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Android Auto 8.7 Now Available for All Users as Coolwalk Rollout Continues

Google continues the work on Android Auto, and today, another stable version of the app started rolling out to users.
Android Auto Coolwalk interface 9 photos
Photo: Google
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Android Auto 8.7, which was first released to users enrolled in the beta program in early January, has made its way to the stable channel. It doesn’t bring any new features, as the focus appears to be on bug fixing and further polishing of the overall experience with the app.

As per its typical Android Auto update strategy, Google hasn’t shared a changelog for this new update, so we should learn more about what’s new in version 8.7 in the coming weeks, as more users receive it.

The rollout through the Google Play Store is happening in stages, meaning that not all users can download Android Auto 8.7 today. The process will take several weeks to complete, as Google uses this approach to discover bugs and reliability issues in an early phase before they get the chance to hit a significant number of devices.

While we don’t know what’s been changed in this new release, we do know that Android Auto 8.7 won’t enable Coolwalk for users who haven’t received the redesign.

Google kicked off the rollout of the overhauled Android Auto experience earlier this month, and while the process is making good progress, many users out there are still waiting for Coolwalk to be enabled on their devices. New Android Auto updates, such as the just-released 8.7 version, aren’t tied with the release of Coolwalk, as the new interface is enabled by Google with a server-controlled switch.

The process comes down to the reliability data that Google is collecting from devices where the redesign has already been enabled. However, the search giant seems to stick with baby steps for now, so the rollout is yet to gain too much traction.

Updating to Android Auto 8.7 is something you should do specifically to get the latest bug fixes and improvements. While the rollout is happening in stages through the Google Play Store, users can still install this latest version manually if they download the latest APK installer.

To do this, you need to head over to this page and download the Android Auto 8.7 APK file on your Android device. Once the file is saved to local storage, go to its location and tap the installer to begin the update process (you don’t need to remove the existing installation of Android Auto from your device). During the deployment, you should be prompted to allow the installation of apps from third-party sources – by default, Android is configured to install apps only from the Google Play Store. Once the permissions are granted, the whole process shouldn’t take more than a few seconds to complete, and therefore bring your Android Auto installation to the latest version.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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