Initially, it’ll only be available in Polestar cars, but it’ll come to other cars “soon,” according to Google. YouTube will now be available as an app for cars in the Google Play Store. Waze is also getting new EV-focused features in cars, like the ability to look up charging stations that specifically support your car’s plug type.Įntertainment in cars with Android Automotive is getting better too. Much bigger are the updates to Android Automotive, or the operating system built straight into cars.įor starters, Waze is finally rolling out to all cars that have Android Automotive, and will be available through the Play Store on those cars. Earlier this year, Google launched a redesign of Android Auto, but now it’s getting support for conferencing apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, allowing users to hear the audio from meetings and control the call straight from their car display. Soon, you’ll be able to use BMW i3 batteries to power your houseįor Google I/O 2023, however, the updates to Android Auto are relatively minor. Man in Japan drives sports car ‘faster than a bullet train’ in YouTube stuntīoy, 8, learns to drive via YouTube tutorials before tootling off to McDonald’s According to Google, Android Auto will be available in almost 200 million cars by the end of the year, and while some car manufacturers have announced that they’re moving away from offering CarPlay and Android Auto, it’s still how millions of users integrate with their cars. Android Autoįirst up is Android Auto, which is what most Android users currently use to integrate their in-car experience with their phone. Here’s a look at what’s new in Android for Cars.
Collectively, Google refers to the systems as Android for Cars - yes, yet another name. It works whether you have a connected phone or not. Android Automotive, however, is a version of Android that runs in the car itself, as the car’s main infotainment system. It’s Google’s answer to Apple’s CarPlay, and doesn’t work without your phone. Android Auto essentially just projects content from your phone, whether through a wireless or wired connection. As a reminder, the two systems may have a similar (almost identical?) name, but are actually quite different.