Android Auto transforms the Android experience for use on the car stereo screen. Unlike Android Automotive, Android Auto works on mobile and transmits to the screen, which has many advantages and some disadvantages. Android Auto works quite wellbut it’s certainly not perfect.
What is Android Auto missing to be even better? To find out, we consulted user requests and complaints and analyzed what the competition offers that does not have Android Auto or can improve. This is what Android Auto could improve to go even further as a driving platform.
More stability
Errors are in no way unrelated to Android Auto. A simple browse of Reddit shows that the vast majority of posts allude to problems with Android Auto. Sometimes the problems come from the cell phone, other times they are car specific and sometimes even the USB cable is to blame.
This is relatively common for Android Auto does not connect correctly or disconnects randomly, for whatever reason. Google has already tried to fix some of these issues in the latest updates, with an included cable troubleshooter, but other errors persist, like the following.
Let it be clarified with tongues
One of the most frustrating recurring errors in Android Auto is that insists on reading languages in the wrong language. The error started at least two years ago and the solution proposed on the forums was more of a solution than a solution: change the language of the mobile phone to US Spanish.
These types of errors are recurring and this continues to happen today and on recent mobile phones. This Reddit user complains that Android Auto uses American English when reading messages, even though he has it set to Australian English.
Best performance
Android Auto runs on your phone and while it’s active you can use other apps. This means that the mobile phone technically “does two things at once” and on a cell phone that has just a little powerthis means that the mobile ends up being fried, figuratively and sometimes literally.
Add to that the fact that the car’s USB ports barely provide enough power to keep the phone charged and we’ll sometimes have a power deficit. It is The mobile downloads while we use it with Android Auto.
Play local music and videos
Android Auto inherits the applications that we have on our mobile phones, but we could say that its main music player is YouTube Music. YouTube Music lets you play music you’ve saved locally in its mobile app, but not on Android Auto. If you want to do this, you need to use other apps, such as VLC.
The same thing happens for the video playback, but with the main difference that factory Android Auto does not allow you to play videos in any way: neither streaming nor locally, with the car stopped or running. The season seems to open up a little, perhaps, with Cast mode arriving Coolwalkalthough at the moment nothing is confirmed.
Being able to choose your favorite map application
At the beginning, Android Auto was Google Maps and that’s it, although today we have more and more alternative navigation applications, like Here WeGo or Waze. You can open these apps without issue from the Android Auto home screen, although there is no way to mark them as default.
If you prefer to use another navigation app, it would be nice if Android Auto let you choose which navigation app to use or the one you want to open on startup. This option (which opens at startup) appeared a few versions ago in its beta version and has not yet reached everyone.
An official version for tablets
Google has discontinued the official version of Android Auto for phones, so today Android Auto as such only works in the car. However, this would be very useful for many users with cars that do not have this technology. that it would also be available on tablets and/or Android car radios.
Technically it is possiblesince we have seen how to do it using specialized applications such as HeadUnit Reloaded, so the only obstacle is the will to do it.
Better chat app integration
Android Auto integrates with a number of messaging apps – far more than CarPlay – but the integration is a bit poor. Relies entirely on notificationsyou therefore lose a lot of context and cannot consult previous messages, which will arrive before the mobile connects to Android Auto.
There are important reasons for this – so you don’t get distracted while driving while looking at your WhatsApp – but the system can still be something more flexible when the car was stopped or parked, For example. Technically, for Android Auto, messages that arrive before you connect your phone don’t exist and you can’t see conversations you have open in any app, until someone texts you.
Less reliance on voice use
Obviously, the vast majority of interactions with Android Auto are done by voice. This is actually one of its big advantages over alternatives, since Google’s voice recognition works quite well. The problem is that Android Auto abuses the Google Assistant a littleforcing you to talk a little more than necessary.
Just like in the radio of yesteryear we didn’t change the station by shouting at the radio, There are actions that are easier to perform with a button or choosing from a list, provided they can be done safely or by the co-pilot.
More customization
Wallpapers that existed in Android Auto until recently
Android Auto allowed you to choose between 18 wallpapers in its settings up to the option of use the same wallpaper as on mobile. Suddenly, the wallpapers have disappeared, are you using the one from your mobile or it remains black.
Android Auto could benefit from more customization options like we have on mobile, like different styles and sizes for icons, fonts and, why not, even widgets on home screen. There are unofficial applications for this: it is better if the support is official.
In Xataka Android | Android Auto: 23 tips and tricks to get the most out of Android in the car
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