Before today, you’d need a special car stereo if you wanted to use Android Auto in your vehicle. That’s no longer the case.
With the newest update to the Android Auto app, you can use Google’s in-car interface directly on your phone’s screen. This UI offers easy access to features that you want in your car, like directions, music, weather, and communications, all with enlarged cards that are easy to read.
This update also enables you to automatically start the Android Auto app when your phone is connected over Bluetooth. Many people have Bluetooth-enabled stereos in their cars, and so with this update, you can have your phone automatically launch the Android Auto UI when your phone connects to your car’s Bluetooth stereo.
These new Android Auto features will be available to any phone running Android 5.0 or higher. The update will roll out over the coming days to the more than 30 countries where Android Auto is available.
This is a pretty spiffy Android Auto update. Google’s in-car UI is great for when you need to use features like directions or music controls in your vehicle, but before today, you’d have to either buy a new car or a new car stereo that costs hundreds of dollars to get Android Auto. Now you can just use it on your Android phone, which will make driving much safer for Android users.
Google also announced today that it will enhance its Android Auto voice commands in the coming weeks. That means that you’ll be able to access features like maps, music controls, and messaging by saying “Ok Google.”