What?s Android Auto, And Why Is It So Exciting?
You might have heard rumours about Android Auto ? the infotainment technology Google announced at Google I/O last year ? but what is it, and what does it actually do?
Android Auto is an infotainment system for vehicles that controls your phone. It allows you to plug your smartphone into your car, and benefit from the same interface on the dashboard that you’d see on the phone itself. While Android Auto isn’t available quite yet, it is currently in development with Google ? and 40 car manufacturers have signed up to work with the technology.
Using the Android Auto, you can access maps, music, voice and apps from the dashboard of your vehicle. Plus, you can control it using steering wheel buttons, as well as through voice controls.
The benefits of Android Auto
One of the major benefits of Android Auto is that it offers the same user experience as your smartphone, which means no more having to learn multiple different navigations across different devices like sat navs. This is, of course, a major benefit when driving and your major priority is driving safely, not scrolling through screens.
Android Auto will allow you to access the sat nav capabilities of your smartphone, with lane guidance, voice-guided navigation and traffic info. Its creators say it has been designed to minimise distraction and allow you to keep your eyes on the road. The technology delivers useful information in the form of ?cards?, which appear on the screen when you need them. These cards may include traffic information, or even useful personal reminders.
If you want to make a call, simply using the voice command ?call work? means you can get in touch with ease, and without having to press any buttons. In terms of music, Android Auto operates with Google Play, as well as apps such as Spotify, so there is plenty of choice across your entire music collection.
When will it be available?
As of yet, there’s no indication from Google of when Android Auto will be ready for consumer use, but vehicle manufacturers are now starting to display models with the technology at tech shows like CES. It?s a bit of a waiting game, so watch this space.
