A total design overhaul
Have you gotten bored with how Android Auto’s user interface looks after several years without a major redesign? In line with some discreet preparations from the last few months, the platform is borrowing the Material 3 Expressive visual system from your phone in an attempt to… disconnect you from your phone while driving.Expressive fonts, smooth animations, and vibrant new wallpapers are only one of the big ways in which Google will try to keep you glued to your dash, with the other key change touted today… not being an entirely new thing.
Android Auto’s new Immersive Navigation mode is certainly cool enough to warrant two different announcements. | Image by Google
Yes, Immersive Navigation was first detailed back in March, completely reimagining your Google Maps user experience by highlighting critical information that can impact your driving and providing a vivid 3D view of the road in front of you with everything you need to get to your destination as fast and as safe as possible.
Billed as the “biggest update to Google Maps in over a decade”, Immersive Navigation kicked off its US rollout shortly after its original announcement and is yet to expand to more regions. Maybe soon, although there’s no actually no mention of that today.
Official YouTube support is finally here… almost
While industrious Android Auto users may have gotten YouTube to work in their cars (at least with audio support) by employing various tricks and third-party apps in the past, Google is removing this weird limitation at last… in select vehicles “starting with” BMW, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Skoda, Tata, and Volvo “later this year.”
That’s quite a few brands (and not all of them are prohibitive for the masses), which is certainly nice of Google. What’s even nicer is that YouTube will support Full HD video streaming at 60fps on Android Auto (where possible, of course), as well as Dolby Atmos-powered spatial sound (again, where possible).
And if you’re worried about a loved one’s safety behind the wheel, fret not, as the app will switch from video to audio-only mode as soon as your car starts moving. That’s pretty neat… as long as it works as advertised and never results in a single otherwise preventable accident.
More power to Gemini
That essentially means Android Auto should become even more helpful and in-sync with all your needs and thoughts soon, which sounds just as scary as convenient to me.
If you pair your Pixel 10-series device to your Android Auto-powered dashboard, for instance, you’ll be able to use the killer Magic Cue feature to answer a text without actually typing it on either your phone or your car’s infotainment system.
Gemini will also allow you to order food via Doordash using just your voice, and something tells me this is only a little sample of what will soon be possible on Android Auto with the help of Google’s increasingly powerful (and scary) virtual assistant.
Cars with Google built-in are also getting some love
As great as Android Auto is, it’s definitely even better if you have a car designed with native Google integration from the factory, and said cars will unsurprisingly enjoy the most precise Immersive Navigation possible, as well as access to meeting apps “including” Zoom (so, presumably, not just Zoom).
This is a pretty extensive list of brands of cars with Google built-in (on select models, of course). | Image by Google
Basically, everything that’s coming to Android Auto “later this year” is also coming to cars with Google built-in, just a little better, more precise, and easier to work with. What’s not to love here?
