Google is testing a major overhaul of its vehicle operating system. Named Coolwalk, this user interface segments the screen to provide more information for ease of use. And there is an even more experimental change: we were able to test it.
It’s not that Android Auto has changed too much since its inception, although it has evolved into a useful and sufficiently comfortable design. In general, the touchscreen allows for distraction-free interaction; while Google Assistant offers voice management and message reading (when working properly). Now, how to evolve the system in order to better adapt it to any type of screen? coolwalk is the answer
Vertical Coolwalk, a twist for multi-screen navigation
Above, Coolwalk horizontally; below, Coolwalk vertically
Android Auto has been testing the Coolwalk interface since version 7.1 without Google yet allowing activation for all users. Therefore, it is only possible to access it from a mobile with ROOT and after changing the Android Auto settings with applications such as AA AIO TWEAKER, also manually modify one of the databases which contains Google Play Services.
We had already managed to access Android Auto Coolwalk in its horizontal format: the screens at the top and a bottom dock with the navigation icons laid out in that direction, the horizontal. With the latest versions of Auto, Google introduced the vertical interface, called “vertical rail”. These are still experimental features.
We managed to activate Coolwalk vertically on our mobile with ROOT via the AA AIO TWEAKER app and then manually editing the “phenotype.db” database, included in Google Play Services. The result is a combination of an application in the foreground of the screen, a panel on the left dedicated to reading and track vertically left with navigation icons, status icons and the clock.
Depending on the resolution of the vehicle console (our screen remains at 1280 x 720 pixels), Coolwalk offers vertically a dual screen or only the foreground. It is possible to move to the rest of the applications via the drawer icon, Android Auto opens them by holding the navigation right
Coolwalk in portrait looks very neat, we didn’t experience any performance issues, navigation is adequate and the system adapts well to the screen. Although it works perfectly Google disables its execution after startup; which requires restarting the process to activate it.
Almost ready, but no estimated date
The design and operation denote an advanced state of development. Even so, it’s still very difficult to test Android Auto’s new design, both horizontally and the one that concerns us now, Coolwalk vertically. Let’s hope that Google concludes the tests to let it activate, surely first in the betas.
