Last May, Google made major design changes to Android Auto’s interface. The company marked August for the second update, but this did not happen. The company finally presented the expected design change to public beta users, and testing began.
Open beta tests for Android Auto UI update have started!
Android Auto, developed by Google for vehicles, provides a smart driving experience. With the application that has more than 1 billion downloads, you can turn on music by giving commands with the help of Google Assistant in the car, and ask for directions from the map.
With every Android Auto UI update, Google tries to improve the user experience by avoiding distractions. Now, the app provides a more readable and easily accessible view with the new design. Here are the important changes:
The map has been brought even closer to the driver, with improved size and accessibility in the new dashboard.
The cards on the board have a new look and can now grow and shrink dynamically.
The map takes up the entire screen of Android Auto, making it easy to choose. At the same time, more selection options will be presented.
A new slot has been added to the recent apps section to make it easier to switch between apps with one tap.
The components in the system have been aligned with Material You and the modernized UI design.
Google Assistant’s music suggestions are now available with a single tap on the dashboard.
Legacy status icons, notification center sound, and number of unread messages have been combined into a touchable area that is easy to parse.
It remains unclear when the full version will be released for the new Android Auto update. Forecasts point to the first quarter of 2023. It is also said that the user limit for open beta tests has been reached and new registrations are not accepted.
What does Android Auto provide?
With this application, Google offers us all the features we expect from a phone. We can make calls, send messages, listen to music and watch videos. However, these are not the features we want to talk to you about.
We can search for something on the internet if we want by starting the Assistant by saying “Hey Google”. If we want, we can send a message or an e-mail. You should avoid doing things that will distract you while driving. But let’s say you need to make a call or send a message. Then you can use Google Assistant to do all these things without taking your attention off the road.
If your car has a voice command button on the steering wheel, you can do these things without even having to say Hey Google. After pressing the button, we can tell it to play your audiobook or music list or a song from the list.
Thanks to these features offered by Google Assistant, you can benefit from all these services even if you have an old model or a vehicle that does not support Android Auto. For this reason, we also support the company’s decision to close the Android Auto for phone screens application and offer all these features via Voice Assistant.