Even the most prestigious car brands are starting to replace their systems with Android Auto; This is what most drivers prefer, rather than having to learn a new interface. The great thing about Android Auto is that it’s very familiar to anyone who owns an Android phone, and that extends to apps.
Knowing this, Google announced several important changes at the last Google I/O focused on these strengths, with more apps compatible with Android Auto thanks to a new program that will automatically certify applications already present on Google Play to be able to use them in the car.
However, allowing more applications to run opens the door to another problem: many They are not suitable for car screens and they can be a distraction. In a recent Android Auto update, Google implemented a way to recognize unavailable apps while driving; and today, with the release of Android Auto 12.2, it’s made things even easier.
The big news in Android Auto 12.2 is a new way to distinguish applications that can only be used when the car is stationary; If the system recognizes that we are moving, it cannot execute them to avoid distractions on the road. With the latest update, The icons of these applications will be displayed in gray, with desaturated colors; On the other hand, the applications that we can use while driving will be displayed in the usual colors.
Until now, apps that couldn’t be used on the go were covered with a “P,” but Google hopes the gray icons will be just as effective and fit better with Android Auto’s aesthetic. If we click on an application with a gray icon, a pop-up message will appear stating that not available while driving; The only way to recover these applications will be to stop them, then the icons will return to their usual color.
This is the main change in Android Auto 12.2, but it probably won’t be the only one. As usual, Google did not follow its own rules and did not update the list of new features with this update (an obligation for the rest of the developers). However, it is very likely that the rest of the changes to the system will focus on resolve the “bugs” discovered and improving stability, in addition to preparing it for the aforementioned change that will allow the use of more mobile applications within Android Auto.
Android Auto 12.2 is already arriving as an update for early users; Additionally, the .apk package is now available for download on sites like APKMirror if we can’t wait for our phone to update.