Android Auto uses your car's infotainment system to display mobile apps that make your commute easier, safer, and more enjoyable.Īndroid Auto's UI should feel second nature to Android users. Right now, most modern cars support Android Auto, though vehicles running directly on Android Automotive are likely to continue growing in popularity in the coming years. Google has several different automotive platforms, and the names are similar enough to cause some confusion. It's like CarPlay on iPhone, but unlike Apple's service, Google's platform has a wide range of third-party apps worth checking out. It can get you from point A to point B while avoiding speeding traps and accidents and playing your favorite playlists, all right from the display embedded in your dashboard. I think this is a good first step toward making smartphones safer in cars, but I'd like to see Google make certain controls even larger and add an auto-send option to auto-reply.If you're planning a road trip, there's nothing more useful than Android Auto.

Once it's running, the app stays active until you hit the Home button, then asks you to confirm your exit.

Just hit the Settings screen, tap Auto launch, then select the corresponding Auto-launch device. If you decide to use Android Auto on a regular basis, and here's hoping you do, you can set it to run automatically whenever your phone pairs with your car's Bluetooth. Once you've started listening, you can swipe left from the main player controls to access more controls - shuffle play, thumbs up or down, and so forth. Tap that icon again and you'll see a list of the available choices from whatever compatible apps are installed.įor the majority of these apps, you'll swipe right (or tap Menu) to choose what you want to hear from that app: playlist, podcast, etc. When you tap the headphone icon, Android Auto brings up player controls for the most recently used audio app.

In the meantime, you can swipe right (or tap Menu) to access phone features like voicemail and call history. The order in which these favorites appear is based on the order they're listed in Phone, but when I tried reordering them in the latter, the list didn't update in Android Auto.

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