Kellen
Google is preparing a big Android Automotive update that appears to introduce several major changes to the platform. They haven’t announced the details in a typically way, but release notes for the newest build were spotted and they talk through what we can expect.
We can probably call this Android Automotive 15 or the Android 15 update for Android Automotive because there are references to Android 15 in a release notes page. However, Google is also currently referring to it as “Android Automotive 24Q3.”
For those not familiar with Android Automotive (AAOS), this is the Android car experience that Google offers to car makers as the base software or infotainment for the car. Those car makers can then build off that base on their own (like Rivian) or take on a more Google-focused experience with Google Play and its apps (“Cars with Google built-in” is what Google calls it), like a Polestar has. This is not Android Auto, which is the UI your phone projects onto your car’s screen. In many ways, Android Auto is the superior experience (because car makers still suck at car infotainment), but changes like we’re about to talk through could offer improvements.
What’s new in Android Automotive 15? There are several items related to UI, Bluetooth, hotspot, and UWB you might want to know about, assuming you own a car with Android Automotive.
1. Dock with pinned apps: This new AAOS 15 apparently has a new dock that users can pin their favorite apps too. No, AAOS doesn’t currently do this, which is absurd. This may seem like a minor change, but for those of us who own AAOS cars, it’s a big one. Having shortcuts to your most-used apps would be so lovely.
2. Bluetooth headset connections: If you’d like to connect a Bluetooth headset to your AAOS car, you might be able to do that in AAOS 15. The settings for this new connection type will also allow you to designate those connected headsets with a new “Audio Outpuet Device” setting that’s a part of this update.
3. UWB settings update: AAOS 15 will add new options to “provide more control of UWB devices.” That should be especially handy if your phone can act as a key through UWB.
4. Ambient view: A new ambient view option could soon be used by car makers, and we’re assuming this is a screensaver-like experience like you might find on a Google TV device.
5. WiFi hotspot persistence: There is a new toggle that will “allow users to retain the vehicle hotspot for every drive.” I’m going to assume that’s a reference to cars that automatically toggle this off with each new driving session. This would indeed be handy.
Again, Google has really publicly talked about this Android Automotive update yet, so we have no idea on when it might make its way to your car. Knowing how slow car makers are at doing anything software-related, I’d imagine it could be a while.
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