Android Auto – a smartphone utility in your car

So, if you own a Samsung, HTC, or virtually any phone manufactured in China, it is most likely that the phone is driven by Android. The OS manages the launching, display (user interface), and closing of the various functions of the phone, such as phone calls, maps, texting, emailing, playing music, going to the Internet, […]

So, if you own a Samsung, HTC, or virtually any phone manufactured in China, it is most likely that the phone is driven by Android. The OS manages the launching, display (user interface), and closing of the various functions of the phone, such as phone calls, maps, texting, emailing, playing music, going to the Internet, getting directions or locations via GPS, and any other functions performed by your smartphone.
With Android Auto – where “Auto” stands for “Automobile-” you can get basically the same functionalities on the dashboard of your car as you do on your smartphone. In this case, the functionalities get integrated somewhat with the operation of the car.
Among other features, your car’s built-in navigation system gets replaced by Google Maps, with its superior features: better maps, very quick rates of refreshing and rerouting, and multiple route options. Moreover, the look-and-feel on the dashboard of your car is basically that in your smartphone; so it is familiar, only bigger. Android Auto does support third-party music apps. Note that Android Auto uses the GPS that comes with your car, which may be more accurate than that in your phone.
The following will be available to you in Android Auto: a) navigation with Google Maps – turn-by-turn navigation with lane guidance, live traffic conditions and points of interest, b) hands-free phone and messaging, so that you can make calls and send messages without taking your hands off the wheel, c) a personal assistant – reminiscent of Siri (iOS) or Cortana (Windows Mobile) – tells you weather conditions, traffic, commute information, and d) ability to listen to your own music and playlists in the car with the built-in stereo system. There are many more capabilities.
In a car that supports Android Auto, you basically plug your Android smartphone – yes, you do need your physical phone for this to work – into your car’s USB port, in order to access the functionalities listed above.
In addition to a car that has been built to support Android Auto, you also need the physical Android-driven phone, as stated earlier. Moreover, only phones with Android Version 5.0 can work for this. (Only a small percentage (10%) of Android users has this version of Android.) Joanna Stern in her 26 May 2015 article on Android Audio in New York Times observes that “the Android Auto app loaded fast when using Google’s Nexus 5, but was sluggish to start with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Google says a coming update will address the Samsung performance.” She also notes that “you can still listen to AM or FM, satellite radio or a CD while using Android Auto navigation, but you have to jump back and forth from the Android Auto app to the car’s home screen, which gets annoying fast.”
There is the prospect of “retrofitting” for folks who don’t want to wait to get a new car before using Android Auto. The company, Pioneer, is marketing some units that allow any car to support Android Auto’s functionalities. These products include AVH-4100NEX ($699.99), AVH-7100NEX ($1,199.99) and AVH-8100NEX ($1,399.99). The main differences between the units are in the navigational capability. The cheapest option doesn’t support standalone GPS navigation, while the other two do. The high end option offers a more robust suite of navigation features over its cheaper counterparts. These devices can be inserted into the 4-inch Double-DIN dash bay in your car, if there is enough room.
Android Auto is currently available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. It’s expected to hit other progressive nations very soon. The 2015 Hyundai Sonata comes with Android Auto capabilities, while General Motors (U.S.) is installing it into its 2016 Cadillac. The device is also coming to new models of the following cars: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bentley, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Volkswagen, Volvo, and so on.
Are there competing products? You bet! Apple’s CarPlay, which works with iPhone, is also on its way.
Anything that takes your attention away from driving is a safety hazard; so these devices potentially present safety problems. This is where the personal assistant comes in. I mean the likes of Siri (iOS) and Cortana (Windows Mobile). Stern compared Android assistant, to whom she gave the name “Flo-” because Google never bothered to give her a name – to Siri in Apple’s CarPlay. Flo is said to be much smarter than Siri: “En route, Flo delivered clear, audible turn-by-turn directions alongside clean on-screen prompts. My father’s in-dash system butchers our local street names, but Flo got most right. (In my short time testing CarPlay, I noticed Siri sounds more robotic and has a tougher time with street names.)” Flo also receives a high mark on the way she handles messages. The messages that come to your phone are routed to the dashboard of your car. “A chime signals you’ve received a text, and the sender’s name appears in a notification on the top of the screen. Tap the alert, and Flo reads the message out loud. You can respond with your voice, and it worked well for the most part. Flo is very good at dictation – I can even name an emoji and she’ll insert it. Punctuation isn’t her specialty, though, and she struggles with the beginnings of messages. Fortunately, she’ll read you back the message before you fire it off.”
The take-away from this article is that Android Auto, because of its cool features, will probably be found in most cars in the next couple of years.