Android Auto might soon get widgets – like on your phone
According to a new report, it looks like Google wants Android Auto to feel a bit more like your Android phone. The new “Earth” feature seems to be all about home screen widgets, which would let you pin widgets from your favorite apps straight to your Android Auto dashboard.Even though the feature’s still in early development, we already have a glimpse of what it could look like once Google flips the switch. The idea is pretty simple but clever: bring your phone’s widgets into your car so you can, say, keep an eye on your music controls, calendar, or weather without leaving the main screen.
Now, don’t confuse this with Android Auto’s Taskbar Widgets – those little shortcuts that appear at the bottom of the screen. “Earth” is something different. These widgets will actually live on the side of your screen, kind of like a split layout.
From what’s been found so far, Android Auto divides the main screen into two sections: the widget panel takes up about a third of the display, while the other side – your navigation, apps, and controls – uses the remaining space.
Google might soon let you add widgets. | Image credit – Android Authority
Right now, there’s one catch: you can only have one widget active at a time. So, if you add a Clock widget and then switch to Spotify, the clock disappears. It’s not clear whether Google did this on purpose (maybe for safety reasons?) or if it’s something it’ll tweak later. What’s clear is that performance isn’t great just yet – widgets reportedly lag, and some even fail to load properly.
To make things trickier, not every widget plays nice with Android Auto. Apparently, even some of Google’s own widgets don’t behave the way they should. There are also layout issues, especially with widgets designed for vertical screens that don’t scale well horizontally.
Still, this is early stuff. Google’s obviously testing, refining, and working toward smoother performance and wider app compatibility in future Android Auto updates.
It’s all about giving users more control
Honestly, every small upgrade to Android Auto deserves a thumbs up – and widgets definitely fall into that category. It’s not like you couldn’t already use Spotify or other apps while keeping Maps open before, but this adds another layer of control. The main difference is that now it’ll be in widget form, which may take up just as much space as a full app but looks cleaner and gives users more flexibility over what’s visible.At the end of the day, it’s not about functionality alone – it’s about choice. And that’s something Google seems to be leaning into more and more with Android Auto.
Android Auto keeps outpacing CarPlay in customization
This is also another example of where Android Auto edges out Apple’s CarPlay. Customization. I guess it’s just something Android does better.
Take something simple like syncing your wallpaper between your phone and your car display – Android Auto lets you do that, while CarPlay still doesn’t. Now, with widgets potentially joining the mix, Google’s system is set to become even more flexible and personal.
So yeah, “Earth” might just be another codename for now, but if Google gets it right, Android Auto could soon look a lot more like your phone – and a lot less like a static dashboard.
