14 DAY TRIAL // After rolling out a major Android Auto overhaul, Google is now working on a series of further improvements for its in-car platform, and by the looks of things, a weather temperature indicator is among these goodies.
The original version of Android Auto featured a weather widget on the home screen, but this feature was removed earlier this year when Google released the modern design.
But according to a discovery made by Android Police, the weather temperature indicator might be coming back, and even though it doesn’t provide the same amount of information as the original widget, it’s still a neat addition that users have been requesting for many months already.
Features that have been added for a limited set of users and which need to be manually enabled in Android Auto include a weather temperature icon in the top bar, similar to the icon that weather apps use on Android devices. This icon only displays the current temperature, without any other details like the forecast or real feel.
Google Assistant improvements
At the same time, Google is also polishing the Assistant experience in Android Auto, with the popup that shows up at the top of the screen when the assistant launches now moved to the bottom. The change isn’t necessarily breaking, but it’s part of an increased focus on Google Assistant in Android Auto and which is projected to make this feature a more important part of the entire experience behind the wheel.
The microphone icon in the toolbar at the bottom has been replaced with the Assistant, but tapping it has the same functionality as before: it lets users send voice commands for various actions like starting phone calls or setting up the navigation app.
For now, these features are still part of a limited test, but they should make it to everyone at some point in the future depending on how the beta testing advances.