcast player Pocket Casts, and NPR One, all of which show album artwork and playback controls. Communication apps comprise
Android Auto on any old smartphone or tablet will not necessarily deliver the same experience as an integrated head unit. Hyundai, for instance, recently introduced MyHundai, an
Google said more than 200 new car models from 50 brands now support Android Auto. The most recent to climb aboard include, Kia, which recently added
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