14 DAY TRIAL // Back at the I/O 2014 conference last summer, Google briefly talked about Android Auto announcing its foray into the automotive world.
We haven’t heard much about the initiative since then, but luckily, the search giant has taken all of us by surprise today and released the dedicated Android Auto app for smartphones running Android 5.0 Lollipop and above.
Android Auto app finally makes a debut
The application is currently waiting for you to download it from the Google Play store, and once installed on your handset, it will let it communicate with your car’s information and entertainment systems.
The Android Auto app gathers info from Google Maps, Messages, Google Play Music, Weather and other apps like these and relays it to your car’s dashboard where it is displayed on a road-friendly interface that’s built around hands-free operations.
There are plenty of things the Auto app will help you with while you’re driving. Apart from the usual phone calls and texting without actually getting your hands on the phone, you will also be able to navigate and find routes via Google Maps with free turn-by-turn navigation and lane guidance, live traffic conditions, points of interest, and so on.
The app will also deliver free info about weather, traffic, commute information and more, all organized into simple cards. Users will also be able to play their favorite music.
As we mentioned above, in order to make this app work, you will need a handset running at least Android 5.0 Lollipop, but also an Android Auto-compatible aftermarket head unit.
Pioneer is the first to bring Android Auto head units into the wild
Pioneer lives up to its name and is the first manufacturer to offer Android Auto head units on the market, but for the time being, the company is selling only a limited number in the US, UK and Australia.
Google says more hardware partners are coming soon enough. The search giant has also set up an Android Auto section in the Play Store for applications that can work on aftermarket head units, and so far, we have Spotify, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Google Play Music and others.
If you don’t have the needed hardware in your car, you shouldn't be expecting to see much of anything when you open the Android Auto app on your phone. You’ll just be greeted by a lone screen, plus the option to disable pairing with unknown vehicles.
