Elevating Your Drive: Top 6 Upgrades Needed in the Next Android Auto Update

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Android Auto has made it drastically easier to enjoy the features of your phone safely while driving. Maps, music, and messages are easily in sight and can be controlled without looking away from the road. However, Android Auto is far from perfect–here are some things that could make it even better.

1 Bring Back Android Auto for Phones

In the early days of Android Auto, Google had a version that could run on phone screens. That functionality was eventually removed in 2022 and replaced by “Google Assistant Driving Mode.” It was a more limited experience contained inside the Google Maps app, and that was eventually removed as well in early 2024 .

So, we’re left with no official method for running a simplified, car-focused UI on our Android phones. That’s a shame because, while it is easier (and cheaper) than you think to get Android Auto in your car , a lot of people prefer to have their phone in a mount. There should be an official way to do that safely.

2 Reporting Road Conditions With Voice Commands

Like Waze (which is also owned by Google), it’s possible to report road conditions in Google Maps. Things like crashes, speed traps, construction, etc. However, it’s not very easy to do this while driving. A feature that would make this instantly better is voice commands. “Hey Google, report a speed trap.” Boom, easy.

3 Remember Settings for Specific Head Units

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When you set up Android Auto for the first time, there are a bunch of settings to customize. Which apps to appear in the launcher, dark/light theme, how notifications appear, that sort of thing. Most of these settings are specific to the head unit, but some apply to any Android Auto unit on your account.

This means that if you use more than one vehicle with Android Auto, certain settings will follow you. For example, you can choose to have media start playing when connected to your car automatically, but that means the same will happen when you connect to your partner’s vehicle (or your bike ). The setting is not vehicle-specific. Same goes for Google Maps views. Admittedly, this is not a big problem, but it can be annoying.

4 Using Google Maps on Your Phone While Navigating With Android Auto

Here’s another pretty simple one: let me use Google Maps on my phone while Android Auto is navigating. I’m not talking about while I’m driving–this is for passengers, only. It’s very frustrating to be the passenger trying to find the next stop on your phone, and Google keeps kicking you out of the Maps app or ends navigation altogether.

5 Better Use of Split Screen View

Apple

Android Auto’s split screen view is essentially a 2/3 split, with the navigation app always taking up the bigger area. I have no problem with that–it’s the smaller section that could be used better.

Most of the time the small third of the screen is showing media controls and suggested locations. The suggestions are actually useful maybe 25% of the time I’m driving somewhere. Instead, it’d be nice if that corner of the display could give me extra navigation information, like how Apple does it with CarPlay .

6 Voice Prompt for Text Message Notifications

Notifications for text messages is one of the best features of Android Auto. It makes reading and responding to texts immensely safer (do NOT attempt to do this with your phone while driving). However, I would appreciate some sort of audio alert and prompt when a text arrives.

Currently, you have to press a button to hear the message read aloud or dictate a reply. Why not just ask me right up front what I want to do? It’d be super useful if Google Assistant would say something like, “New message from Person, would you like to hear it or reply?” and it waits for your response. No need to touch the screen.

Overall, I’m very happy with Android Auto. It mostly “Just Works” and lets me do what I want to do while I’m driving. A few key improvements here and there could make it even better, though. We should always be striving to make things better.

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Elevating Your Drive: Top 6 Upgrades Needed in the Next Android Auto Update