Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video
January is expected to bring us the very first Android Auto update, and there’s a chance this will be a massive release with several notable new features.
Android Auto 6.0 will most likely include wallpaper support, a feature Google has been working on since mid-2019. With wallpaper support, users will be allowed to choose a new background for Android Auto on their head units, and according to the code in the current builds of the app, Google will offer several pre-loaded images that can be enabled right from within the app.
For the time being, it seems Google wants to use the same approach as Apple, which also allows users to select a different wallpaper on CarPlay. This means the search giant wouldn’t enable the use of third-party backgrounds but force us to stick with an image included in a pre-loaded set of photos.
Google is also working on adding Google Assistant shortcuts in Android Auto, and this is something that’ll certainly come in handy to those who rely on the assistant to perform certain tasks hands-free.
The best of all is that shortcuts would allow users to create automations that would then be pinned to the home screen; so theoretically, you can have Google Assistant run a series of operations with the press of an icon. Google Assistant Routines are also expected to make their way to Android Auto to allow users to configure multiple actions in a row that can then be launched by the assistant.
Android Auto 6.0 could also include smaller refinements here and there, including a warning that VPN connections would block the app from running.
More head units will get their own dedicated icon on the home screen to exit Android Auto in an attempt to make the experience overall more straightforward and thus no longer requiring users to get their hands on the mobile phone to quit the app.
Android Auto 6.0 is therefore expected to go live this month, but a more specific ETA isn’t available just yet.
For the time being, it seems Google wants to use the same approach as Apple, which also allows users to select a different wallpaper on CarPlay. This means the search giant wouldn’t enable the use of third-party backgrounds but force us to stick with an image included in a pre-loaded set of photos.
Google is also working on adding Google Assistant shortcuts in Android Auto, and this is something that’ll certainly come in handy to those who rely on the assistant to perform certain tasks hands-free.
The best of all is that shortcuts would allow users to create automations that would then be pinned to the home screen; so theoretically, you can have Google Assistant run a series of operations with the press of an icon. Google Assistant Routines are also expected to make their way to Android Auto to allow users to configure multiple actions in a row that can then be launched by the assistant.
Android Auto 6.0 could also include smaller refinements here and there, including a warning that VPN connections would block the app from running.
More head units will get their own dedicated icon on the home screen to exit Android Auto in an attempt to make the experience overall more straightforward and thus no longer requiring users to get their hands on the mobile phone to quit the app.
Android Auto 6.0 is therefore expected to go live this month, but a more specific ETA isn’t available just yet.
Google News