The old version of Android Auto is only history now

Dec 17, 2019 11:04 GMT  ·  By

Google has automatically enabled the new Android Auto experience for all users on December 16 as part of a schedule that the company originally shared earlier this year.

The new Android Auto was announced during the summer, and it brings a massive UI redesign, with a dynamic toolbar playing a key role in terms of usability.

This toolbar can adapt to the apps running on the screen and can display information that makes it easier to perform a series of tasks.

For example, if you’re navigating with Google Maps and listening to music on Spotify, the new toolbar can display navigation instructions or playback controls when switching from app to another.

New version, same issues

Google originally announced the new Android Auto experience would be enforced on users on December 16, but the company added a dedicated toggle in the app to allow them to try it out ahead of this date. On December 16, the option was removed from the Android Auto settings screen and the new version is now automatically enabled on all devices.

There’s no way to return to the old Android Auto version, as installing a previous release also enables the updated UI – this is powered by a server-side switch and Google has enabled it for everyone.

The Android Auto redesign doesn’t seem to bring too many changes in terms of stability and reliability, as users still complain of the same issues before the update. For example, navigation apps, like Waze, often lose GPS tracking, while Deezer and Spotify sometime stop sending audio to the car’s speakers. The latest updates fixed things for some, but made no difference for others.

More recently, Google added a series of other features to Android Auto, including options to customize the launcher and enable a weather temperature indicator in the status bar.