Getting to your destination on time will be easier and safer than ever.

The popularity of Android Auto has many drivers looking for something more, a way to better integrate their favorite apps into the car. The solution is called Android Automotive, the operating system designed for cars that more and more manufacturers, from Porsche to Ford, are adopting in their new models.

The differences between Android Auto and Android Automotive are clear. Instead of connecting our mobile phone to a touch screen, Automotive works directly on the car’s on-board computer. This brings several advantages, such as there is no need to connect the mobile to use apps like Google Maps, Waze, Spotify and more; they work directly on the car’s screen.

Another advantage of Android Automotive is that it can run on any screen in the car, not just the dashboard. For example, may be present in the digital instrument clusterto display app and vehicle-related information. And with the latest addition, you can use Google Maps to tell us how far we need to go.

Some users notice that the instrument cluster now displays information about the distance they have traveled during the journey and how long it will take them to get there. Specifically, it indicates the time in hours and minutes that it will take to reach the destination that we have configured in Google Maps, in addition to the distance that we will have to travel, and finally, the time at which we will arrive.

In other words, just by looking at the dashboard we will know exactly if we are going to arrive on time at the appointment we had, or if we have to look for an alternative route; this is especially useful if we encounter traffic jams or traffic jams, for example.

This information was already available on Google Maps, of course, and to Android Auto users. You can also see it on the touch screen; but Android Automotive users don’t need to look away from the touchscreen and get this data as well as other data needed for driving like the speedometer or fuel or battery level. In the meantime, they can leave the touchscreen for other apps like the music player.

The change is already affecting users of cars equipped with Android Automotive like the Polestar 2, as seen in 9to5Google. During their tests, they noticed that the information appears in a black frame at the bottom of the dashboard; something that can cover part of the map if we are in navigation mode. When we reach our destination or cancel navigation, the box disappears.