Android Auto is now one (screen) size to fit all

This week at I/O, Google rolled out a number of major updates to Android Auto that include better sorting of screens with different viewing angles, video playback via YouTube, widget support, and,,, more about AI-powered Gemini. The company also announced other updates to the Google-style software for cars, including the ability to ask Gemini questions about the car you’re driving.

First, it’s the size of the window. In the past, all car displays were the same. But now the ordinary rectangle has changed to curved, panoramic, swooping, even circular. Google is stepping up to the plate, announcing a new update that better integrates with Android Auto on any screen.

In the past, mobile display systems were like old video televisions, placing a rectangular display inside a large display area with an unused border around it. Google is now trying to embrace every aspect of every car, said Patrick Brady, Google’s VP of Android Automotive, citing screens unlike the Lucid Air or the MINI Cooper’s round.

“You’ve got a new BMW Neue Klasse that has an odd trapezoid. I don’t even know what it looks like. It’s kind of parallelogram-ish,” Brady said in an interview. “I was like, man, I have to go back to geometry class.” Brady said the new “full-blooded” design will allow apps like Google Maps to fill the entire display regardless of geometry.

This can be useful when you download a video from YouTube via Android Auto, which is another update coming later this year. This feature, which works only when the car is stopped, supports 4K, 60-frames-per-second video playback, along with spatial audio support using Dolby Atmos. All this will come from the user’s phone and not from the default system. The car notifies the phone when it is in park, which activates the video functionality. According to Brady, users have been challenging the company to be able to watch movies or videos while charging their EV, waiting in the parking lot, or sitting outside of school.

Google is also bringing its new Material Three Expressive language to Android Auto. When it was released last year, my friend Allison Johnson explained is a “young version” of Android, “full of animations, bold fonts, and bright colors everywhere.” Now, that design language is coming to Android Auto, which will receive your preferences from the user’s phone. These include image-based palettes and themes, giving Android Auto a more personalized and integrated look.

Another big change is widget support, where Android users can create their own favorite widgets for things like sports games, smart home controls, one-tap communication shortcuts, garage door shortcuts, lighting controls, and more. And users will be able to use Google’s Gemini AI assistant to find their widgets using natural language. For example, a user can ask for game scores, upcoming schedules, or calendar information, and Gemini can generate the appropriate response in Android Auto.

A new feature called “Magic Cue” can analyze incoming messages and display useful information. If someone texts you asking for someone’s address or phone number, Gemini can retrieve the necessary information from your phone and give you the answer with just one tap. Brady argues that this will reduce unsafe phone interactions while driving.

“We do driver training in the simulator,” Brady said. “We try everything.”

Gemini is also moving forward as a way to connect with other apps on your phone. For example, drivers can now ask Gemini to place a delivery order through the Starbucks app. Brady explained that instead of relying on a special API integration, Gemini can use apps like Starbucks and DoorDash in the background to place orders through Android Auto. Again, this will reduce drivers’ interest in using their phone while speeding on the road.

The new “Immersive Navigation” view in Google Maps, which the company announced earlier this yearnow it’s coming to Android Auto. When you start browsing, the map will now have refreshed colors, detailed 3D buildings, elevated roads, real estate, and even greenery.

Android Auto’s smart, comprehensive, highly customizable feature helps bridge the divide between the phone’s display and embedded apps, Brady argues. Either way, Google usually wins. Even cars that don’t allow smartphones to be seen, such as EVs from Rivian, Chevy, and Cadillac, will eventually use Android Automotive and Google’s operating system as their base. And most of the Android Auto functions can be integrated into the Android Automotive system over time and vice versa.

That said, there are limits. Android Auto users, for example, can’t control their car’s HVAC system via phone. Some car systems, such as drives, driver assistance features, and radios, also cannot be changed via Android Auto. But even some of those differences are disappearing quickly, Brady said.

Advanced features such as Google Maps connecting directly to the EV’s powertrain to automatically stop or stop before the battery is ready for charging are made possible through advanced systems. However, Google has been working with automakers to allow Google Maps to run through Android Auto to achieve the same.

“I think these countries are converging as phones become more capable, cars become more capable from software, and the integration between them (improves),” Brady said.