Last but not least ! After months of waiting, Google has just announced the arrival of a brand new version of Android Auto, completely redesigned for the occasion. On the agenda: a complete overhaul of the graphical interface and new features. Enough to make cars even more connected.
The new version ofAndroid Auto was eagerly awaited, and has been for many months. Google had partially presented the redesign of its infotainment system at Google I/O in May 2022. we could see some flanges of this new version Late 2022 but nothing official as the system was in beta. With the announcement, the wait is over CES 2023 in Las Vegasthe arrival of Android Auto, which partially adopts the codes of Android 13. Deployment has already started.
A whole new interface
As stated by press release by the American company Android Auto redesigns its interface to better adapt to the different sizes and screen formats of cars, electric or not. The other big novelty is that Possibility to customize the display by dividing it into different parts. It can therefore be used Spotify or YouTube Music while following the navigation of Google Maps, for example, as can be seen in the presentation video.
The system goes even further by allowing the screen to be split into three different tiles to display even more real-time information. Of course, Android Auto is fully compatible with both horizontally and vertically positioned screens. We are thinking of them in particular North Star 2 or the very last Renault Megane E-Tech.
A smarter system
Android Auto is also getting smarter: for easier use Google Assistant offers you “intelligent” suggestions such as Missed call reminders, the ability to share your arrival time, or to quickly start podcasts or music. All this personalized according to your in-car habits.
Shortcuts have a good life in this new version of Android Auto to help you send SMS messages faster and make calls easier. In this regard, the other great novelty is the possibility of Make WhatsApp audio calls from your car. However, please note that this feature is currently only compatible with mobile phones. Google Pixel and Samsung.
Regarding novelty, we can also cite the appearance of a Progress bar when listening to podcasts or music. A highly requested feature that allows you to quickly and precisely fast-forward the music or podcast to the desired time.
Android Automotive ups its game
Alongside the Android Auto news, Google has announced other features, this time for Android automotive. If Android Auto is compatible with most cars on the market regardless of their standard interface, Android Automotive goes even further as long as your smartphone is connected to the car. It is a separate operating system that does not require a smartphone to operate and replaces the traditional manufacturer interface.
We find Android Automotive on more and more cars: Volvo and Polestar, Renault but also the latest ones bmw (in a less complete version). With these cars, Google makes life easier for drivers, for example by allowing share the digital key of his car (integrated in the smartphone) to relatives. At the moment, this feature was pixels and reserved iPhonebut the Mountain View company announces their arrival on phones xiaomi and Samsung.
Although we already knew that Waze is now available on Android Automotive, starting with the Renault Mégane E-Tech, Google announces the arrival of other applications in cars. This is the case with YouTube, which allows you to watch videos from the main screen of his car, without necessarily having his smartphone with him.
Google HD Maps: for even more autonomous cars
Finally, the last announcement concerns Google HD Maps, as described by our colleagues on the site numerama. Please note that this is not a new application. That is’ultra-detailed road mapping. In other words, it’s a huge database provided by Google that allows the car to find its way around the mapped roads even more easily, in addition to the information received from its sensors such as radar, cameras, etc LiDAR.
Google HD Maps is thus able to help the car position itself in relation to its surroundings, since the software integrates the position of white lines, crash barriers and signs. The American company takes as an example the North Star 3 or the new Volvo EX90 which is equipped with Google HD Maps: This allows the electric car to offer sophisticated semi-autonomous driving, as indicated in the Volvo press release. We imagine that this is also one of Volvo’s secret boots to eventually offering fully autonomous driving with its more than 2.8 tonne electric SUV.
Android Auto vs Apple CarPlay
This new version of Android Auto and Android Automotive developments will allow to increase the distance to the system Apple CarPlay ? Nothing is less certain as the Apple brand looks to try to assert itself in the car market its home interface was presented at WWDC in its 2022 edition. Before marketing his hypothetical electric car the Apple Car, for years to come.
Between Tesla developing its own operating system and Google spreading Android Automotive everywhere, Apple has done the minimum in the automotive sector. CarPlay was just a copy of the iPhone…
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