The CES in Las Vegas has given for more news apart from the prototypes and new models about which we have informed you these days. Google took advantage of the appointment to present the latest (and expected) Android Auto update: improves access to navigation, entertainment and communications. So much so that you can even share your digital key… and call via Whatsapp. And this is not the only novelty that the Mountain View giant has for the motor industry.
Those drivers who have an Android mobile will find, in the new Android Auto, an updated design and new functions that have a clear objective: to be simpler and also more customizable. The aesthetic change is one of the main novelties: with this update, car screen could be split to see, at the same time, the browser, the song that is playing and other useful information such as the arrival time. Yes, like Apple CarPlay.
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With the new Android Auto, the navigator changes position slightly to get closer to the driver: In this way, with a simple glance, you can check where you are going, the status of the route, any incidents… The application’s maps also gain realism.
The update also includes a quick start module which gives access to the most used and recently used applications. To it is added a search bar for music and podcasts as well as new shortcuts to call contacts cataloged as favorites or send automatic responses to received messages.
The Google Assistant is now able to estimate an arrival time for the driver to share, give you instant access to media files and remind you of missed calls. Users who have a Samsung mobile or a Google Pixel will be able, in the near future, to make calls using WhatsApp.
And not only that: it will be possible to share the digital car key with Google Wallet. This option, however, will only reach Samsung phones for now. At the end of the year, it will also be available for Xiaomi phones.
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The news will also arrive for models that have Android Auto integrated. Both the Volvo EX90 and the Polestar 3 they will release a new map enhanced to show details such as lane separations, signs, or road barriers. In this way, the application becomes an ally of road safety and, above all, of the assisted and autonomous driving that is yet to come.
Finally, Android Auto will increase its presence by integrating with more brands: ford and lincoln It will have the application at the end of 2023, as some models of General Motors, Renault, Polestar and Volvo already do.
