AutoIf your car runs on Android, you’ll soon have a whole bunch of free toys to play withThere’s a new version of Android Automotive coming to your carWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
AutoIf your car runs on Android, you’ll soon have a whole bunch of free toys to play withThere’s a new version of Android Automotive coming to your carWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
There’s a new version of Android Automotive coming to your car
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: ECARX)
(Image credit: ECARX)
Quick SettingsThere’s a new version of Android Automotive with support for a range of new features.It’s down the car manufacturer to push these new features to your car, so there’s no telling if or when you’ll get them.
There’s a new version of Android Automotive with support for a range of new features.It’s down the car manufacturer to push these new features to your car, so there’s no telling if or when you’ll get them.
There’s a new version of Android Automotive with support for a range of new features.It’s down the car manufacturer to push these new features to your car, so there’s no telling if or when you’ll get them.
There’s a new version of Android Automotive with support for a range of new features.
It’s down the car manufacturer to push these new features to your car, so there’s no telling if or when you’ll get them.
AndroidAutomotive doesn’t get as many headlines as Android on your phone, but it moves on an annual cycle just like the phone software. That could see new functionality coming to your car in 2024, but at the same time, much will depend on what your car manufacturer decides to do with it.
Volvo andPolestarare great examples of Android Automotive and this gives an Android-based system with access toGoogleservices, likeGoogle Maps, the Play Store for apps and Google Assistant for voice interaction. You’ll sign in with a Google account on your car to get things up and running.
It can get a little more tricky than that, however, because you can also get Android Automotive without the Google services, so it doesn’t have access to things like Google Maps or those Google apps. In this instance, Android Automotive is purely used as a software layer to build on – and that’s what brands likeBMWhave used in recent models.
The new features coming to Android Automotive
One of the big new features is the ability to connect a Bluetooth headset. This might sound a little niche, but it’s likely to be targeted at expanding the entertainment options for passengers, meaning the driver can continue in peace, while the kids are entertained on their own headsets.
There’s also going to be a new app dock, allowing you to pin your favourite apps to the bottom of the screen for easy access, so you can reduce the amount of clicks needed to get to what you want. Some Android Automotive systems already have some sort of app pinning – but as I said, exactly how these changes are implemented will depend on the manufacturer.
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For those who use the hotspot on a regular basis, you’ll be able to have this on all the time between driving sessions, so if your kids always connect to it, it will be there, rather than having to be toggled on manually each time.
Finally, just as we’ve seenwith Android Auto, there’s also going to be support for the radio hardware that’s installed in your car. This should give you the option to control broadcast radio rather than it all being streamed internet radio. That could reduce data usage and provide more reliable access to radio when in remote areas.
As I said, however, there’s no telling when or what features might come to your car – but Google has at least added this support to the core software.
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